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Sports Oakville Beaver SPORTS EDITOR: JON KUIPERIJ Phone 905-845-3824 (ext. 255) Fax 905-337-5567 email sports@oakvillebeaver.com · SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2007 37 HIGH HOPES: Armed with several products from last year's strong junior squad, such as (front, left to right) Doreen Bonsu, Lauren Morris and Katie Sinpoli, the Holy Trinity Titans hope to challenge for a Halton high school senior girls' basketball title this season. Returning veterans Alena Luciani (back, left) and Izabella Wozniak should also play key roles for the Titans, whose biggest obstacle in league play this year will likely be Burlington's Notre Dame Fighting Irish. The season begins Tuesday. MICHAEL IVANIN / SPECIAL TO THE OAKVILLE BEAVER No sure thing in senior girls' basketball By Jon Kuiperij BEAVER SPORTS EDITOR Gary Laurin is uncertain whether his Loyola Hawks will even make the senior girls' basketball playoffs this season -- and he's kind of happy about that. There are no guarantees in this year's high school league, thanks to the structural changes the Halton Secondary Schools Athletic Association made this past offseason. Gone are the divisions by school size, with teams now segregated into a higher or lower tier. Loyola, St. Thomas Aquinas, Iroquois Ridge, Holy Trinity, Oakville Trafalgar and Abbey Park are among the 11 teams that will compete in Division 1, while T.A. Blakelock, White Oaks and King's Christian Collegiate will join nine other teams in Division 2. The changes mean that teams will play all other squads in their division once per season, regardless of school size, and also that there will only be one true Halton champion -- something that's overdue, Laurin and other area coaches agree. "We've got to start thinking about our league and not just our (own) teams," said Laurin, who coached the Hawks to the AAA final the past two years. "Our league is only going to get stronger now, and we'll compete that much better out of Halton (at tournaments or provincial championships) because we will have played really strong teams. "Now we're not just thinking about making it far in the playoffs, we're thinking about making the playoffs," he said. "I think it's fantastic. We're really excited." Andrew Saulez, a co-coach at Trinity, added, "Now you can choose Tier 1 or Tier 2 and play everyone else... that's as good as you can get it. It should be an interesting year." Trinity is arguably Oakville's best hope for a Division 1 title, with the return of veteran senior player Alena Luciani and the addition of several members of last year's stellar junior squad. Lauren Morris, Katie Sinopoli and Doreen Bonsu were all key parts of the Titans' junior team that went 31-1 and won a regional championship in 2006. Saulez expects the Titans will easily be competitive, but is wary of the team's overall lack of senior experience. "They'll have to adjust, and it might take a little time," he said. "Senior is a more sophisticated game. They're going to see different offences, different kinds of presses, the game's a little faster and the other girls are stronger." The Titans plan to play a challenging tournament schedule this season, including Tier 1 Holy Trinity TITANS M.M. Robinson RAMS Oak-Traf. RED DEVILS Notre Dame IRISH Georgetown REBELS Abbey Park EAGLES Assumption CRUSADERS Nelson LORDS Loyola HAWKS STA RAIDERS Iroquois Ridge `BLAZERS Tier 2 Burl. Central TROJANS Robert Bateman WILD Aldershot LIONS L.B. Pearson PATRIOTS T.A. Blakelock TIGERS E.C. Drury SPARTANS White Oaks WILDCATS Milton MUSTANGS Acton BEARCATS King's Christian CAVALIERS Bishop Reding ROYALS Christ the King JAGUARS this past week in St. Catharines, in an effort to accelerate that learning process. Loyola has the potential to be strong this year as well. Alex Pecar, Jenn O'Brien and Leah Franco are all entering their third year at the senior level, and Ashara Cadogan and Megan Hickingbottom provide quickness at the guard positions. The Hawks' preparation for the season has been hampered by the fact that Loyola's gymnasium is currently being renovated. The team has practiced at elementary schools Pope John Paul II and Mother Teresa the past couple of weeks. Meanwhile, the youthful Iroquois Ridge Trailblazers might surprise a few teams this season, according to coach Adam Nicholson. Despite having only three returnees, Nicholson said a lengthy playoff run is not out of the question. "The one weakness I feel that we have this year is inexperience in big games," he said. "We are so young this year that it might come off as our weakness, but we are in a lot of tournaments and exhibition games against great teams this year." The play of guards Lindsay Brown, Jamie Johns and Leah Russell will be crucial to any success the 'Blazers may have, he added. · Editor's note: Attempts to contact coaches of all other local teams for comment were unsuccessful.