Games get under way in the junior division at 10am, with the schedule as follows:
10am: (1) North Park vs. (8) Simcoe
11:30am: (4) Galt vs. (5) KCI
1:00pm: (3) Glenview vs. (6) Brantford CI
2:30pm: (2) St. James vs. (7) St. David
The seniors take the court afterwards, starting at 4pm:
4:00pm: (1) North Park vs. (8) Simcoe
5:30pm: (4) St. David vs. (5) WODSS
7:00pm: (3) KCI vs. (6) Brantford CI
8:30pm: (2) St. James vs. (7) Preston
Junior Preview
In today's action, the Brantford North Park Trojans, the #1 seed and led by Vishal Brar and Jon Dulmage, should have no trouble with the #8 seed, Simcoe CS. I also see the #2 seed, Guelph St. James, getting past #7 Waterloo St. David with ease.
After that it could get a little interesting. #6 Brantford CI has a couple of exceptional players (Chris Gorski and Mackenzie Mark) and it should be a fairly tight game between them and #3 Glenview. I'm picking GPSS to be ahead at the end, but BCI is not a team to overlook --- they lost to another top WCSSAA school, Grand River, by single digits earlier this year in tournament play.
As always, the 4 vs. 5 game could go either way. The Galt Ghosts defeated the KCI Raiders by 8 points during WCSSAA regular season play, and the two squads are back on the floor today. I'll give the edge to the Ghosts, but you never know in a "one game scenario".
Senior Preview
The #1 seeded North Park Trojans, who rolled through the D5 league this year, are a strong favourite to make the CWOSSA finals for a second consecutive year (as last year's champions, they are also seeking their second consecutive OFSAA appearance). 5th year players Cale McDonald and Brandon Webster bring plenty of experience to the table, and you should certainly see a comfortable first round win today (4:00pm, vs. #8 Simcoe).
The 4 vs. 5 game should be a great matchup. The WODSS Crusaders (#5) defeated the 4th seeded St. David Celtics at their home tournament a few weeks back --- although due to some unforeseen circumstances, Celtic head coach Rob McKenna wasn't able to make that game. I think things will go the other way this time around, but look for a close one here.
At 7:00 tonight, The KCI Raiders (#3 seed) will take on the #6 seeded Brantford Collegiate. Again, as with most 3 vs. 6 matchups, there is the potential for an upset here --- the Mustangs lost to highly regarded Centre Dufferin by 2 earlier this year (in tournament play) in overtime. Brantford CI doesn't have a "superstar" per se, but they do have nice depth off the bench and play well as a team. The Raiders also have a couple of guys who can put the ball in the basket --- they are led by guard Graham Notar-Maclean, forward Alex Galea, and guard Lazar Dabic.
The final game tonight will see the St. James Lions (#2 seed) going up against #7 Preston. St. James had a disappointing end to their D10 season, losing in the semifinals to Centennial CVI, and are seeking to atone for that here this weekend. Led by 6'4" G/F Ryan Higgins, a 5th year player headed to the University of Victoria next year, the Lions will start off their title run against the #7 Preston Panthers. Although I fully expect the Lions to win this game, I wouldn't be surprised to see Wes Meertens and co. make a game of it on their home floor.
St. James defeated Centre Dufferin (Shelburne) by 12 in an 'AAA" play-in game earlier this week.
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