For starters, both had 11-1 records during the regular season. Their regular season match-up was a 52-50 game, won by Cameron Heights.
Both clubs also have been side-by-side in the "upper tier" of my CWOSSA "AAAA" rankings (usually 3rd and 4th) for the entire season.
Here's a quick preview of tonight's action:
(1) Cameron Heights vs. (2) Forest Heights
When and Where: 7pm tip time, Cameron Heights
How They Got Here: Cameron Heights def. #8 Eastwood 39-35 in QF, def. #4 Bluevale 62-39 in SF. Forest Heights def. #7 KCI 62-25 in QF, def #3 Grand River 56-31 in SF.
Projected Starters - Cameron Heights
#3 - Ahmed Sheikali, 6'0" G (Grade 10)
#15 - Luke Hovius, 6'1" G/F (Grade 10)
#20 - Vladimir Matovic, 6'3" F (Grade 10)
#23 - Junior Bradford, 5'11" G (Grade 9)
#41 - Jason Thompson, 6'2" F (Grade 10)
Sixth Man: Afraz Khan, 5'10" G - Grade 10
Projected Starters - Forest Heights
#4 - Jack Taylor, 5'7" G (Grade 9)
#10 - Omar Aidaruse, 5'10" G (Grade 10)
#14 - Ian Anderson, 5'10" G (Grade 10)
#25 - Juwan Miller, 5'10" G (Grade 10)
#30 - Elijah Callendar, 5'11" F (Grade 9)
Sixth Man: Fuad Barucija (5'8", Grade 10)
What to Watch For
For starters, look for big games from each team's respective star player, Juwan Miller (FHCI) and Jason Thompson (CHCI). I actually expect 20+ points from each, and wouldn't be surprised if both end up with (at least) a double-double on Wednesday evening.
Miller was WCSSAA's leading scorer this past season, and is one of CWOSSA's top players as well. He makes things seem effortless out there, and always seems to be able to finish everything from contested lay-ups to difficult off-balance runners.
Thompson, on the other hand, is more of a power player (he is, after all, a forward). Against Bluevale in the semifinals, he got to the rack at will and finished strong on the interior --- Cameron will need that version of Thompson again on Wednesday if they hope to hold off the Trojans.
Cameron Heights is the deeper team, without a doubt. That being said, the Trojans still received some excellent contributions from their bench, particularly Fuad Barucija (19 points including 5 three pointers) during Saturday's semifinal win, and they'll need more of the same tonight --- I don't think the Trojans will win this one if Anderson and Miller are the ones doing all the FHCI scoring.
The Gaels have 5 or 6 "solid scorers" --- in fact, 5 Gaels registered 6 or more points in the semifinals on Saturday. The big "x-factor" as far as Cameron is concerned is their three-point shooting. At times, they've been on fire from beyond the arc, while at other times, they've been strictly average. Nothing can change the momentum of a game in junior basketball like a couple of well-timed three-pointers, so definitely something to keep an eye out for there.
That said, the big question will be to see what Cameron has planned defensively to combat Miller and Anderson. Teams have tried everything from doubling them to throwing "triangle-and-2" defenses at them to this point, so I'll be curious to see what CHCI Head Coach Tim Bridge has cooked up.
Mark's Pick
Again, I expect a close game between two clubs that (each) have a very good chance of making the CWOSSA finals --- and possibly winning the title --- if they play well this weekend. I'm going to go with the Gaels due to their homecourt advantage and size advantage in this one.
Mark's Pick: Cameron Heights 48, Forest Heights 44
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