Dover Bay Dolphins Hold Off Titans in Heart-Stopping No Regrets Girls Final
Dover Bay Dolphins vs. Mulgrave Titans
No Regrets Tournament – Girls Final
December 13th, 2025
The girls’ final of the No Regrets Basketball Tournament takes place at Handsworth Secondary School, a building that has been completely rebuilt since the days it once hosted games played by Quinn Keast. Before tip-off, a brief video tribute plays on the screen, offering a quiet moment of reflection and reminding everyone in the gym why this tournament exists. While the walls, floors, and lights are all new, the connection to the tournament’s purpose remains present as two teams prepare to compete for the championship.
Both the Dover Bay Dolphins and the Mulgrave Titans have earned their way here with strong performances throughout the tournament. Dover Bay opened with an impressive 71–53 win over Jules-Verne, led by #2 Jessica Slater’s team-high 26 points, before defeating the hometown Handsworth Royals last night to advance to the final.
Mulgrave’s road has been just as convincing. The Titans battled past Aden Bowman 57–50 in their opening game and followed it up with a decisive semi-final win over John Oliver to book their place in tonight’s title game.
With two confident teams, a neutral floor, and a championship on the line, the scene is set for a fitting conclusion to the No Regrets Tournament.
The game opens with high energy both on the floor and in the stands, though a bit of championship-game nerves are evident early. Each team commits a turnover before Mulgrave guard #4 Armstrong settles things down by knocking down a three to get the scoring started.
Dover Bay responds by going to work inside, grinding out a 6–0 run with all of their points coming from the paint. Mulgrave answers with another three, and early on it’s a clear contrast in styles — the Titans leaning on their perimeter shooting while the Dolphins attack the interior.
Midway through the first quarter, the Dover Bay coach calls a timeout with his team trailing 8–6, looking to slow the pace and likely address how to contain Mulgrave’s #4 Williams, who has been making plays all over the court to start.
The timeout pays dividends. Dover Bay’s #8 Linder, coming off a Player of the Game performance (as a Grade 9!) in their last outing, drives for an easy bucket to give the Dolphins their first lead at 10–8. Mulgrave’s offense goes cold following the break, going scoreless for over three minutes, while Dover Bay’s #2 Slater feeds off the momentum with two quick baskets to extend the lead to 14–8.
The Titans, however, refuse to fade. They close the quarter with renewed energy, capped off by a confident three from Grade 8 guard #34 Shokrawi. After a fast-paced and intense opening frame, Dover Bay holds a slim 14–13 lead.
It’s clear this is a great matchup — one that feels destined to go down to the end, making every possession feel magnified. The start of the second quarter reflects that pressure, with both teams committing turnovers and unnecessary fouls as they search for rhythm. The drought is finally broken when Dover Bay’s #2 Slater attacks the rim, draws contact, and heads to the line two minutes in, converting one of two free throws.
Mulgrave ramps up the pressure defensively, switching to a full-court press on most possessions. While it disrupts Dover Bay at times, the Titans struggle mightily on the offensive end. Five minutes into the quarter, Mulgrave still hasn’t registered a point.
Dover Bay takes advantage, rattling off seven unanswered points to build a 21–13 lead midway through the frame, forcing a Mulgrave timeout. The run sends the Dover Bay boys’ team into a frenzy, banging loudly on their 20-gallon buckets. It does raise an important question: did they stop at Rona on the way over, or do those buckets travel with the team?
Out of the timeout, Mulgrave finally finds some offensive life, scoring five quick points to close the gap. Then the momentum swings again. As the Titans heat up, Dover Bay’s offense suddenly goes cold — the Dolphins fail to score a single point over the final five minutes of the half. Much of Mulgrave’s late push is powered by centre #10 Hoogendoorn, who continues to dominate the paint with timely blocks and relentless rebounding, a big reason the deficit doesn’t grow earlier and why the Titans are able to claw back.
The half ends with a feisty finish, and after trading scoring droughts, Dover Bay holds a slim 21–18 lead at the break.
Fun Fact: It’s a true Vancouver Island vs. Vancouver showdown tonight: the Dolphins from Dover Bay and the Titans from Mulgrave bring their own styles and history to the floor. Both mascots have a story to tell — one of speed and agility, the other of power and teamwork.
The second half opens with a noticeable shift in the stands — the Dover Bay boys’ team had to leave at halftime, either to suit up for their own game or to return their Rona buckets. Their absence leaves the home crowd a bit quieter, giving the game a slightly more one-sided vibe.
Mulgrave’s #10 Hoogendoorn kicks off the second half with a strong rebound and bucket, putting points on the board for the Titans after the break. Mulgrave continues to fire from beyond the arc, despite having been cold from long range recently. The Dolphins miss a few opportunities in the paint, but #2 Slater keeps her team on track, going to the free throw line twice and hitting all four attempts, extending Dover Bay’s lead to 29–22.
The Dover Bay boys return to the stands, though this time they appear to have left any additional hardware-store acquisitions behind. Meanwhile, Mulgrave executes a couple of beautiful inbound plays, though #10 Hoogendoorn is unable to convert in traffic.
With three minutes remaining in the third, the Dolphins call a timeout with their lead at 31–27, hoping to regain composure. The timeout works for a moment as #8 Linder goes on a run, quickly building the lead back to 10 points. Mulgrave finally finds a three-pointer to trim the margin to seven, only for Slater to answer from deep at the other end, restoring the 10-point advantage.
What has felt like an evenly matched game so far suddenly looks more daunting for the Titans. Going into the final quarter, Dover Bay holds a 42–32 lead, and Mulgrave will need a big push to get back into contention.
The fourth quarter opens with Dover Bay coming out firing, quickly building a 14-point lead. Mulgrave refuses to back down, though, and begins a determined comeback. An “and-one” basket from Titans guard #1 Mojarradi brings the margin to just four — only for her to pick up her fifth foul shortly after, leaving her sidelined for the remainder of the game.
With six minutes left, it’s shaping up to be a wild finish. Mulgrave appears to have abandoned their three-point focus, moving the ball inside more effectively, fueling the comeback. #4 Williams drains another three-pointer, cutting the lead to just three with three minutes to go. Free throws become crucial as both teams earn trips to the line, each converting one.
With two minutes left, #10 Hoogendoorn rises in the paint for a basket, bringing Mulgrave within a single point, only for #2 Slater to respond at the other end, restoring Dover Bay’s three-point advantage. The gym buzzes with excitement as the clock winds down.
With 45 seconds remaining, Mulgrave down by three, the Titans have the ball. A missed three-pointer is quickly saved from going out of bounds by #10 Hoogendoorn. She passes it to #11 Takeuchi who is fouled and calmly sinks two free throws, narrowing the gap to just one point with 25 seconds left. Dover Bay has possession, and Mulgrave calls a timeout to strategize their foul approach. You could not write a better story
The final possession drama unfolds: #4 Armstrong forces a turnover, giving the Titans the ball with just 14 seconds remaining. A choppy look inside from #10 Hoogendoorn doesn’t fall. Slater grabs the rebound, is immediately fouled, and calmly sinks both free throws.
The final buzzer sounds — Dover Bay survives 55–52. WHAT A GAME!
Congratulations to both teams on an incredible game and to the Dover Bay Dolphins for being this years Champions!
Player of the Game: Dover Bay’s #2 Jessica Slater