The 2010 edition of the Women’s Liberty was attended by 5 teams from across North America as well as one team that hailed from the land of the 2010 World Cup- the South Africa Spartans.  The travel weary Spartans were met with stiff competition throughout the weekend, especially when they faced off the first day with the eventual Champions- the Montreal MMAC Magic.  All told, the 6 teams in the Liberty represented much of where the Womens Open division may be headed in future years.

Following Round Robin play on day one, the top 4 of 6 teams moved onto the Medal Round.  In the Consolation Round at York University, the NY Sabres Green upended the South Africa Spartans in a 32-30 nailbiter.  Terri Chu led the Sabres with 7, and roadrunner Ashley Si was the high girl for the Spartans with 10.  In the Medal Round, the first Semifinal would feature the Montreal Magic v/s the Toronto CCYAA Liberty girls.  Montreal’s incredible lineup was headlined by perennial All-NACBAIT PG Tweety Ho, as well as Diana Ros (Montmorency, 2010 MVP), 5-10 F Anneth Him (McGill Univ, 2008 & 2010 All-NACBA), and newcomer Monica Roy.  Meanwhile, Toronto had great performances from Carrie Leung and Cindy Zhou, who chipped in with 7 points and a trey apiece.  Despite their noticeable size disadvantage, CCYAA did a stellar job on defense and on the boards as they played with huge hearts.  Montreal’s abundance of talent and size eventually put them up by 6-8 points, and they hit 10 free throws to put the game away 43-32.  Tweety Ho (9 points, 2 triples, 2 steals) and Caroline Chang (11 pts, 5-8 ft) were the stars for the Magic.  The other Semi would be a duel between the NY Lady Rockits and the NY Sabres Red.  These two teams play each other throughout the year multiple times, but meeting up at the NACBAIT always brings out the best in all of us.  All-NACBAIT picks Yu Wei Lin and 5-10 Tracy Ng did damage with their shooting range and size, as the shorter Sabres Red had no answer for Tracy’s powerful inside moves.  The Sabres Red had a strategy to foul Tracy each time she got the rock in scoring position and make her hit free throws.  The gameplan was working at the outset, as the Lady Rockits led only 12-7 at the half in a slowly played game.  Solange Wong was hitting shots for the Sabres, and the rest of the team did a fine defensive job to keep Yu Wei Lin scoreless.  But as the second half rolled on, foul trouble (4 players ended the game with 4 fouls) began to do the Reds in.  Tracy Ng (11-14 ft) netted 15, and Yu Wei dropped in 6 after the half to propel the Lady Rockits to a 28-16 pullaway win.    

The Championship matchup between the NY Lady Rockits and the Montreal Magic looked like it might be a blowout, as Montreal clearly possessed the taller and more decorated lineup.  But never count out any Rockits team in the big game, especially one coached by Mr. Kevin Low (NACBA Top 25, NYU).  The Lady Rockits were able to keep the game even by setting themselves up for three timely trifectas.  With the score knotted at 19 midway through the game, it looked like the game could really go either way.  But Coach Peter Chang got a fire started in his girls, as they stepped up their effort on the defensive end tenfold.  Montreal made a definitive effort to make someone else beat them besides Tracy Ng (8 points total, only 1 bucket in the 2nd half) or Yu Wei Liu (no points after the half).  With Patricia Tiu (6 pts) the only one hitting any shots for NYC, Montreal outscored the Rockits 20-8 after the break to earn themselves this year’s Title.  MVP Diana Ros had 8 monster points in the second half, while Monica Roy led the team with 10.  Congrats to the MMAC Magic and Coach Chang on their first NACBA Championship!