(Halifax, NS) The 2025-26 ACAA Women's Basketball Championship tipped off this afternoon as the 3 seed Mount Allison Mounties defeated the 6 seed Crandall Chargers 65-54 Friday afternoon at the A. Garnet Brown Memorial Gymnasium.
Leading the way for the Mounties was Ava Godfrey (Miramichi, NB) as she finished with a game-high 15 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists. Danielle Alexander (Woodstock, NB) added 12 points, 5 rebounds and 2 steals for the Mounties. Nora Miller (Kemptville, ON) contributed with 10 points off the bench for the Mounties.
Kelsey Alward (Moncton, NB) notched a double-double for the Chargers, as she finished with a team-high 13 points and a game-high 14 rebounds. Charity Hearn (Medicine Hat, AB) tallied 10 points and grabbed 4 rebounds, while Kaley Axworthy (Sydney, NS) chipped in with 8 points and 4 rebounds for the Chargers.
As the game commenced, both teams looked to start their playoff journey strongly. Ava Godfrey of the Mounties would open the scoring with a driving layup that was quickly responded by the Chargers as Charity Hearn finished at the basket over her defender. The Mounties would counter on their next possession with a quick up and under finish by Emma Roberts (Truro, NS). The opening possessions were going back and forth as the Chargers would again respond as Kaley Axworthy would drive to the basket and find Hearn on the low block for the easy finish to tie the game back up at 4-4. As the quarter continued, the Mounties would use a steal to transition into instant offence as they would find Grace Lilley (Rothesay, NB) open on the left wing for the three to give the three seed an early 10-8 lead. Late in the quarter, the Chargers would continue to look for strong possessions down low as they would find Ellie Hiltz (Yarmouth, NS) and Ella Smith (Moncton, NB) for consecutive layups to take a lead at 16-13. The Mounties would regroup and reclaim the lead as they would call on Godfrey as she drained two threes in the final two minutes of the quarter to give them a 19-16 going into the quarter break.
Out of the break, the Chargers would respond first as Lauren Lilly (Summerside, PE) would attack the Mounties' defence for the tough layup on the opening possession. The Mounties continued to get support from the three-point arc as Sarah Mallard (Hammonds Plains, NS) would connect from the right corner to extend their lead to 22-18. Within the flow of the game, a few plays later, Janaya Hiltz (Yarmouth, NS) would score from range for the Chargers as they narrowed the lead to one for the Mounties. As both teams ramped up the defensive pressure, baskets were hard to come by. The Mounties would call on Mallard again as she would nail another three to stretch the Mounties' lead to 28-23. The Chargers would answer as Axworthy scored off a driving attack to cut the lead to four at 31-27 for the Mounties. This would be as close as the Chargers would come in the half as the Mounties were sparked by a late 7-0 run. First, Nora Miller would crash the offensive glass off her teammate's missed free throw for a lay-up over her defender. In the ensuing possession, Lilley would strip the Chargers' guard in the backcourt which led to her uncontested lay-up. Lastly, Danielle Alexander would find the ball down low and she would drop-step past her defender for the contested lay-up to extend the Mounties lead to 11 as they took a 38-27 lead into the half-time break.
As the game resumed, the Mounties opened up strong as Alexander would score down low with a hook shot in the opening possession. They would continue to fuel their offence from their defensive pressure as Godfrey's steal would lead to a transition lay-up by Tilley. After a team timeout by the Chargers, they looked to regroup and find a way back into this game. They would look to Hearn as she received her teammate's pass and found a way to finish with a left-handed layup over her defender. In the next possession for the Mounties, they would use excellent ball movement to find Alexander at the extended left elbow as she drained the three as the shot clock expired to give the Mounties a 48-31 lead. As the quarter moved on, the Chargers would continue to feed the ball into the post. They would find Kelsey Alward and Ella Smith for strong finishes at the basket. In a back and forth quarter, the Mounties would respond with consecutive layups by Mallard and Alexander to stretch their lead to 52-35. Momentum would shift back to the Chargers as they would find Alward and Randi Ross (Cape Sable Island, NS) to narrow the lead to 52-39. The Mounties would maintain their 11-point lead as they took a 54-43 lead into the final quarter as both teams looked to book their spot in the semi-finals tomorrow afternoon.
The Mounties received a spark from their bench as Nora Miller checked in and hit a three to extend their lead to 14 on the first possession of the quarter. Early in the quarter, the Chargers needed to find their own spark and they would find it when they would find Alward on an entry pass that would lead to her scoop lay-up. Throughout the game, the Mounties had a response to every run by the Chargers, as Miller would intercept a pass and her defensive contribution would lead to another three for Godfrey to give them a 60-47 lead. A few possessions later, they would find Roberts open for another three to extend their lead to 16. Late into the quarter, Alward ignited a late run for the Chargers, as they chipped away at the Mounties' lead. She would finish strong at the basket, followed by a high-arcing three to narrow the Mounties' lead to single digits as they trailed 63-54 with roughly two minutes to play. This forced the Mounties to call a timeout in hopes to neutralize the Chargers' run. The Mounties would utilize this timeout as they were able to close out the Chargers and claim the quarterfinal victory by a 65-54 margin.
Cleve's Source for Sports Player of the Game
Ava Godfrey (Mount Allison Mounties)
Kelsey Alward (Crandall Chargers)
The Mount Allison Mounties advance to tomorrow's semi-final matchup as they face the host Mount Saint Vincent Mystics at 3:00 p.m.