Tonight, the D10 will be handing out its boys basketball hardware at the University of Guelph --- with the championships featuring a couple of key rivalries in their respective divisions.
Junior Fina1: (1) Bishop Mac vs. (2) JF Ross
Season Series: Bishop Mac 2-0 (W 64-43, W 64-63)
How They Got Here: Bishop Mac defeated (8) Orangeville 76-51 (QF) and (4) Centre Wellington 62-39 (SF). JF Ross defeated (7) Lourdes 59-38 (QF) and (3) St. James 51-49 (SF).
Key Players to Watch: Jesse Kendall, Ben Morris, Owen Brombal (BMAC); Kristian Vande Kemp, Nolan Ireland, Vlad Vamanu (JFR).
Mark's Thoughts: An intriguing match-up in that it features two teams with quite different roster make-ups and skill-sets. The Bishop Mac Celtics have been a guard factory in recent years, and this year has been no different as they have extended their D10 league and playoff win streak to an astounding 53 games. This year, the Celts are led by 6'2" PG Jesse Kendall, G/F Owen Brombal and sleek shooting Ben Morris from the outside.
Of course, during the Celtics win streak the team that came closest to knocking them off was these JF Ross Royals, who fell by just one point a couple of weeks ago down in south Guelph. Obviously, this game comes down to who can exert their will the most --- if JF Ross can turn this into a halfcourt game and have their bigs (Nolan Ireland, Kristian Vande Kemp et al) hit the offensive glass hard, they may have a shot at pulling out the win. Likewise, the Celtics want to use their speed and quickness at the guard position to their advantage by pushing the pace against the Royals.
Mark's Pick: Should be a great game but I'm not going to be the one to pick against a 53-game win streak. Bishop Macdonell 61, JF Ross 55.
Senior Final: (1) JF Ross vs. (3) Centennial
Season Series: JF Ross 2-0 (W 67-57, W 58-43)
How They Got Here: JF Ross defeated (8) Orangeville 71-34 (QF), defeated (4) Lourdes 39-37 (SF). Centennial defeated (6) Guelph CVI 65-63 (QF), defeated St. James 57-56 (SF).
Key Players To Watch: Shamlo Saeed, Jack Cornett, Evan Karl (JFR); Erik Sterne, Serge Khayipangi, Cam Baker (CCVI).
Mark's Thoughts: All that for another Centennial - JF Ross finals showdown? Only kidding. It's becoming a regularity in the D10 league for these squads to match up in the championship final; I can count at least 7 in a row myself (but feel free to correct me).
The Spartans are hoping that the script from last year's final game still applies --- they came in as the undefeated squad and were knocked off by the pesky Royals. This year, it's JF Ross coming in with an unblemished 16-0 mark in league and playoff action.
We know that the Royals are extremely deep, and that may mean the difference in this game. Sleek penetrating guard Shamlo Saeed has often saved his best efforts for the D10 finals, while focusing too much on slowing his penetration will leave shooters like Jack Cornett, Mike Friesen, and Nick Maule open from deep.
The Spartans are one of the more intriguing teams to me heading into the CWOSSA tournament. It seems as though they can play with the top teams around --- but they also have the ability to make things interesting the other way around as well (for instance, just holding off GCVI in their D10 quarterfinal). The athleticism of Serge Khayipangi coupled with the excellent all-around play of Cam Baker and the three-point shooting of Erik Sterne makes them a formidable opponent not only for the Royals, but also for the teams at CWOSSA next week.
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