Courtney Donaldson has enjoyed plenty of success in the Maritime Women’s Basketball Association.
Her scoring prowess certainly proves that.
Donaldson continues to lead the league’s all-time scoring derby, every point she garners this year with Dartmouth/Cole Harbour/Preston’s Lake City 56ers puts her further in front of offensive-minded players.
Allan April of Halifax chronicles the MWBA statistical data and shows Donaldson with 447 career points entering weekend play. She averages 14.4 points an outing over her 31 career games.
It’s remarkable to see former players still hanging around the top five, but a new wave is coming.
Lauren Rainford played two seasons in the MWBA with the Miramichi HerIcanes and was a dominating force at both ends of the court. She ranks second all-time in scoring with 419 points.
Karissa Kajorinne, who played the 2022 and 2023 seasons with Lake City (nee Windsor Edge) and Halifax Thunder, remains third with an even 400 points. Kajorinne has spent the past three seasons playing professionally in Europe.
Making her move this year is five-year Fredericton Freeze veteran, Eva Tumwine. Tumwine is three points away from the magical 400-point milestone and recently passed former long-time European pro and MWBA MVP, Kaylee Kilpatrick of Port City’s Saint John Fog. Kilpatrick sits fifth with 396 points.
Another fifth-year MWBA, Jasmine Parent of the Halifax Hornets, is next in line with 364 points and Fredericton’s Allie McCarthy is seventh at 359 and climbing. Jenna Jones of Moncton Mystics, who has played four years in the league and returned to the lineup after taking 2025 off, has 353 points, 10 ahead of ninth place Bailey Russell of the Freeze and her 343. Elizabeth Beals-Iseyemi, who has played the past two seasons in Germany, rounds out the top 10 with 338 points.
Kajorinne still leads in all-time points per game at 21.05.
It should be noted another fifth-year player is Port City’s Amelia Mitchell. Mitchell sits 16th all-time in points with 255. The league’s fourth fifth-year veteran is Emily MacNeil of the 56ers, who started with Windsor before moving to Thunder and now Lake City is 27th overall with 211 points.
Abby Miller of Miramichi is playing professionally in Portugal this season and is on the Miramichi roster, hoping to make some late season games to add to her totals.
Players must play six regular season games to be post-season eligible, so Miller will not be on the playoff roster for the ‘Canes, but would be a welcome addition to the young squad.
It all means seven active MWBA players are in the top 10 with only Kajorinne, Rainford and Kilpatrick unable to add to their point totals.
From an historical perspective, it’s interesting to check in on the Daley sisters.
Sisters Kelsey McLaughlin and Katie Daley are tied for 21sts all-time in scoring with 248 points apiece in 30 and 31 games, respectively. Kelsey played her seasons with Moncton and Katie spent four years with Fredericton. Joining in on the fun is Robbi Daley, who played four years with Fredericton. She ranks 26th all-time with 217 points in 38 career games.
With the Thunder, Sandy Saunders is on the verge of franchise history. Saunders and her 249 points is two points away from passing Kiera Duffie as Thunder’s all-time leading point-getter. Haley McDonald is also making a Thunder charge and the two are on course to be one-two in all-time team scoring. McDonald, back in the MWBA this season, has 222 career points.
Parent, by the way, is the all-time leader in games played with 45. Mitchell is second with 43, the only two players to reach the 40s in appearances. Tumwine and Robbi Daley are tied for third at 38 games played.
Speaking of games, all action moving into this week takes place on the weekend.
Hornets (5-1) pack their bags for New Brunswick and will face the Freeze (2-3) in a 6:30 p.m., meeting at Lady Beaverbrook Gymnasium. Lake City (3-4) will also be in the Picture Province, facing Port City (3-3) in a 7 p.m., game at St. Malachy’s Memorial High School in uptown Saint John.
There are four games Sunday, beginning at 12:30 p.m., when Fredericton greets the 56ers at LB Gym while at 1 p.m., Truro (0-7) hosts Thunder (6-0) at Dal Agricultural College. Another 1 p.m., game unfolds back at St. Malachy’s when the Hornets meet the Fog in the PROLINE Featured Game of the Week.
The busy Sunday ends at 3 p.m., when Miramichi (2-6) travels to Moncton (5-2) to tangle with the Mystics at 3 p.m.
– Courtney Donaldson is the league’s all-time leading scorer. (Lake City 56ers Photo)
