St. Benedict Saints (5-4) vs. St. Mary's Eagles (9-0)
Where and When: 6:00pm, Resurrection CSS
Season Series: St. Mary's 2-0 (W 68-28 Nov. 24th, W 59-43 Jan. 5th)
How they Got Here: #1 St. Mary's defeated #4 St. David 60-19 in one semifinal; #3 St. Benedict got past #2 Resurrection 48-45 in the other.
Key Players: Tyler Hergott, Chris Clouthier, Mike Blumel, Avery Sutton (SMHS); Erwin Zapanza, Tyler Moulton, Jesse Sawyer (SBCSS).
Team Summaries
The St. Mary's Eagles have been my #1 junior boys "AAAA" team for, essentially, the entire season. Many people expected them to be one of the top teams heading into this year after they gave the Resurrection Phoenix a run in last year's D8 final with a starting lineup that consisted of three grade 9 players (Hergott, Clouthier, and Sutton).
The Eagles are undefeated within CWOSSA this season, and have but one loss overall --- a loss to the eventual champions of the Ontario All-Catholic, St. Thomas More, at that tournament on their home floor. Coach Al Martel has done a great job filling in for B.J. York this season, and has the Eagles on the cusp of advancing back to the CWOSSA playdowns for the first time since 2008. With this group of players moving up and many of the Eagle seniors coming back next year, look out for this squad for the next couple of years.
What about the St. Benedict Saints? High school basketball is cyclical in nature, and he once proud basketball factory (I think, at one point, they had 6 or 7 junior D8 titles in a row in the late 90s) fell on some hard times during the mid-2000s.
Are they on the cusp of going back on the upswing? It would appear that way. The Saints have been on the cusp of my AAAA top 10 all season, with a "signature win" being the only thing missing from their resume to earn them a breakthrough. They got all that and more in the semifinals, changing up defenses frequently to knock off the defending D8 & CWOSSA champion Resurrection Phoenix 48-45. About two weeks ago, they took another CWOSSA top 10 team, Bluevale Collegiate, to the limit (2 point loss) at the CHCI Invitational. So, it would appear as though they are peaking at the right time.
The Saints are lead by their PG, Erwin Zapanza, who is short in the height department but long on talent. He's liable to break a couple ankles or make a sweet pass to one of his "bigs" inside. He is also an above-average shooter at the junior level.
Tyler Moulton is their 2nd scoring option, and knocked down a bunch of mid-range jumpers against Resurrection. He's also solid on the defensive end, with a big "game saving" block against RCSS the other night. Another starter, Jesse Sawyer, provides defensive intensity as well.
Game Preview And Pick
The Eagles have a decisive edge in terms of their depth. They have had the luxury of bringing Mike Blumel (arguably one of the best grade 9s in CWOSSA) of the bench this season, while Telloy Simon is long and athletic. For the Saints to stick around, they will need some key contributions from their "4 through 7" guys in addition to the players mentioned above.
Being familiar with these teams, I can see this game going one of two ways ---- SMHS rolling through St. Benedict (i.e. if St. Benedict put all their energy into beating RCSS two days ago), or the Saints sticking around and making things interesting. I'm hoping for the latter, but the Eagles are too deep and talented in my opinion.
Look for the Eagles to win the D8 title tonight and head to CWOSSA as the favourite to grab that crown as well. No disrespect to the Saints, who have had a tremendous season and have put St. Benedict basketball back on the map.
Mark's Prediction: St. Mary's 57, St. Benedict 41
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