(Mark's Note: Jerelle Vaughan & Tre Nicholson are both players on the Eastwood CI Senior Basketball Team).
Article By: Dianne Wood
KITCHENER — When Shayenne McKenzie goes to sleep at night, she can still hear her brother’s voice yelling, “Fire! Fire! Fire!’’
It was just seven days ago that she and her family escaped their burning home on Southill Drive in Kitchener.
Her brother, Jerelle Vaughan, had
fallen asleep on a couch in the basement while doing homework. He became
hot during the night and kicked off his blanket. It landed on a gas
fireplace and ignited.
Jerelle woke his other brother, Tre
Nicholson, who was sleeping in a basement bedroom. He then ran upstairs
to wake his mother, Elizabeth Burrell, and Shayenne.
The family escaped, barefoot, in
shorts, sweatpants and T-shirts. One of the boys remembered their puppy,
Dolce, and their mother went back in to get her. She grabbed the
dachshund and her car keys and headed for the side door, but was beaten
back by smoke. Burrell then ran to her bedroom.
She punched out the window screen and
dove out the back window, yelling so her children at the front of the
house would hear her.
“Hearing my mom scream like that was
really terrifying,’’ Shayenne said Thursday at Sunnyside Senior Public
School, where two classmates have started a gift-card fundraiser for the
family.
Donations of money, household items
and clothes for the boys are also being accepted by the Edelweiss Trust
Fund, which helps needy families.
Claire Fergusson and Abigael Martin
organized the gift-card fundraiser. People have already given cards from
such stores as Canadian Tire and Walmart, along with prepaid VISA
cards.
“I’ve been good friends with Shayenne
for a long time,’’ Fergusson said. “Me and Abbi were, like, really sad.
We had a sleepover on the weekend and were talking about things we
could do.’’
Shayenne is grateful.
“I’m so appreciative just to know people actually do care about us and are worried about us,’’ she said.
The family is staying with an aunt while they assess the damage and figure out what to do.
Fire officials estimated damage to the bungalow at $200,000 and to the contents at $50,000. The contents were not insured.
“We’re pretty much comfortable right now,’’ Burrell said. “We just have to figure out where to go from here.’’
She managed to grab a few clothes after the fire and spent a day at the laundromat washing them.
Everything in the basement was lost.
The boys will need beds, mattresses and dressers. The furniture upstairs
was badly smoke damaged. Burrell doesn’t yet know if anything can be
salvaged.
After the holidays, she will take stock.
“So many people are reaching out to
us and offering us things,’’ she said. “The two girls (at Sunnyside) are
absolutely awesome.’’
Her boss at the Grill Restaurant in
Waterloo gave her coats, clothes and shoes for her boys. Her girlfriends
provided socks and blankets.
Burrell says they made it out with the most important thing.
“We all got out with our lives and no one got seriously hurt. I didn’t have to bury anyone,’’ she said.
Donations or cheques for the family
can be made payable to The Edelweiss Trust Fund (a trust account at the
TD Bank) and given to Lorne Miller (519-748-021) at the Edelweiss or to
David Fedy at the McCarter Grespan law firm, 675 Riverbend Dr. in
Kitchener.
Retrieved From: http://www.therecord.com/news/local/article/857570--friends-pitch-in-after-family-is-displaced-by-fire
Friday, December 21, 2012
The Record: Teachers Make Difficult Decision To Go On Trip With Students
Article By: Mark Bryson
WATERLOO — With extracurricular activities on hold across Ontario, two local teachers have received the green light from their union to take their basketball team to a tournament in the United States.
Craig Nickel and Doug Ranton have been cleared to coach the Waterloo Collegiate Institute Vikings senior boys’ basketball team at a tournament in Mesa, Ariz., next week after receiving a change-of-heart approval late Thursday afternoon by the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation — one of the teachers’ unions involved in a bitter dispute with the Ontario government.
“We did meet today and there was new information that was not communicated before, so the trip will be allowed to run,” said Rob Gascho, president of District 24 of the teachers’ federation.
“It was just a miscommunication. . . . We just didn’t have all the information about the nature of the trip and it doesn’t violate the sanctions, so we’re OK with it.”
The District 24 rules committee, which includes Gascho, initially turned down the exemption request and notified Nickel and Ranton on Monday of this week. He declined comment when asked about that decision by The Record on Thursday morning, but after a meeting with Nickel and Ranton, the trip was approved and Gascho was talking.
The union announced on Dec 3. that its members wouldn’t participate in extracurricular activities effective Dec. 10 as part of their job action against the provincial government. Nickel and Ranton said they applied to their local union’s rules committee on Dec. 7 for the exemption based on what both teachers labelled “practical reasons.”
“We feel relieved that both parties that are important to us, our union and our employer (Waterloo Region District School Board), are in agreement about this,” Ranton said on Thursday night.
“That’s the biggest thing, the relief of having permission from both sides.”
Prior to Thursday’s welcome news, the veteran teachers had made a gut-wrenching decision to temporarily break ranks with their union and attend the tournament.
The teachers have followed the union’s directive to not participate in extracurricular activities, but they believed they had to go to the tournament to honour their commitment to the students and tournament organizers.
“It’s been a really difficult decision because up till now we’ve felt that we could support all of the job actions which OSSTF was asking us to do — the one-day withdrawal of extracurriculars, not practising, no supervisions, all those different things that they’ve asked us to do,” said Nickel on Wednesday.
“Doug and I have respectfully complied with them. But on this one, for practical reasons, we just felt we couldn’t abide by that decision. There is no political agenda here at all; these are purely practical reasons that we feel we have to go forward with the trip.”
The Waterloo Region District School Board, despite cancelling all extracurricular activities from Dec. 10 to 31, has no problem with the WCI trip. The board approved the trip earlier this year and reaffirmed that decision last week, said spokesperson Abigail Dancey.
Teachers are protesting Bill 115, which allows the province to impose a contract on them. It also prohibits job action and strikes. The legislation sets Dec. 31 as a deadline for unions to negotiate deals with school boards similar to the contracts reached with Ontario Catholic school teachers. Their contracts include wage freezes and cuts to provisions that allow teachers to bank sick days that can be cashed out at retirement.
Nickel and Ranton are popular figures at WCI, having coached boys and girls basketball together for a number of years. Ranton is in his 15th year at WCI after eight years in Bramalea, while Nickel is in his 13th year after spending 10 years at Grand River in Kitchener.
Ranton is a physical education teacher and guidance counsellor, while Nickel is a guidance counsellor and leadership teacher. The two met when they were both Grade 9 students at Bluevale in Waterloo and have been best friends ever since.
Nickel and Ranton noted that the trip has been in the works for two years and included a significant amount of planning and fundraising. In March of this year, they added, WCI signed a contract that committed the team to participate in the VisitMesa.com Basketball Challenge.
Thirty-one people will be making the trip — two coaches, 12 players and 17 family members — and they have paid a travel agency more than $22,000 for non-refundable tickets to and from Phoenix. That money was paid in full prior to the Dec. 10 withdrawal of extracurricular activities. Ranton paid for four tickets personally for his family, while Nickel had paid for two.
Some in the travel party had committed to using personal vacation time for the trip.
Teachers who don’t comply with the union’s ban on extracurricular activities can be fined up to $500 a day, have their name published in a union publication or have federation services or their right to hold office suspended.
WCI players have been working out at RIM Park in recent weeks with no coaches present. Nickel and Ranton were aware the players were doing so. They said the gym had been rented by parents.
Retrieved From: http://www.therecord.com/sports/highschool/article/857577--teachers-make-difficult-decision-to-go-on-trip-with-students
WATERLOO — With extracurricular activities on hold across Ontario, two local teachers have received the green light from their union to take their basketball team to a tournament in the United States.
Craig Nickel and Doug Ranton have been cleared to coach the Waterloo Collegiate Institute Vikings senior boys’ basketball team at a tournament in Mesa, Ariz., next week after receiving a change-of-heart approval late Thursday afternoon by the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation — one of the teachers’ unions involved in a bitter dispute with the Ontario government.
“We did meet today and there was new information that was not communicated before, so the trip will be allowed to run,” said Rob Gascho, president of District 24 of the teachers’ federation.
“It was just a miscommunication. . . . We just didn’t have all the information about the nature of the trip and it doesn’t violate the sanctions, so we’re OK with it.”
The District 24 rules committee, which includes Gascho, initially turned down the exemption request and notified Nickel and Ranton on Monday of this week. He declined comment when asked about that decision by The Record on Thursday morning, but after a meeting with Nickel and Ranton, the trip was approved and Gascho was talking.
The union announced on Dec 3. that its members wouldn’t participate in extracurricular activities effective Dec. 10 as part of their job action against the provincial government. Nickel and Ranton said they applied to their local union’s rules committee on Dec. 7 for the exemption based on what both teachers labelled “practical reasons.”
“We feel relieved that both parties that are important to us, our union and our employer (Waterloo Region District School Board), are in agreement about this,” Ranton said on Thursday night.
“That’s the biggest thing, the relief of having permission from both sides.”
Prior to Thursday’s welcome news, the veteran teachers had made a gut-wrenching decision to temporarily break ranks with their union and attend the tournament.
The teachers have followed the union’s directive to not participate in extracurricular activities, but they believed they had to go to the tournament to honour their commitment to the students and tournament organizers.
“It’s been a really difficult decision because up till now we’ve felt that we could support all of the job actions which OSSTF was asking us to do — the one-day withdrawal of extracurriculars, not practising, no supervisions, all those different things that they’ve asked us to do,” said Nickel on Wednesday.
“Doug and I have respectfully complied with them. But on this one, for practical reasons, we just felt we couldn’t abide by that decision. There is no political agenda here at all; these are purely practical reasons that we feel we have to go forward with the trip.”
The Waterloo Region District School Board, despite cancelling all extracurricular activities from Dec. 10 to 31, has no problem with the WCI trip. The board approved the trip earlier this year and reaffirmed that decision last week, said spokesperson Abigail Dancey.
Teachers are protesting Bill 115, which allows the province to impose a contract on them. It also prohibits job action and strikes. The legislation sets Dec. 31 as a deadline for unions to negotiate deals with school boards similar to the contracts reached with Ontario Catholic school teachers. Their contracts include wage freezes and cuts to provisions that allow teachers to bank sick days that can be cashed out at retirement.
Nickel and Ranton are popular figures at WCI, having coached boys and girls basketball together for a number of years. Ranton is in his 15th year at WCI after eight years in Bramalea, while Nickel is in his 13th year after spending 10 years at Grand River in Kitchener.
Ranton is a physical education teacher and guidance counsellor, while Nickel is a guidance counsellor and leadership teacher. The two met when they were both Grade 9 students at Bluevale in Waterloo and have been best friends ever since.
Nickel and Ranton noted that the trip has been in the works for two years and included a significant amount of planning and fundraising. In March of this year, they added, WCI signed a contract that committed the team to participate in the VisitMesa.com Basketball Challenge.
Thirty-one people will be making the trip — two coaches, 12 players and 17 family members — and they have paid a travel agency more than $22,000 for non-refundable tickets to and from Phoenix. That money was paid in full prior to the Dec. 10 withdrawal of extracurricular activities. Ranton paid for four tickets personally for his family, while Nickel had paid for two.
Some in the travel party had committed to using personal vacation time for the trip.
Teachers who don’t comply with the union’s ban on extracurricular activities can be fined up to $500 a day, have their name published in a union publication or have federation services or their right to hold office suspended.
WCI players have been working out at RIM Park in recent weeks with no coaches present. Nickel and Ranton were aware the players were doing so. They said the gym had been rented by parents.
Retrieved From: http://www.therecord.com/sports/highschool/article/857577--teachers-make-difficult-decision-to-go-on-trip-with-students
Thursday, December 20, 2012
Silver Fox (Senior): Bishop Mac Stuns ACMT At Buzzer
The Celtics put home a lay-in at the buzzer for a thrilling 65-64 win, that advanced them to the semifinals against top-seeded Holy Trinity of Oakville.
This came after also beating Burlington Notre Dame at the buzzer in a 59-56 morning win (Michael Ganson, 16).
Despite another solid effort in the semifinals, the Celtics ended up on the short end of a 68-55 game. Mitchell Wood had 15 for the Celtics while Trevon McNeil led the Titans with 24.
The Celtics next play in the 3rd place game, today at 6:00pm at Cathedral HS in Hamilton against Cardinal Newman (Stoney Creek).
The other CWOSSA team in the tournament, the St. Mary's Eagles, lost their opener to Oakville Loyola by a 68-65 final. Jake Babic poured in 29 points for Loyola, while Nathan Riley had 16 to lead the Eagles.
St. Mary's rebounded in their second game to get past Brother Andre (Markham) 83-79 in overtime. Telloy Simon had 25 to lead the Eagles there.
St. Mary's will play Burlington Notre Dame in the "Roach/Towler Final" at Cathedral today at 1:30pm.
D8 Wednesday: Results
The St. Mary's Eagles moved to 6-1 on the season but it certainly didn't come easy in the form of a 54-48 win at the Monsignor Doyle Mustangs. Gordon Lam (16) and Adham Eleeda (15) led the way for the Eagles, while Ryan Stafford had a game-high 17 for MDCSS and Jordan Deveney-Reid added 14.
Meanwhile, the St. Benedict Saints are also 6-1 after a 60-39 win at Rockway. Justin Malnerich had 13 and Lucas Cardoso 11 for the Saints; Connor Huxman netted a game-high 15 for the Flames with Lukas Winter adding 6.
Wednesday's other game saw the Resurrection Phoenix take advantage of a St. David team that was without starting guard James McBride (vacation). Resurrection raced to a 34-18 halftime edge and won by a 67-56 final.
A pair of grade 9s led the way for Rez, with Jake Rush scoring 18 and Joe Hunter adding 13. Mitch Lavigne (15), Alec Scheffler (14) and George Dumitru (14) provided the notable Celtic efforts.
D8 Junior Standings
1. St. Benedict 6-1 (H2H over SMHS)
2. St. Mary's 6-1
3. St. David 5-2
4. Resurrection 4-3
-----
5. Mons. Doyle 2-5
6. Woodland 1-5
7. Rockway 0-7
Senior
Only two senior games on Wednesday, as the St. Mary's Eagles were in Hamilton at the Silver Fox Tournament.
The first game was an offensive explosion, as the St. Benedict Saints put up 97 points in a 97-62 win over Rockway. Omar Comanto had 25 and Aaron Zammit 18 for the Saints; Simon Pudwell led Rockway with 16.
Meanwhile, the Resurrection Phoenix avenged their earlier 1-point loss to SDCSS by pulling away for a 70-47 win at St. David. Patric McGlynn had 15 and Zach Holness 14 for Resurrection; Jake Winter scored a game-high 17 for the Celts with Francis Samson and Zack Enriquez adding 8 each.
D8 Senior Standings
1. St. Mary's 6-0
2. Resurrection 5-2 (H2H over SBCSS)
3. St. Benedict 5-2
4. St. David 4-3
-----
5. Mons. Doyle 2-4
6. Rockway 1-6
7. Woodland 0-6
D4: Wednesday Results
In senior, Marco Zanette poured in 25 points and Doug Constanzo (12) and Carlo Zanette (10) were also in double-figures as the CDDHS Royals defeated Orangeville Westside 63-36. Ryan Kilburn (11) and Riley Crean (7) topped the Westside scoring.
The junior Royals got 14 points from Silas Sales in a 40-19 victory over Westside. David Devaladares had 8 more for CDDHS, while Jack St. Germain, Ishaan Thakur and Blayke Ferguson had 4 each for the Thunder.
The other doubleheader on Wednesday saw Norwell DSS complete a junior-senior sweep of Emmanuel Christian.
Eric MacDonald had a game-high 18 points as the Redmen won the senior contest 54-33. Casey Vanleeuwen had 14 for ECHS.
In junior, the Redmen posted a 51-21 win. Travis Soehner had 13 for Norwell, with Marty Westrik leading ECHS with 10.
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
D8: Wednesday Picks
YTD Senior: 19-2 (.905)YTD Junior: 5-1 (.833)
Senior
One scheduling note in D8 senior today is that the St. Mary's - Monsignor Doyle senior game will be played at a later date; the SMHS seniors are participating in the Silver Fox tournament (Hamilton) today.
So, here's the other two games on the radar:
Resurrection (4-2) at St. David (4-2)
My Pick: RCSS by 11
The Phoenix will be back at (relatively) full strength for this one, and hungry to avenge their earlier upset loss to SDCSS. Could be close but I look for Rez to win here.
St. Benedict (4-2) at Rockway (1-5)
My Pick: SBCSS by 19
Provided they aren't looking ahead to the Christmas holidays, the Saints will pick up their 5th win in 7 league games here today.
Junior
St. Mary's (5-1) at Mons. Doyle (2-4)
My Pick: SMHS by 5
Throw the records out the window because Doyle has played all four teams in current "playoff positioning" in the D8 league within single digits. In fact, they may have one of the top players in all of D8 in Ryan Stafford --- which certainly helps their cause. I think the Eagles have the depth to prevail here but look for another close game.
Resurrection (3-3) at St. David (5-1)
My Pick: SDCSS by 7
Not sure if Celtic guard James McBride will be available for this one; for the sake of the pick I hope he does as the Celtics are obviously a better team with (one of their) D8 all-stars on the floor.
St. Benedict (5-1) at Rockway (0-6)
My Pick: SBCSS by 31
With the other two being close, at least one pick should go my way today with the Saints handling Rockway.
D10 Tuesday: Royals Stun Spartans in Double OT
The Spartans, who were undefeated heading into this one, trailed by 8 points (50-42) heading into the fourth quarter but used an 18-10 spurt to tie the game at 60-60 and force overtime.
In OT, Centennial was able to grab a 3-point lead late, but a three-point buzzer beater by the Royals sent the game to a second overtime, where they were able to prevail by the narrowest of margins in a 74-73 final.
CCVI's Erik Sterne led all scorers with 40 points, while Mike Friesen paced JF Ross with 20 and Kristian Vande Kemp added 14.
The other senior game on Tuesday was also a thriller, as the St. James Lions defeated Lourdes in a 51-47 game. Liam McCormack (14) and Zack McClenaghan (12) led the Lions; Max Raab had a game-high 19 for Lourdes with Kevin Roche adding 13.
Junior
The Lourdes Crusaders were able to leapfrog the St. James Lions in the standings on the basis of a 50-48 win. Craig Valeriote was held under 20 points for the first time this season, but still led the way with 18 for Lourdes, while Alex Hudecki added 14. Keegan Feeney had 16 and Jack Tersigni 14 for the Lions.
A somewhat surprising result (at least the margin) saw Centennial dominate JF Ross in a 77-43 game. Scoring details weren't immediately available from source.
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
D10: Tuesday Schedule & Picks
Yesterday, Bishop Mac and Centre Wellington faced off so we have a 2 game slate set for today (ODSS at GCVI is postponed).
The Celtics swept the junior-senior doubleheader yesterday, with the seniors coming out on top 54-33 (Mitchell Wood, BMAC - 14; James Scott, CW - 17) and the juniors winning 67-37 (Brayden Bombins, BMAC - 16, McKenzie Mathers, CW - 12).
Now that you're caught up, here's today's games:
Lourdes (3-3) at St. James (4-2)
My Pick: OLOL by 3
Pretty much a toss-up in my books; I'll take a shot with the visiting Crusaders here.
JF Ross (4-2) at Centennial (6-0)
My Pick: CCVI by 8
Always a great game when these two rivals (who seem to meet in almost every D10 final) get together. I'll take the Spartans at home, but it could be close.
Bishop Mac, St. Mary's (Kitchener) To Play in This Week's Silver Fox
CWOSSA schools Bishop Macdonell (Guelph) and St. Mary's (Kitchener) have been invited to participate. Here's a look at the draw:
First Round - Dec. 19th (AM)
1 - St. Thomas More (Ham.) vs. St. Paul's (Niag Falls)
2 - Notre Dame (Burl.) vs. Bishop Macdonell (Guelph)
3 - St. Mary's (Kitchener) vs. Loyola (Oakville)
4 - Brother Andre (Markham) vs. Cathedral (Hamilton)
Second Round - Dec 19th (PM)
Winner "1" vs. (1) Holy Trinity - Oakville
Winner "2" vs. (4) ACMT - Hamilton
Winner "3" vs. (3) Cardinal Newman
Winner "4" vs. (2) D'Youville - Brampton
D8 Monday: Results & Standings
No surprises at all in the D8 senior circuit on Monday, as the three "favourites" all won by comfortable margins. Let's take a look at the results:
St. Mary's 63, Woodland 11
My Pick: SMHS by 45
Feden Kidane notched 20 points while Jeremy Cresswell (12) and Bronson Botehlo (10) were also in double figures for the Eagles in the win. Ben Hoekstra had 3 for the Cavs, with four other Woodland players hitting the scoresheet with 2.
St. Benedict 62, Mons. Doyle 40
My Pick: SBCSS by 19
Tyler Moulton (13) and Brendan Flannigan (10) led the way as the Saints moved to 4-2 on the season. Uzair Khan had 13 and Roberto Atwell 12 for Monsignor Doyle.
Resurrection 79, Rockway 59
My Pick: RCSS by 28
The Phoenix are also 4-2 after a comfortable road win over Rockway. Tyler Bartley and Onique Findlay had 20 each for Resurrection, while Simon Pudwell led the Flames with 15.
D8 Senior Standings
1. St. Mary's 6-0
T2. Resurrection 4-2
T2. St. Benedict 4-2
T2. St. David 4-2
-----
5. Mons. Doyle 2-4
6. Rockway 1-5
7. Woodland 0-6
Junior
We're one "cycle" through the D8 schedule, and the junior league is certainly more than up for grabs.
Before we get to the standings, let's look at yesterday's results:
St. Mary's 50, Woodland 16
My Pick: SMHS by 36
Henoak Abara and Eddie Omari (8 each) paced a balanced St. Mary's scoring effort on Monday; Shane Clarke had a game-high 12 for the Cavaliers.
Resurrection 83, Rockway 37
My Pick: RCSS by 33
Speaking of balanced scoring attacks, the Resurrection Phoenix received 15 each from Muyang Illuya and Prince Dang, and 14 more from Joe Hunter en route to a big win over Rockway. Connor Huxman (11) and Lukas Winter (8) topped the Rockway scoring.
St. Benedict 39, Mons. Doyle 32
My Pick: SBCSS by 11
You have to figure the MDCSS Mustangs will break through soon --- they've played all four of the league's top teams (SMHS/SBCSS/SDCSS/RCSS) within single digits. On Monday, Alex Douglas (14) and Khiem Tran (11) paced the Saints to victory; Ryan Stafford had a game-high 16 for Doyle with Sohrob Sultani adding 9.
Junior D8 Standings
T1. St. David 5-1
T1. St. Benedict 5-1
T1. St. Mary's 5-1
4. Resurrection 3-3
-----
5. Mons. Doyle 2-4
6. Woodland CHS 1-5
7. Rockway 0-6
....in case you were wondering, St. David is "technically" first right now at the halfway point on the +/- tiebreaker. They defeated St. Benedict by 8, while losing to St. Mary's by 2 (+6). St. Benedict would be 2nd as a result of their head-to-head win over SMHS; they're also currently -2 in their two games while St. Mary's is -4.
D4 Monday: Royals Roll Past Wolverines
Centre Dufferin 93, Wellington Hts. 44
Marco Zanette and Dhruv Patel poured in 18 points each as the Royals lit up the scoreboard in Mount Forest. Avery Bilton had 12 to lead WHSS.
Westside 54, Emmanuel Christian 35
Riley Crean had 18 and Ryan Kilburn 16 to help improve the Thunder to 2-3 on the season. Casey Vanleeuwen notched a game-high 21 for ECHS.
Senior D4 Standings
1. Centre Dufferin 5-0
2. Wellington Hts. 4-1
3. Erin DHS 2-2
4. Westside 2-3
5. Norwell 1-3
6. Emmanuel Christian 0-5
Junior D4
Centre Dufferin 41, Wellington Hts. 32
Silas Sales had 15 and Nick Fines 11 to help keep the Royals undefeated on the season. Caleb Hill scored 11 for Wellington Heights, while Josh Feletto added 4.
Westside 47, Emmanuel Christian 14
Jack St. Germain and Blayke Ferguson had 8 each to key a balanced Westside attack on Monday; Marty Westrik again led the way for ECHS with 6.
Junior D4 Standings
1. Centre Dufferin 4-0
2. Norwell 3-1
3. Wellington Hts. 3-2
4. Westside 1-3
5. Emmanuel Christian 1-4
6. Erin DHS 0-2
Monday, December 17, 2012
D8: Monday Picks
YTD Senior: 16-2 (.889)
YTD Junior: 2-1 (.667)
Junior
Woodland (1-4) at St. Mary's (4-1)
My Pick: SMHS by 36
The Eagles should cruise past the Woodland Cavaliers at home.
St. Benedict (4-1) at Mons. Doyle (2-3)
My Pick: SBCSS by 11
This could be a close battle, especially given the rivalry between these two Cambridge Catholic schools. I'll go with the Saints, who have been playing well of late, but it could be close.
Resurrection (2-3) at Rockway (0-5)
My Pick: RCSS by 33
The Phoenix should move back to .500 with a road win today.
Senior
Woodland (0-5) at St. Mary's (5-0)
My Pick: SMHS by 45
St. Mary's could win this by whatever they choose to. Nothing against Woodland, but the Eagles are strong and have tremendous depth.
St. Benedict (3-2) at Mons. Doyle (2-3)
My Pick: SBCSS by 19
The Saints should win this one and put some space between themselves and the Mustangs for the final D8 playoff berth.
Resurrection (3-2) at Rockway (1-4)
My Pick: RCSS by 28
The Phoenix should handle Rockway in this one.
Friday, December 14, 2012
D10: Thursday Results
Senior
Bishop Mac 61, Orangeville 44
My Pick: BMAC by 21
The Celtics received 23 points from Owen Brombal and 15 from Jesse Kendall in the win. Kyle Holmes netted 22 for the Bears.
JF Ross 61, CWDHS 42
My Pick: JFR by 23
Michael Friesen had a 30-point outing to pace three Royals in double-figures (Kristian Vande Kemp 14, Andrew Folkerson 11). James Scott (14), Ian Newman (10) and Josh McEachern (8) led the Falcons.
St. James 58, Guelph CVI 52
My Pick: STJ by 18
A close one goes the way of the Lions on Thursday, with Joey Hasson (13) and Mitch Marquis (11) leading the way. Tyler Beaton had 17 and Jonah Hopkins 15 for GCVI.
Centennial 54, Lourdes 41
My Pick: CCVI by 14
Erik Sterne (23) and Tarang Sharma (20) both contributed 20+ efforts as the Spartans stay atop the D10 standings. Ryan Bilodeau (12), Max Raab (11) and Andrew Chapman (10) were all in double-figures for Lourdes.
D10 Senior Standings
1. Centennial 6-0
2. Bishop Mac 6-1
T3. St. James 4-2
T3. JF Ross 4-2
5. Lourdes 3-3
T6. Orangeville 1-5
T6. CWDHS 1-5
8. Guelph CVI 0-7
Junior
JF Ross 58, CWDHS 27
Harris Cornett notched 16 and Daniel Street added 14 as the Royals won comfortably on Thursday. Mackenzie Mathers had 11 to top the Falcon scoresheet.
Lourdes 57, Centennial 56
Craig Valeriote, who is averaging 23.8 PPG in league play, pumped home 26 points to help lead Lourdes to the win (and handing CCVI their first league loss in the process). Valeriote has scored 20+ in all 6 league games thus far. Alex Hudecki had a nice effort as well for Lourdes, adding 19, while Chris Poloniato had 12 and Jasmer Brar 11 for the Spartans.
Bishop Mac 57, Orangeville 34
Lukas Wood had 17 to lead the Celtics in this one; Kyle Touhy had the lone double-digit effort for ODSS with 10.
St. James / GCVI - Not Reported
D10 Junior Standings
1. JF Ross 5-1
2. Centennial 4-1
3. Bishop Mac 5-2
4. Lourdes 4-2
5. St. James 3-2
6. CWDHS 2-4
7. Guelph CVI 0-5
8. Orangeville 0-6
Thursday, December 13, 2012
D8 Midget League Tips Off Today
For those not in the know, midget basketball was a staple of high school sports in the 1990s. About 10 years ago, most leagues started to fold for a variety reasons, including eligibility changes (back in my day, some grade 11s with September and onward birthdays could play junior -- the "three year junior" rule) as well as the switch from "5 year" to "4 year" schooling.
The league is for grade 9 boys who are not on the junior basketball team. There are some "rule tweaks"; most notably, the game is played with two 20 minute "straight time" halves, except for the final 2:00 of each half. Pressing is also not permitted until the final 2:00 of the game.
Last year, the St. Benedict Saints took the D8 title over Resurrection CSS, 26-19.
More importantly, many players have gone on to junior (and senior) success. Jamal Hajo, who scored 16 points in last year's game, is now on the SBCSS junior roster, while four Resurrection players --- Nik Potvin, Nick Snider, Kevin Santolini, and Andrew MacNeil --- now play for the junior team at RCSS. Snider was Rez's leading scorer (14 points) in yesterday's game.
Today's schedule over at RCSS sees Resurrection play St. David (3:30pm), St. David against St. Benedict (4:30pm) and St. Benedict vs. Resurrection (5:30pm).
D4: Wednesday Results
The Centre Dufferin Royals continued their strong start in D4 senior play on Wednesday; they took out Erin DHS by a 76-35 final.
Marco Zanette (20) and Doug Costanzo (14) led the way for the Royals, while Mason Johnson put home 12 and Joshua Pedersen added 8 for the Raiders.
Meanwhile, Wellington Heights (4-0) stayed tied for the standings lead after a 59-39 win over Emmanuel Christian. Kurtis Trommelen had 14 and John Robinson 9 for the Wolverines while Casey Vanleeuwen netted a game-high 21 for ECHS.
The other game on Wednesday saw Orangeville Westside pick up their first win of the year, a 37-26 score over Norwell of Palmerston.
Riley Crean had a nice 21-point effort for WSS while Travis Knight added 7; Drew Cowan and Justin Davidson had 7 each for the Redmen.
D4 Senior Standings
T1. Wellington Hts. 4-0
T1. CDDHS 4-0
3. Erin DHS 2-2
T4. Westside 1-3
T4. Norwell 1-3
6. Emmanuel Christian 0-4
Junior
Just two games to discuss in the D4 junior circuit, as Erin DHS is currently on the sidelines.
Tom Langille pumped home 32 points as Norwell cruised to a 51-28 win over Westside. Travis Soehner added 13 more for Norwell, while Nathan Culshaw had 11 and Cameron Spencer 7 for WSS.
In Wednesday's other game, Wellington Heights defeated Emmanuel Christian 46-16. Josh Feletto had 24 for WHSS; Marty Westrik netted 6 for Emmanuel Christian.
D4 Junior Standings
1. CDDHS 3-0
T2. WHSS 3-1
T2. Norwell 3-1
4. Emmanuel Christian 1-3
5. Erin DHS 0-2
6. Westside 0-3
D8: Wednesday Results
After a team had "run the table" in the junior league each of (at least) the last 5 seasons, all D8 junior teams have at least one loss through the "first round" of the league's home and home schedule.
The St. Benedict Saints (4-1) handed the St. Mary's Eagles (4-1) their first loss yesterday, jumping out to a 24-12 halftime lead before holding on in the second half for a 44-38 win.
Zubair Seyed pumped home 26 points for SBCSS, with Alex Douglas adding 8. Adham Eleeda (15) and Jordan Anao (6) led St. Mary's.
Meanwhile, the Resurrection Phoenix picked up an important win against the upstart Monsingor Doyle Mustangs. Despite Resurrection extending the lead to 15 in the second half, the Mustangs kept fighting and cut the deficit to 5 in the fourth. RCSS again extended to a 10-point cushion before the 'Stangs finished the game on a 6-0 run for a 59-55 final.
The balanced Rez attack was keyed by Nick Snider (14), Joseph Hunter (7), Prince Dang (7) and Jake Rush (7).
Ryan Stafford --- arguably one of the top players in the D8 junior circuit this year --- led all scorers with an 18-point effort, while Jordan Deveney-Reid had 17.
The other contest went as expected, with St. David topping Woodland 58-33. George Dumitru had 14 and Kyle Enriquez 8 for the Celtics; Shane Clarke (12) and Drew Carrick (10) led the Cavs.
St. David's win means they take over first place in the D8 standings, at least temporarily. The Celtics (5-1) have finished their first "set" of games, while the St. Mary's Eagles and St. Benedict Saints sit at 4-1.
Junior D8 Standings
1. St. David 5-1
T2. St. Benedict 4-1
T2. St. Mary's 4-1
T4. Resurrection 2-3
T4. Mons. Doyle 2-3
6. Woodland 1-4
7. Rockway 0-5
Senior
As expected, all three favourites posted double-digit wins yesterday in the D8 senior league.
Tyler Bartley had 22 and Onique Findlay 13 as the Phoenix toppled the Monsignor Doyle Mustangs 57-23 in the opener at Resurrection on Wednesday. Uzair Khan had 8 and Chris Dair 6 for Doyle.
St. Mary's, who came into their game giving up an average of only about 28 PPG, gave up more than double that against the St. Benedict Saints but still came out on top in a 71-58 contest.
Jeremy Cresswell had 17 and Nathan Riley 16 for St. Mary's, while Spencer Marshall had a game-high 21 for the Saints.
The other game saw St. David knock off Woodland 60-38. Matt Scanlon (16) and Francis Samson (15) led the way for SDCSS; Ben Hoekstra was the top Woodland performer with 11.
D8 Senior Standings
1. St. Mary's 5-0
2. St. David 4-2
T3. Resurrection 3-2
T3. St. Benedict 3-2
-----
5. Mons. Doyle 2-3
6. Rockway 1-4
7. Woodland 0-5
D10: Thursday Picks
Bishop Mac (5-1) at Orangeville (1-4)
My Pick: BMAC by 21
The Celtics shouldn't have too much trouble getting past the ODSS Bears today, provided they key on their key scorers --- Deysean Thompson & Kyle Holmes.
Centre Wellington (1-4) at JF Ross (3-2)
My Pick: JFR by 23
As a secondary pick, I'll take the Falcons to score more points than their previous outing.....although they only scored 16 in that one.
St. James (3-2) at Guelph CVI (0-6)
My Pick: STJ by 18
The Lions will move to 4-2 today at the expense of the GCVI Gaels.
Centennial (5-0) at Lourdes (3-2)
My Pick: CCVI by 14
It could be interesting early, but I expect the Centennial Spartans to pull away late in this one.
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
D8: Wednesday Picks
YTD Senior: 13-2 (.867)YTD Junior: 0-0 (.000)
We'll add a few junior picks to the mix today, to hopefully help in keeping me sharp while we wait for the resumption of other CWOSSA leagues --- such as WCSSAA --- in the new year (fingers crossed).
Senior - 3:30pm Games
St. Mary's (4-0) at St. Benedict (3-1)
My Pick: SMHS by 32
Yes, these are currently the #1 and #2 teams in the D8 standings. And yes, I'm picking the Eagles to continue their streak of 30+ wins in D8.
Monsignor Doyle (2-2) at Resurrection (2-2)
My Pick: RCSS by 22
Look for the Phoenix to get back in the win column at home today, provided they don't overlook this year's surprise junior team, the Monsignor Doyle Mustangs (double OT loss to SDCSS and 9-point loss to SMHS show that they're vastly improved).
St. David (3-2) at Woodland Christian (0-4)
My Pick: SDCSS by 33
The Celtics can make it four straight here today with a win against Woodland. Look for them to do just that.
Junior - 5:00pm Games
St. Mary's (4-0) at St. Benedict (3-1)
My Pick: SMHS by 3
Should be a very competitive game over in Cambridge, and I wouldn't be surprised to see the Saints pull it out. I'll go with the Eagles, though, in a close one.
Mons. Doyle (2-2) at Resurrection (1-3)
My Pick: RCSS by 6
The winner of this game will put themselves in fourth place in the D8 standings heading into the "second round" of the D8's schedule. Big game for both clubs; slight edge to the homecourt Phoenix.
St. David (4-1) at Woodland (1-3)
My Pick: SDCSS by 32
Glad that I don't have to pick three nail-biters today in my D8 junior debut; the junior Celtics should post a comfortable win over the Cavaliers.
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