Falcons Knock Off Centennial to Advance to Quarters

(London, ON) – The Fanshawe women's basketball team (12-5, 3rd West) hosted their first-round playoff crossover game against Centennial (4-11, 6th West) on Saturday afternoon. The Birds came ready to play and took down the visiting Colts at Glenn Johnston Athletic Centre by a score of 91-53 to advance to the quarter-finals.

Things were rolling from the opening tip for Fanshawe, as they started the game on an 11-0 run to set an early tone with their fast-paced play. Ashlyn Anderson (Latchford, ON) was an early focal point of the Falcons' offence, and for good reason, as she finished the regular season as the OCAA leader in field goal percentage at 56.5%. Anderson dropped nine points on eight shots and added two assists to help Fanshawe close the quarter ahead 26-12. On the night Anderson finished with 20 points and 13 rebounds on 9/15 shooting from the field.

The second quarter followed a similar script, with the Falcons outscoring Centennial 24-13 in the frame. Isabella Bertucci (Komoka, ON) caught fire, knocking down a three and scoring six of her 12 points in the quarter. A major factor in the Birds' success was the turnover differential, as Fanshawe finished +12 and converted those miscues into 32 points, compared to Centennial's 13. The Falcons entered halftime leading 50-25.

The second half saw more of the same, as Fanshawe continued to dominate. Jaimie Stahlbaum (Aylmer, ON) took her turn getting buckets out of the break, scoring seven points in the quarter, including a nifty euro-step layup. The halftime break did little to cool off the Birds, who poured in 26 points in the quarter to carry a 76-41 lead into the fourth.

In the final frame, the Falcons' bench mob got involved in the scoring, highlighted by efficient shooting from both Chloe Meldrum (St. Thomas, ON) and Selena Shaddick (London, ON), who each shot 3/5 in the game. Fanshawe had no issues down the stretch and comfortably closed out Centennial by a final score of 91-53.

Following the win, the Falcons will now wait for the result of Sunday's Seneca versus Niagara matchup. If Seneca wins, Fanshawe will hit the road for the quarter-finals; if Niagara wins, the Birds will return to Glenn Johnston Athletic Centre next Saturday for their quarter-final matchup.

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