Kitchener CHCI Golden Gaels (WCSSAA #1)
Guelph Centennial Spartans (D10 #2)
Kitchener Resurrection Phoenix (D8 #1)
Ah, welcome to "Pool A" at CWOSSA --- or, as what might be a more appropriate name, the "pool of death". You have 2 of the top 3 (remaining) ranked AAAA teams in the Resurrection Phoenix and the Cameron Heights Golden Gaels and that third team? Well, the Centennial Spartans are no slouch either. They have beaten CHCI, SJAM, and Guelph St. James (twice) so far this season --- so they have just as good a chance of advancing to the semifinals and overlooking them would be a big mistake.
Here's a preview of the three teams:
League Record: 11-1
League Finish: WCSSAA Champs (defeated SJAM in final)
Key Wins Against CWOSSA Teams: SJAM, Centennial
Last CWOSSA Appearance: 2006
Last CWOSSA Championship: 1994 (AAA)
Final CWOSSABasketball.com "AAAA" Rank: #3
Key Players: Amjed Osman (5'8" PG, Grade 12); Vedran Dmitrovic (6'0" G, Grade 11); Nebojsa Djeric (6'2" F, 5th Year); Adnan Shan (6'1" G, Grade 12); Stefan Cucak (6'3" F, Grade 12).
Season In Review: To this point, it's been a dream season for the Cameron Heights Golden Gaels as they look to continue their magical run this weekend at the CWOSSA playdowns.
The Gaels were victors of their first WCSSAA championship in 25 years with a win last night against SJAM, and have been solid all season long in tournament play as well ---- winning their home tournament, the Centennial East Side Mario's Touranment, and the Windsor Riverside Invitational to name three.
That's not to say that there wasn't an occasional blip in the road; a pre-Christmas regular season loss to SJAM and a tournament defeat at the hands of Centennial are their key losses to CWOSSA opposition --- but the Gaels might be playing some of the best basketball around, based upon what I've seen the last couple of times down at Cameron Heights.
Amjed Osman
Mark's Pool Projection: I think they'll go 1-1, or, possibly 2-0. The big question in the Resurrection game is to see how fatigue will play a role ---- Rez goes a lot deeper and Cameron will have the short turnaround time (3:30pm and 7:30pm games) on Friday.
Guelph Centennial Spartans
League Record: 9-5
League Finish: D10 Finalists (Lost to JFR in D10 Finals)
Key Wins Against CWOSSA Teams: SJAM, Cameron Heights
Last CWOSSA Appearance: 2010 - Lost to JF Ross in semifinals.
Last CWOSSA Championship: 2008 - defeated Forest Heights (in OT) in AAAA final.
Final CWOSSABasketball.com "AAAA" Rank: #8
Key Players: Serge Khayipangi (6'0" G/F, Grade 12); Cam Baker (6'3" F, 5th Year); Andrew Ellis (6'3" F, Grade 12); Erik Sterne (6'1" G, Grade 11).
Season In Review: Don't be deceived by the Spartans' 9-5 league record. Head coach Rob Conroy has done a nice job of meshing a couple returning veterans with a youthful infusion from a solid CCVI junior squad (of last year) and the result has been some strong play down the stretch of the season.
In January and February, the Spartans were able to knock off WCSSAA schools SJAM & Cameron Heights in tournament play, then went on to defeat St. James in league play and again in the D10 semifinals.
The Spartans are led by their athletic SF Serge Khayipangi, who can go for 20+ on any given night. Cam Baker and Andrew Ellis demonstrate some solid fundamentals around the glass, while Erik Sterne is a very dangerous three-point threat. Add it all up, and the Spartans could very easily pull out a win in Pool A and advance to the semifinals.
Mark's Pool Projection: The Spartans are the "darkhorse" of this tournament --- they could go 0-2, or could surprise and pull out a win or even two in pool play. Heck, I honestly wouldn't be surprised to see them in the final since they've proved that they can compete with some of the top teams in CWOSSA. As far as pool play is concerned, I think their best chance at a win is against CHCI, simply because trying to beat Rez on their home floor in front of a throng of students (11:30am game) is a tough task.
Resurrection PhoenixLeague Record: 11-1
League Finish: D8 Champs (beat SMHS in D8 finals)
Key Wins Against CWOSSA Teams: SJAM
Last CWOSSA Appearance: 2010 - finished 1-1 in pool play but failed to advance on plus/minus. Defeated Centennial 64-62 but lost to Bluevale 44-38 for a -4 total.
Last CWOSSA Championship: No Senior CWOSSA Championships in school history.
Final CWOSSABasketball.com "AAAA" Rank: #2
Key Players: Tyler Schneider (6'2" G, Grade 12); Mike Pereira (6'4" F, Grade 12); Andrew Mwangi (6'3" F, Grade 12); Jeff Rodrigues (6'0" G, Grade 12); Cory Kenning (6'7" C, Grade 11).
Season In Review: After getting off to another late start due to the football season, the Phoenix have played well and ended up winning a thrilling overtime D8 final over their arch rivals, the St. Mary's Eagles. The SMHS-RCSS rivalry has quickly turned into the best one going as far as CWOSSA basketball is concerned --- especially given that only one of the two teams makes it to CWOSSA.
In tournament play, the Phoenix participated in some competitive tournaments, such as the Heinbuch (1-2), the Ontario All-Catholic (1-1) and the Chancellor Invitational (2-1), to name a few. They also won their home tournament over Guelph Lourdes, and defeated Huron Heights, Southwood, St. Basil (SSM), North Park and Forest Heights to take the 32-team SBCSS tournament in January.
Last year's D8 MVP Andrew Mwangi was hampered for parts of the season with injury, but forward Mike Pereira stepped up huge in his absence. Rez also receives good guard play from Tyler Schneider and Jeff Rodrigues.
The Phoenix's advantage over other teams in this tournament would be their depth. Depending on their opponent, they bring 6'3" high flyer Cam Gibbs or 6'7" monster Cory Kenning off the bench, along with 5'11" energy guard John Moi and fifth-year defensive specialist Jason Chris (6'0" G). Resurrection usually goes at least 9 guys deep in their games.
Mark's Pool Projection: I think the Phoenix should win at least one of their games on their homefloor and advance to the semifinals.
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