Sr. Titans Named HWCDSB Champs
By Larry Moko
Avery Hedley wouldn't have missed the 2025 senior girls' high school basketball championship game for the world.
The Bishop Tonnos Titans veteran saw action in only the first quarter of last week's Hamilton-Wentworth Catholic semifinal against the St. Thomas More Knights before leaving with a nagging hand injury.
But thanks to some protective tape, Hedley was back in the starting lineup Tuesday, playing a key role in her team's 39-38 victory over the visiting St. John Henry Newman Cardinals.
It was the first championship in the school's history for a senior girls' basketball squad from Tonnos.
A Grade 12 student, Hedley has appeared in every game during her four-year junior/senior high school basketball career.
"I tore the UCL (ulnar collateral ligament) in my thumb," Hedley said after the trophy presentation. "That injury happened two weeks ago. I knew I couldn't sit out this game because it could be my last. I had to play."
With the outcome, the Titans capped an undefeated (10-0 overall) season. Third-place Newman finished with a 5-5 overall mark.
"Avery wanted to give it everything she had tonight and she did," Tonnos coach Len Moccia said.
Addison Turkstra led the Titans in scoring. She tossed in 12 points, including one of two foul shots that broke a 38-38 deadlock with 5.3 seconds remaining in the game.
Bridget Dinning and Hedley each contributed eight points. Jahvaya Appiah had six.
For Newman, Myah Ragona and Grade 9 post player Amy Jennings netted 11 points apiece. Grace Fleming chipped in with six points while Grace MacDonald and Madeline Wadden added five each.
Newman fought back from a 27-18 halftime deficit to tie the score (35-35) on a three-point shot by Grace Fleming with four minutes remaining.
Newman then took a two-point lead on a pump-fake basket by Grace MacDonald.
"I've never seen one ounce of panic on them," Moccia said of his players, "even when Newman took the lead on us."
The Cardinals had a couple of opportunities to pull ahead in the final minute but missed a close-in shot on one occasion and then turned the ball over with two seconds left.
"It was a great game," Newman coach Roy Milutinovic said. "We played our hearts out. It was tough to get a couple of late calls against us. But I don't want to talk about any of the calls. They could have gone either way.
"I told the girls before the game started that all I ask for is to have a chance at the end to win. And we had that chance. Tonnos is a great team."
Newman had lost 71-53 and 54-20 in its two regular-season games against BT.
"Number 32 (6-foot-3 Jennings) hurt us a lot," Moccia said. "We had no answer for that. A couple of times we were able to double her and it turned out OK.
"I'm a little overwhelmed right now. Every game in the season the gap between all the teams gets smaller and smaller. We played them at their gym a few weeks ago and we had our way with them. I knew this would be a different game."
Next up for Tonnos is a Golden Horseshoe Athletic Conference semifinal on Nov. 13 in Oakville against the Loyola Hawks.
"We're very athletic and we move the ball extremely well," the Tonnos coach said. "This is probably the best passing team I've ever been around. They know the game."
According to Moccia, Tonnos' senior championship was forged in junior (four consecutive league titles). "They had a lot of easy games in junior," Moccia explained. "When you come up to senior, where everyone is a little bigger, faster and older, you have some tough games that build character. Towards the end of this season when teams started game-planning for us we toughed it out."
Last season, Moccia's Titans had the distinction of snapping the Cathedral Gaels 90-game winning streak.
"We worked hard all season," Hedley said. "This is the first time BT has ever won a championship at the senior level and I'm really happy to be part of it. It feels so amazing."
Other Tonnos players include Grace Park, Rylan White, Mia Catania, Leila Soccio, Mikayla Lord, Kiara Pasalic, Olivia Tecu and Izzy Martens.
Photos by R.F. (Bob) Butrym, RFB Sport Photography
More photos on HWCDSB Athletics Facebook page
