Heavyweight Thriller: #2 Fort Erie International Academy Topples #1 Crestwood Prep in Instant Classic
When the top two teams in Canadian prep basketball collide for the first time all season, expectations are sky-high. Somehow, #1 Crestwood Prep and #2 Fort Erie International Academy (FEIA) managed to exceed every single one of them.
Entering the matchup, the stakes couldn’t have been higher. FEIA was hunting for redemption, eager to walk into Crestwood’s gym, steal a road win, and reclaim the #1 ranking they lost to the Lions following The Chris Smalling Tournament. Both squads entered shorthanded in the frontcourt—Crestwood was missing dominant post presences 6’6 Gabby Fajemirokun (ankle) and 6’4 Grace Pongang (concussion), while FEIA played without 6’6” anchor Kimora Maxwell—opening the door for the guards and wings to take center stage
At the heart of this battle was a compelling storyline rooted nearly 4,000 kilometers away. Crestwood’s Ashley Vande Ven and FEIA’s Jordyn Nohr both hail from British Columbia and played together at Brookswood Secondary School in Langley before taking their talents east. On Friday night, the former high school teammates went toe-to-toe, delivering a duel that defined the game of the year.
Former Teammates Trade Blows Early
From the opening tip, neither side gave an inch. Vande Ven came out scorching hot for Crestwood, draining early threes and finishing effortlessly at the rim. On the other end, FEIA leaned on its balanced attack orchestrated by Amelia Sow, who seemed to have her fingerprints on every possession. Nohr matched her former teammate shot-for-shot, knocking down back-to-back jumpers to push FEIA ahead 23-21 before a late bucket by Maayan Gorin with five seconds left knotted the game at 23 after one.
The second quarter saw Sow go to work in the paint, creating matchup nightmares and earning trips to the charity stripe, while Nohr reeled off a solo 5-0 run to give FEIA a 31-26 cushion. Crestwood responded with suffocating defense. Following a timeout from Coach Chris Francis, Vande Ven scored off a crisp out-of-bounds set, sparking an 8-0 Crestwood surge highlighted by an Avery Arije steal and pull-up jumper that energized the home crowd.
Still, Nohr refused to let Crestwood pull away, dissecting the defense from the mid-range. Vande Ven capped off a dominant first half—where she poured in 20 points to Nohr’s 16 and Sow’s 10—with an inbound bucket with five seconds remaining, giving Crestwood a narrow 46-44 edge at the break.
A Heavyweight Bout Through Three
If the first half was a track meet, the third quarter was a heavyweight slugfest. Dinara Horsford set the tone immediately for Crestwood Prep, picking her defender at half-court for an easy layup. Bodies hit the floor as both teams dove for loose balls, and Vande Ven continued to operate as a force inside.
With both squads battling foul trouble in the bonus, FEIA muscled their way into a 56-55 lead midway through the frame behind a gritty and-one play and a 5-0 burst. Neither team could create separation, setting up a cinematic final frame with the scoreboard deadlocked at 63.
Six Lead Changes and Late-Game Heroics
Crestwood looked poised to seize control early in the fourth, ripping off a 7-0 run sparked by a tough backdoor finish from Arije. The intensity in the gym boiled over, and Nohr promptly silenced the momentum with a massive three-pointer.
From there, the two powerhouses traded haymakers across six fourth-quarter lead changes. FEIA’s Portia Reisen, who had struggled to find her shooting rhythm in the opening half, came alive down the stretch—scoring on a strong drive to tie the game at 71 before drilling a pull-up jumper to put the visitors in front. Maayan Gorin answered with a clutch triple for Crestwood, and Stella Evans followed with a three of her own to keep the Lions afloat, though Evans was later forced to exit the game after taking a hard fall on a strong drive to the basket.
Down 80-75 with just over three minutes to play, FEIA refused to fold. Nohr calmly sank two free throws to pull within one, and after a costly Crestwood turnover, Nohr buried a ice-cold three-pointer with a minute remaining to put FEIA up 82-80.
After Arije split a pair at the line, FEIA faced a do-or-die situation: inbound the ball with 22 seconds left and just three seconds on the shot clock. FEIA executed to perfection, finding Reisen deep beyond the arc. Having previously had a similar late-game three waved off at the Border League, Reisen got her ultimate redemption, splashing a long three-pointer with 20 seconds left to ice an 85-83 victory.
"It felt great," Reisen said afterward of the dagger shot. "Obviously, there's still time on the clock, so I couldn't get too high, but it was great seeing that ball go through the net... shots weren't going in the first half and it wasn't going the way I wanted, but seeing that fall just kind of boosted it." Despite the frantic pace, Reisen noted she never doubted her squad's composure. "I had belief in my team the whole game," she added. "I knew that we were going to come out on top, it was just a matter of when and who was going to step up in that game. All of us work on those shots... just trusting our ability and letting it show in the game."
What They Said & What’s Next
Vande Ven finished with a game-high 28 points for Crestwood Prep, supported by 15 apiece from Arije and Maayan Gorin. For FEIA, Nohr’s explosive 27-point performance led the way, flanked by Portia Reisen (18 points), Amelia Sow (16 points), and Jayla Jackson (11 points).
For Nohr, taking down the undefeated #1 team on their home floor was a statement.
"It feels great," Nohr said. "We came in here wanting to show everyone that we're the number one team, and that's exactly what we did. So, it feels good, but we're ready to keep working hard the rest of the season."
FEIA head coach Handel Kipp wasn’t surprised to see Nohr take over on the biggest stage.
"She's getting comfortable now, being here with us for three months," Kipp explained. "We empower her to be her, and we said, 'Don't come in here and be shy. Don't play second fiddle to anybody. You're as good as everybody else.' It was great to see her do this in a big game, especially to step up in the moment"
While the win gives FEIA the inside track to reclaim the top spot in the national rankings, both Kipp and Reisen echoed that November is only the beginning—especially with Crestwood missing two of its frontcourt pillars
"Everybody knew that this was going to be a big game, but Crestwood was missing two of their big players," Kipp noted. "We have to get better. There's a lot we need to improve on. The focus point of today's game was to still focus on us, and now we got some good game film."
With potential rematches looming in the OSBA regular season and potential OSBA playoffs, Reisen summed it up best:
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