Central seniors solid

Posted By IAN SHANTZ

Posted 15 days ago

Wrapped in a blanket, little Makoa slept right through the noisiest high school basketball game of the year.

Indeed, the Barrie Central Phoenix and St. Joseph's Jaguars senior girls basketball teams had the fans at St. Joseph's High School amped up last night.

After all, the coveted Examiner Cup city girls basketball championship was on the line.

But Megan Lukan's nine-month-old brother couldn't be bothered.

"Hopefully, we woke him up by the end of the game," the 17-year-old said after the Phoenix claimed the title with a 42-17 win.

Makoa was taking in the game -- sort of -- with dad, John. He lives in Philadelphia, but was in town to watch Lukan and her younger sister, Kali, take to the court for the Phoenix.

While the little guy slept, it was Megan who awoke her team from a first-quarter slumber.

After trailing early in the game, the Phoenix came alive and so did their star 17-year-old guard. She caught fire and scored 10 points in the second frame, finishing with 15 points, as the Phoenix never looked back.

"She is the drive and heart behind our team," 17-year-old Brittany Durdin said. "She can calm you down and get you fired up at the exact same time. She is our leader."

Lukan, the team's co-captain, drained back-to-back treys in the second quarter. With her team ahead by a healthy margin in the third quarter, she slowed the pace of the game and drew fouls. In the fourth quarter, Lukan helped eat away at the clock before finishing with one last lay-up.

She claimed most valuable player honours, but it was a team effort that helped Barrie Central win its third city title in the tournament's six-year existence.

"It means a lot, just with how hard we've worked all year round to prepare for this," Durdin said. "But this is just the beginning."

The Georgian Bay 'AAA' girls championship returns to this north-end school next week, and both teams could meet again.

"It's heart-breaking," said Jaguars guard Rachelle May, who was part of last year's team that lost in overtime to the St. Joan of Arc Knights in the city final. "We'll try again at GBs."

Lukan said her team will be ready.

"As a team, we wanted to show everybody that we're here for a reason and this is what we're capable of," she said. "That's what we did."

Adrienne Moreau led the Jaguars with seven points, while May added five of her own. Kali Duffy chipped in six points for the Phoenix.

ishantz@thebarrieexaminer.com