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By Herb Garbutt OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF Two years ago, the Loyola Hawks, a team with two Grade 10 starters, snapped the Notre Dame Fighting Irishs 40-game winning streak in Halton senior girls bas- ketball play. Those two players, Nicole Garcia and Marti Killeen, are now the senior leaders on a team with three junior-aged starters. Wednesday, they arrived at Sheridan College looking to bring an end to another Notre Dame winning streak. The Irish came into the senior girls Tier 1 final bidding for yet another Halton championship. And in the early going, it looked as though Notre Dame would cruise to a sixth straight title. The Irish built a 29-16 lead by the half and led by 15 early in the third quarter. However, Loyola would storm back to cut the lead to one by the end of the third and then took the lead on a Garcia basket to open the fourth. Just as quickly as Loyola took the lead, however, Notre Dame seized back control and finished the game on a 14-0 run to win 44- 32. Loyolas ability to sustain the momentum was hindered by a pair of losses. An injury forced Alex Ruscica out of the game in the third. Ruscica played a key role on the defensive end block- ing shots and helping to hold the leagues highest scoring team to just two points in the third quar- ter. She would be joined on the bench early in the fourth quarter by Emily Wilk, Loyolas top scorer with 11 points, who fouled out. Wilk, Ruscica and Sarah Traynor, all in Grade 10, will form the nucleus for the Hawks over the next couple of years as Loyola looks to dethrone Notre Dame. Grade 11s Andrea Zeismann and Jessica Allingham will also return next season. While Notre Dames speed and ball movement created problems for teams all season, Wednesdays 44 points was its second-lowest total of the season. (The Hawks are) very athlet- ic, said Notre Dame coach Mike Johnston. They played really tough. We knew they would. Loyola did have the leagues best defence, allowing an average of just 31.7 points in 13 league games heading into the final. When we decide we want to play it, we can do it well, said Loyola coach Chris Pauletto. Its just getting out of your comfort zone, but we only did it in spurts (in the final). In addition to Killeen and Garcia, who had eight points Wednesday, Emily Turner, Nicole Presutti and Lea Kirkconnell will also graduate this year. But with a young core to build around, Loyola should contend again after finished second with a 9-2 mark in the regular season. Including tournament play, Loyola had an overall record of 22-4, with two of those losses coming at the hands of Notre Dame. We had a lot of great accom- plishments this season, Pauletto said. Even though we came up short, it was a great stepping stone for next year. SportsOakville Beaver SPORTS EDITOR: JON KUIPERIJ Phone 905-845-3824 (ext. 432) Fax 905-337-5571 email sports@oakvillebeaver.com FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 201030 Hawks test six-time champion Irish in senior final MICHAEL IVANIN / OAKVILLE BEAVER We had a lot of great accomplishments this season. Even though we came up short, it was a great stepping stone for next year. Loyola coach Chris Pauletto CRUNCH TIME: Loyola Hawks players Martin Killeen (left) and Emily Wilk (right) sandwich Notre Dames Lianne Di Paolo as they fight for a loose ball in Wednesdays Halton senior girls basketball Tier 1 final at Sheridan College. Loyola led the game in the fourth quarter, but the Irish fought back to win 44-32 and claim its sixth straight Halton title. The Halton Secondary Schools Athletic Association will hold its boys volleyball finals Monday at Sheridan College. As of yesterday (Thursday) afternoon, only the Tier 1 final matchups had been determined. The Loyola Hawks and Oakville Trafalgar Red Devils will clash in an all- Oakville junior final, beginning at 4 p.m. The senior Tier 1 final will not feature any local schools. Tier 2 semifinals were scheduled for yesterday, games that ended after the Beavers press deadlines. The St. Thomas Aquinas Raiders hosted the Abbey Park Eagles in one of the two junior Tier 2 semifinals, with the win- ner advancing to Mondays final (a 2:30 p.m. start). Aquinas took on Robert Bateman and Iroquois Ridge played Lester B. Pearson in the senior Tier 2 semis. The senior Tier 2 final will be played Monday at 1 p.m. Volleyball finals Monday at Sheridan