Thursday, January 31st: News & Notes

D8 Junior Squads Face High-Level Competition
Three D8 junior teams will be participating in two high-profile tournaments this coming weekend.

The St. Benedict Saints, currently in first place in the D8 circuit (by way of head-to-head tiebreak) are in Windsor at the Catholic Central "Comet Invitational".

The tournament has a website that you can check out for the full draw and information; the Saints are the lone CWOSSA team participating in the 16-team draw, which has a similar format to the Heinbuch Tournament.  Teams that win their first two games are in the "gold" bracket, a "win-loss" puts you in the "silver" bracket, "loss-win" means "bronze" bracket, and "loss-loss" equals consolation bracket.

St. Benedict will play Windsor Brennan in their first-round game, and then either St. Anne (Lakeshore) or London John Paul II in the second round.

As I mentioned last week, both Kitchener Resurrection and Waterloo St. David are in Hamilton starting on Saturday at the All-Ontario Catholic Junior Boys' tournament, which is a competitive draw as always.  Rez draws Hamilton Brebeuf, who are currently the top team in the Hamilton Catholic League (11-0), while St. David will play St. Francis (St. Catharines) in round one.  Here's a look at the complete draw:

All-Ontario Catholic Junior Boys Tournament
Assumption (Burlington) vs. D'Youville (Brampton)
Notre Dame (Welland) vs. Holy Trinity (Oakville)
Resurrection (Kitchener) vs. Brebeuf (Hamilton)
Cardinal Newman (Stoney Creek) vs. Campion (Brampton)

Corpus Christi (Burl.) vs. Cathedral (Hamilton)
St. Thomas More (Ham.) vs. Bishop Reding (Milton)
Goetz (Mississauga) vs. Jean Vanier (Rchmd Hill)
St. Francis (St. Cath.) vs. St. David (Waterloo)

....favourties here would probably be D'Youville from Brampton and Bishop Reding from Milton, who recently won the Junior Rimrocker tournament, beating Father Henry Carr (Toronto) in the final.

Cvrkalj Starts in Lehigh Win
Stefan Cvrkalj (Bluevale '11) knocked home a game-high 18 points, including five three-pointers, in Lehigh's 71-49 win over Navy yesterday evening in Patriot League action.

Here's a video recap from the Lehigh Sports website:



Meanwhile, Bryson Johnson (Bucknell) remains tied for the Bison all-time school three-point record after going 0-for-3 on Wednesday at American.  He did have 6 points in Bucknell's 56-55 victory.

Patriot League (NCAA): Burnatowski Stays Hot; Johnson Ties Career Record



Bryson Johnson had a team-high 16 points, including two three-pointers that helped him tie Bucknell's all-time record for three-point field goals, in a 65-58 Patriot League win over Holy Cross on Saturday afternoon.

Johnson now stands with 294 career three-pointers made, which equals the record set by former Bison Kevin Bettencourt, who played on the Bucknell team that defeated Kansas in the '05 NCAA tournament.  However, Johnson has taken about 100 less attempts (733 vs. 832) from behind the arc.
 

He can break the Bucknell record in their next game on Wednesday, at American University (Washington, DC).  Meanwhile, he's only 8 back of the Patriot League all-time record and, at his current pace, should reach in the neighbourhood of 320-330 career 3's.

 

From a historical perspective, he's currently #115 on the NCAA all-time list.  A couple notable names that he could pass?  Jimmer Fredette (296) and Jason Kapono (317), among others.

 

Burnatowski Continues To Roll

Murphy Burnatowski, who had 35 points in an overtime win over Army on Wednesday, knocked home 29 more on Saturday in a 70-56 Colgate win over Navy.  He's shot over 60% from the floor and over 50% from three-point range during that stretch.

 

He's averaging 19.4 PPG in league play, which is second in the Patriot League behind Bucknell's Mike Muscala (20.2 PPG).  He's also 15th in the league in rebounding (4.8), and 6th in blocked shots (1.2 BPG).

CWOSSA Alums: Bankazo Steps Up Big (Medicine Hat News)

Article By:  Sean Rooney

The spectre of academic ineligibility has again cast its shadow on Medicine Hat College's men's basketball team.

After losing Emmanuel Ajayi to academics at the mid-point of the season, coach Craig Price found out before the Rattlers' first games of the second half that William Beard-Camp will also have to sit out this semester and get his grades in order.

Beard-Camp and Ajayi were the top two scorers on the team, and Beard-Camp was arguably its most important leader.

"I think we lost the two guys that gave us backbone," said Price, whose team is 1-3 since the break.

"I think that's where other people are having to step up and take a little bit more responsibility and pressure."

Most teams might as well fold the tent after such losses, but these Rattlers have dealt with plenty of adversity and skepticism already. Price was hired in mid-summer and patched together a roster with little time to spare. They went 6-4 through December and still have playoff aspirations despite now being 7-7.

"I think we're going to pull through," said guard Jordon Fray. "I think we just pull it together fast. We have to know each other fast and get lots of practice."

They also have a fresh face who's already lighting it up. Benny Bankazo, who has a bizarre connection with Fray, has averaged 23 points in four games including 31 in Saturday's 103-96 overtime loss at Lethbridge.

"I just had to get chemistry down with the team in the first game, because we didn't know how to fit in the system," said Bankazo, who grew up in Kitchener, Ont., but was in Moose Jaw with his dad when the Rattlers came calling. "But ever since then everything has been going good."

Bankazo first met Fray when the two were toddlers growing up in Ontario, but hadn't seen each other in 14 years. Fray, who had 26 points in the loss to Lethbridge, was shocked to find he'd once lived in the same apartment building with his new teammate.

"He recognized me, but I didn't recognize him," admitted Fray. "I didn't know he was coming to the school.

 "I'm glad to have him, because he's scoring the ball, he's helping the team out."

Bankazo says he had opportunities to play college ball in the U.S., but his SAT scores weren't high enough. He essentially becomes like any other rookie this semester in the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference, and wouldn't be allowed back in the fall if his grades can't keep up.

He'd like to get a look in the NCAA, and sees this semester as a chance to get back on the court.

"All the hard work I was putting in, taking all that time off I knew as soon as I get a chance to play, I'm just going to go hard," said Bankazo, who's also averaged five assists and 6.75 rebounds so far.

"They took me in, everyone loved me out here. I like the team chemistry that we're building, it's like a family. I like it, everything's good."

Even with more players stepping up, the Rattlers couldn't need their current break any more. They'll be applying what they learned about building a team quickly yet again before their next games Feb. 1 and 2 against SAIT.

 "People need to step up now is all it is," said Fray. "They need to step up and work hard."

Retrieved From:  http://www.medicinehatnews.com/local-sports/bankazo-steps-up-big-point-guard-becomes-important-offensive-contributor-as-rattlers-lose-two-players-to-grades-01242013.html

Murphy Burnatowski (Colgate)'s Game-Winning Three-Pointer

Here's a YouTube clip with the highlight from Wednesday:

NCAA: Burnatowski Keys Colgate Win; Lehigh Tops Bucknell

CWOSSA Alums Johnson (L) and Cvrkalj

With all the talk about the Bucknell - Lehigh match-up in the Patriot League on Tuesday, another CWOSSA Alum had a monster game in leading his team to an overtime win.

Murphy Burnatowski (ex-SJAM), the redshirt junior forward for Colgate, had a career-high 35 points (along with 8 rebounds and 3 assists) in Colgate's 93-90 overtime victory over Army.

For good measure, Burnatowski hit the game-clinching three-pointer with 0:17 left on the overtime clock.

Burnatowski's 35 points bested his previous career-high, set just last month (31 against New Hampshire).  He's also put up some big numbers this year against high-level D1 competition, including 23 at Illinois and 24 at Marquette.

Meanwhile, the Lehigh-Bucknell game certainly lived up to expectations.

The Mountain Hawks jumped out to a 27-12 first-half lead before Bryson Johnson (SDCSS '09) went on a 6-0 run by himself --- an "and-one" from beyond the arc and another jumper that started a 13-2 Bucknell run over the final 5:41 of the first half resulting in a 29-28 halftime lead for Lehigh.

The Bison would take a second-half lead of 7 points, and even led by 5 with about 6:30 to go.  However, Lehigh came back and re-took a lead that they would never relinquish shortly thereafter.

Johnson finished with 6 points for Bucknell, including that one three-pointer, meaning he is now 2 back of Bucknell's all-time school record.  He added 4 rebounds and 2 assists while playing 38 minutes.

Stefan Cvkralj (Bluevale '11), a sophomore guard for Lehigh, missed his lone shot attempt in 11 minutes of action but did have a key assist on a BJ Bailey three-pointer during the Hawks' early first-half run.

January 23rd: CWOSSA News & Notes

Alums To Square Off For Patriot Lead
CWOSSA Alums Bryson Johnson of Bucknell (St. David '09) and Stevan Cvrkalj of Lehigh (Bluevale '11) will play today (6pm) with first place in the Patriot League on the line.

Both teams are 3-0 entering the game, although Lehigh has been without projected NBA first-round pick CJ McCollum (23.9 PPG) due to a foot injury as of late.

The game will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network (Rogers Channel 416).

D8 Teams Commit To High-Profile Tournaments
The top four teams in the D8 junior circuit will be playing some tough competition after the exam break.

Both the Waterloo St. David Celtics and Kitchener Resurrection Phoenix have received invities to the annual Kennedy Ontario "All Catholic" Tournament in Hamilton on February 2nd and 3rd. 

The official draw was released yesterday, and it's certainly a tough one for both teams.

Resurrection draws Hamilton Brebeuf (11-0 in the Hamilton Catholic League; average margin of victory 25+ PPG) in their first round game, and then will play either Cardinal Newman (Stoney Creek) or Campion (Brampton) in round two.

St. David gets St. Francis (St. Catharines) and then either Jean Vanier (Richmond Hill) or Father Goetz (Mississauga) in their second game.

Meanwhile, St. Mary's (Kitchener) and St. Benedict (Cambridge), the current top two teams in the competitive junior circuit, will both be participating at Campion in Brampton a week later in the annual Campion Showdown.

Current confirmed teams include Campion and D'Youville from Brampton (co-hosts), ACMT (Hamilton), Assumption (Burlington), Notre Dame (Welland), St. Augustine (Brampton), Cardinal McGuigan (Toronto), Gonzaga (Mississauga), Jean-de-Brebeuf (Montreal), and Michael Power/St. Joseph (Toronto).

Exam Break....

It's the "exam break" part of the schedule, meaning there aren't any games for the next two weeks or so.

The District 8 and District 4 leagues will resume on February 4th, while D10 play gets back to business the next day on February 5th.

There's still some CWOSSA storylines in the NCAA that we'll be following during the break, though.

As I mentioned on Twitter the other day, St. David CSS ('09) grad Bryson Johnson is just three three-pointers shy of the Bucknell University all-time record.  He didn't have any in Bucknell's win over Lafayette on Saturday, but given his prolific marksmanship over his career, it should just be a matter of time.

Bucknell's next game is on Wednesday against Stefan Cvrkalj (Bluevale '11) and Lehigh University, with first place in the Patriot League on the line.

Lehigh, like Bucknell, is 3-0 in Patriot League play after their 60-45 win over Murphy Burnatowski (ex-SJAM) and Colgate.  The Mountain Hawks certainly did a good job of containing Burnatowski, who is averaging 17.3 PPG on the season; he was held to a season-low 2 points Saturday before fouling out, which marked only the second time all year he didn't hit double figures.

Cvrkalj hit for 2 points and 1 rebound for Lehigh in that one.

On the women's side of things, Natalie Achonwa (ex-Guelph Centennial) and her #2 Notre Dame Fighting Irish continue to roll; they defeated St. John's 74-50 on Saturday with Achonwa contributing a solid 16 point / 12 rebound double-double.  That's nothing out of the norm for her, though, as the junior forward is practically averaging a double-double on the season (14.2 PPG & 9.3 RPG).

Forest Heights ('10) grad Jenn Lennox had 6 blocked shots (tying the Canisius school record) in a 75-68 Canisius win over Rider.  Both her Golden Griffins and Kelly Van Leeuwen (St. John's '11) Niagara Purple Eagles are currently sitting in the top half of the MAAC standings.

Junior: Rez Takes St. Mike's Title

The Resurrection junior boys' team posted a 2-1 record this past weekend in Stratford, taking home the St. Michael's CSS Invitational tournament (round-robin) by way of tiebreak.

No team went undefeated amongst the 4 participants, with Resurrection, St. Michael's, and Tillsonburg finishing with 2-1 records; St. Joseph (St. Thomas) was 0-4.

FYI - Tillsonburg's entry was actually a club team made up of junior-aged players, given the current "extracurricular issue" facing many public schools around the province.

The deciding game was a 63-40 Resurrection win over that Tillsonburg team on Saturday afternoon, which allowed them to take the "plus-minus" tiebreak amongst the tied teams.  Muyang Iluya led the way for Rez with a 16 point & 8 rebound effort, while Prince Dang netted 10 points and PG Ali Rashid added 10 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 blocked shots.

Tillsonburg defeated St. Michael's, while St. Michael's got past Resurrection in action on Friday.

There was also a senior component to the tournament, a three-team event that included CWOSSA representation from Walkerton Sacred Heart.  The Crusaders dropped their opener to St. Joseph's (St. Thomas) 42-40 in overtime, before falling to host St. Michael in their second game of the three team round-robin.

Brantford Expositor: "Hoping For A Miracle" To Save Season

Darryl G. Smart / Brantford Expositor Photo

Article By:  Darryl G. Smart

Throwing down a one-handed dunk in the first quarter Wednesday night wasn't the only thing that had Jake Brennan and his St. John's Green Eagles teammates smiling.

"It just felt great to be out there," teammate Tim Dawson said after the Green Eagles bettered Simcoe's Holy Trinity Titans 69-36 in a senior boys basketball exhibition game.

"It's great to be home and playing in front of a crowd."

While their public school counterparts are locked out of the gym and unable to play because of the ongoing game of one-on-one between the teacher's union and the government that has almost every high school sports league in peril, local Catholic school teams are trying to stay sharp in case of a buzzer beater that saves the season.

"We really are hoping for a miracle for some kind of season," Dawson said.

"It's not looking that way right now but we're still hoping. Even if we'd have to squeeze it all in and play it all in one week, I could care less."

Meantime, Dawson and his teammates are playing exhibition games against the Titans and Assumption College Lions, as well as tournaments.

"I was so excited to get on the floor tonight. You can only go up against your own teammates so much," Brennan said. "This whole season has been tough, especially when it comes to staying focused. At the beginning of the season we all filled out sheets to tell the coaches what our goals were. Every one of us wanted to win BCSSAA and knock off North Park. So, to not have the chance has been disappointing."

Dawson said his teammates have shown a commitment despite the circumstances.

"Sometimes it is difficult to stay motivated because it's not the same as a practice where you're preparing for a big game," he said.

"But we all have a passion for the game and that's why we're here playing."

Green Eagles coach Mike Doherty said that players have been urged to focus on individual goals for now.

Wednesday night's goal was simple.

"It was all about going out there and playing with a smile on our faces," Dawson said. "They wanted us to enjoy being out there."

The exhibition games are also about preparing for what could happen.

Doherty said that the Eagles hope that the Brant high school basketball season will return.

He noted that the Central Western Ontario Secondary Schools Association met early this week to figure out if they will go on with its championships. And, while CWOSSA is trying to decide what to do, Ontario Federation of Schools Athletic Association executive director Doug Gellatly hopes its championships will go as usual.

"As of right now, our plan is to move ahead with championships," Gellatly said to QMI Agency.

He said conveners have been found for every sport outside of Nordic skiing, but officials won't know which sports will continue for sure until they can gauge participation next week.

"I don't expect there will be many problems as far as that goes," he said.

Retrieved From:  http://www.brantfordexpositor.ca/2013/01/17/hoping-for-a-miracle-to-save-season

CWOSSA "Power Ranking": Exam Break

Of course, I can really only include teams that are "actively playing" at this time --- so I've excluded all except for D10, D8, D4, as well as St. John's, Assumption, and Holy Trinity (Simcoe).

Usually, I do a "top 10", but today, I'll slot in all the teams where I see them at this point.  Here goes:

Junior

1.  St. Benedict (Cambridge)
2.  St. Mary's (Kitchener)
3.  St. David (Waterloo) - AAA
4.  St. John's (Brantford)  
5.  Resurrection (Kitchener)
6.  Centennial (Guelph)
7.  Assumption (Brantford)
8.  Bishop Mac (Guelph) - AA
9.  JF Ross (Guelph)
10.  Monsignor Doyle (Cambridge) - AAA
-----
11.  St. James (Guelph) - AAA
12.  Lourdes (Guelph) - AA
13.  Centre Wellington (Fergus)
14.  Centre Dufferin (Shelburne) - AA
15.  Holy Trinity (Simcoe) - AAA
16.  Orangeville DSS
17.  Rockway (Kitchener) - A
18.  Woodland Christian (Breslau) - A
19.  Norwell (Palmerston) - AA
20.  Wellington Hts. (Mt. Forest) - AA
21.  Westside (Orangeville) - AAA
22.  Emmanuel Christian (Fergus) - A

Senior
1.  St. Mary's (Kitchener)
2.  Bishop Macdonell (Guelph) - AA
3.  Centre Dufferin (Shelburne) - AA
4.  Centennial (Guelph)
5.  JF Ross (Guelph)
6.  St. John's (Brantford)
7.  St. James (Guelph) - AAA
8.  Resurrection (Kitchener)
9.  St. Benedict (Cambridge)
10.  Assumption (Brantford)
-----
11.  Lourdes (Guelph) - AA
12.  Holy Trinity (Simcoe) - AAA
13.  Orangeville DSS
14.  Centre Wellington (Fergus)
15.  St. David (Waterloo) - AAA
16.  Monsignor Doyle (Cambridge) - AAA
17.  Norwell (Palmerston) - AA
18.  Wellington Heights (Mt. Forest) - AA
19.  Westside SS (Orangeville) - AAA
20.  Rockway (Kitchener) - A
21.  Woodland Christian (Breslau) - A
22.  Emmanuel Christian (Fergus) - A

D10: Thursday Results

The Centre Wellington Falcons are "officially" in the win column in D10 senior boys' basketball.

After their previous regular season victory against Guelph CVI was wiped off of the standings, CWDHS pulled out a 44-43 victory yesterday against Lourdes to go into the win column for the first time (1-9).

James Scott netted 14 for CWDHS, while Josh McEachern added 9.  Max Raab had 15 and Kevin Roche 10 for the Crusaders.

Also in senior action, the St. James Lions made things interesting at Bishop Mac before falling to the Celtics in a 56-51 final.  Jesse Kendall (20) and Mitchell Wood (17) led the way for BMAC, while Zach McClenaghan had a game-high 21 for the Lions with Alex Bondy chipping in 10.

JF Ross won a 49-32 decision over Orangeville in the other game on Thursday in the senior division.  Goran Kliska scored 16 for Ross, while Deysean Thompson put home 11 for the Bears.

D10 Senior Standings
1.  Bishop Mac 9-1
2.  Centennial 8-2
3.  JF Ross 7-3
4.  St. James 6-5
5.  Lourdes 3-7
6.  Orangeville 2-9
7.  CWDHS 1-9

In junior play, two scores have been reported as of the timing of this post.

Bishop Mac took out St. James by a 46-30 final, with Evan Hosker (15) and Jake Chaput (12) providing double-digit efforts for BMAC.  Izaiah Farrell had 14 for the Lions.

JF Ross defeated Orangeville 43-29, with Daniel Street contributing 18 points and Mike Thomsen adding 8 for the Royals.  Dave Anderson led the Bears with 8 points.

D10 Junior Standings
1.  Centennial 9-1
2.  Bishop Mac 7-3
3.  JF Ross 6-4
4.  St. James 6-5
5.  Lourdes 5-4
6.  CWDHS 2-7
7.  Orangeville 0-11

D8 Midget: Saints Claim Back-To-Back Titles

The St. Benedict Saints nearly wilted under pressure, but came through when it counted in a thrilling 37-36 victory over the Resurrection Saints in yesterday's D8 Midget Final at SBCSS.

The Saints enjoyed a nearly insurmountable 12-point lead with 2:00 to go, only to see Resurrection press and go on a flurry of a run (12-0) that forced overtime with the score tied at 36-36. 

Through eight minutes of extra time, the nerves certainly showed.  In fact, only one point was scored during the two 4 minute extra sesssions --- a St. Benedict free-throw in the second overtime that proved to be the deciding point in the championship.

The game marked the third outstanding game between these two fine clubs on the season.  Though St. Benedict won all three meetings, they were all decided by three points or less.

Mohammed Hajjo led St. Benedict in the final with 9 points, while Sahil Hotwani had 13 and Alex Garcia 8 for Resurrection.  Garcia was named MVP of the D8 playoffs, which all took place yesterday (semifinals were played in the morning).

Resurrection and St. Benedict had little trouble in the semifinals; the Saints trounced St. David 45-10 while Resurrection beat St. Mary's 40-18.

St. Mary's claimed third place with a 40-13 win over St. David in the third-place game.

Hopefully, we'll some of these players suiting up for their respective junior teams next season!

Mark's Notebook: Time To Pay Teachers For Extracurriculars?

Last week, I stopped over at my parents' house in Waterloo for dinner.  Given that it was the day before the possible strike by elementary teachers in Ontario, the conversation naturally shifted to that subject matter.

My parents are both former Catholic Elementary teachers (my mom left to be a "stay at home mom" after having me), and I found their perspective interesting.  Without getting into the political aspect of things, the most interesting part of the conversation that I had was when we started discussing extracurriculars. 

You see, my dad began his teaching career in Sault Ste. Marie in the 1960s.  As a grade 7 & 8 teacher, one of the few (two?) males on staff, and with his athletic background, he was basically "voluntold" to help coach the school's athletic teams ---- boys' basketball, volleyball, hockey, and baseball, and girls' ringette.

Two fun facts:  the first, his school didn't have a gym.  They practiced outside (yes, outside!) in the Sault Ste. Marie winter for basketball and volleyball (hockey was obviously a little easier given that they could put in an outdoor rink --- which my dad maintained on a daily basis).  Pretty neat that they were able to win a few city championships despite the lack of amenities!

Secondly, he was paid to coach.  Now, back in those days, Catholic school teachers made significantly less than their public counterparts (or so I'm told --- well before my time!).   Anyways, he received $50 per team that he coached, which would work out to approximately $350 to $400 in today's dollars. 

Anyways, with the current extracurricular dilemma in Ontario's public schools, it certainly got me thinking.

Now, full disclosure --- (1) I enjoy following (and writing about, if you've noticed) high school basketball, so I certainly enjoy when extracurriculars are running.  (2) Christa is a high school teacher in Peel, so I could stand to gain financially if something like this were put in place, given her involvement in her school.

Nonetheless, the "how" and "why" of the implementation of something like this was difficult to put my finger on, until reading Martin Regg Cohn's column from last week's Star.  To directly quote from the article:

"Decades ago, before teachers were unionized ... coaching and clubs were quaintly deemed an optional extra — and hence made voluntary. Today, there is a pedagogical consensus that extracurricular activities are a core component of the school day, so why not change teachers’ pay scales to reflect that reality — for example by paying a core salary for teaching classes until 3:30 p.m., and then offering incentive pay or bonuses for those who take on extracurricular activities?"

Obviously, there would be many questions to be answered before something like this would be put in place, and the timeframe is certainly not in the immediate near future (i.e. next contracts to be negotiated in 2014). 

Also, in no way am I suggesting that teachers don't coach for "the love of the game", because the overwhelming majority do.  I could even see a scholarship fund (or charity) being set up for teachers to "donate back" such a payment if they felt so inclined.

What I am saying is that extracurriculars were a valuable part of my high school experience.  Can we put a put a dollar figure on that value?  That's not for me to say, but it may be something for the "powers that be" to consider.

D4: Wednesday Results

Senior

Wellington Hts. 49, Emmanuel Christian 21
ECHS:  Casey Vanleeuwen 11

Norwell 43, Westside 34
NDSS:  Eric MacDonald 11, Drew Cowan 8
WSS:  Riley Crean 12, Travis Knight 9

D4 Senior Standings
1.  Centre Dufferin 7-0
2.  Wellington Hts. 4-3
3.  Norwell 4-4
4.  Westside 3-4
5.  Emmanuel Christian 0-7

Junior

Wellington Hts 43, Emmanuel Christian 13
WHSS:  Taron Cudney 9
ECHS:  Sean Breukelman 5

Westside 41, Norwell 38

D4 Junior Standings
1.  Centre Dufferin 7-0
2.  Norwell 5-3
T3.  Wellington Hts 3-4
T3.  Westside 3-4
5.  Emmanuel Christian 0-7

D10: Thursday Picks

YTD:  29-5 (.853)

Orangeville (2-8) at JF Ross (6-3)
My Pick:  JFR by 24
Look for the Royals to continue their roll today at the expense of the ODSS Bears.

St. James (6-4) at Bishop Mac (8-1)
My Pick:  BMAC by 16
The Celtics, if they aren't too tired from celebrating an exciting affair with Centennial on Tuesday, should be able to handle St. James at home today.

Centre Wellington (0-9) at Lourdes (3-6)
My Pick:  OLOL by 12
The Falcons are "winless" in D10 now that their wins against GCVI have been wiped away.  Should be the most competitive game on the day but I like the Crusaders here.

D8: Playoff Pictures Begin To Take Shape

A 2-1 picks day in both D8 junior (Rockway over Woodland) and senior (MDCSS slipping past St. David) yesterday.

Let's start with the competitive junior division:

Junior

Rockway 57, Woodland 34
No trouble for the Rockway Flames in picking up their first win of the season, although I'm not certain if Shane Clarke was able to play in this one.  Isaac Regier (16) paced three Flames in double figures, the others being Connor Huxman (15) and Liam Robinson (10).  Drew Carrick had 11 and Tristan Vanderhoef 8 for Woodland.

St. David 54, Mons. Doyle 45
The Celtic win virtually locks up third place for them in the D8 standings; they received 21 from George Dumitru and 9 from Alec Scheffler in this one.  Ryan Stafford (15) and Sohrob Sultani (14) led the way for Doyle.

St. Benedict 56, Resurrection 31
The Saints turned a 7-point game at halftime into a runaway in the second half of this one.  Zubair Seyed (14), Khiem Tran (11) and Vicken Geokijan (10) led SBCSS while Sean Begy (8), Jake Rush (7) and Nick Snider (7) were the top Phoenix scorers.

D8 Junior Standings
T1.  St. Benedict 8-1
T1.  St. Mary's 8-1
3.  St. David 6-4
4.  Resurrection 5-4
-----
5.  Mons. Doyle 4-6
6.  Woodland 1-8
7.  Rockway 1-9

Senior

Mons. Doyle 36, St. David 34
In this battle of "AAA" clubs, Uzair Khan put home a three-ball and some FTs late to help the 'Stangs overcome a fourth-quarter deficit against the Celtics in a game that was tight throughout.  Khan led MDCSS with 15, while Tyler Saris had 9.  Zach Enriquez (11) and Jake Winter (10) led the St. David scoring.

Resurrection 66, St. Benedict 55
Rez gives themselves the inside track to finishing 2nd in the D8 standings with a win on the road in Cambridge here.  Patric McGlynn put home 20 points while Tyler Bartley added 14 for Rez; Tyler Moulton (15) and Omar Comanto (14) led the Saints.

Rockway 60, Woodland 39
Jacob Reusser had 16 for the Flames in their third win of the season, while Ben Hoekstra had a game-high 18 for WCHS.

D8 Senior Standings
1.  St. Mary's 9-0
2.  Resurrection 7-2
3.  St. Benedict 6-3
T4.  St. David 4-6
T4.  Mons. Doyle 4-6
6.  Rockway 3-7
7.  Woodland 0-9

Guelph Mercury: Bishop Mac Celtics Hold Off Centennial Rally

Article By:  Rob Massey

GUELPH – With thoughts of their previous meeting with the Centennial Spartans going through their minds, the Bishop Macdonell Celtics hung on Tuesday to claim top spot in the District 10 high school senior boys’ basketball league.

The Celtics saw a 15-point halftime lead evaporate as the Spartans did what the Spartans do – rally in the fourth quarter. In the end, they came up just a tad short as the host Celtics won 59-58.

“We knew they were going to make a run at us and they did,” Bishop Mac coach Marty Kendall said.

“We were able to weather the storm and pull it out.”

“They made a good run,” Bishop Mac guard Jesse Kendall said.

The Spartans led 10-9 at the end of the first quarter before Bishop Mac turned it on in the second quarter to lead 34-19 at the half. The Celtics carried a 50-36 lead into the fourth quarter, but Centennial whittled the gap down to a single point with four minutes to go, but the hosts held on.

“They beat us in overtime last time, and we’re always going to play close,” coach Kendall said.

“We’ve got our games cut out for us when we’re against them.”

“Rebounding, for sure—we’ve got to get on the boards,” Jesse Kendall answered when asked what the Celtics had to do to keep the Spartans from going on a late rally should the teams meet in the playoffs. “That’s kind of our weakness. We’ve got to box out more.”

Jesse Kendall led Bishop Mac with 25 points while Mitchell Wood had 19.

Tarang Sharma had 20 points for Centennial while Erik Sterne netted 16.

The teams are tied for top spot in the seven-team league, but Bishop Mac has a game in hand. The Celtics lead at 8-1 and are followed by the Spartans at 8-2, Ross Royals 6-3, St. James Lions 6-4, Lourdes Crusaders 2-6, Orangeville Bears 2-7 and Centre Wellington Falcons 0-9.

“We’re learning and we’re getting better as we go,” coach Kendall said. “We’re learning to play together as a team and that’s tough. We’ve got a lot of good, individual talent and it’s bringing them together to play as a team that’s a challenge. We’re getting better with every game – we’re learning and we’re adapting as we go.”

“We always had high expectations for our team,” Jesse Kendall said. “We like to push ourselves. We want to further our goals and be the best team that we can be.”

Ross 57 St. James 37
Mike Friesen led Ross with 28 points while Kristian VandeKemp followed with 20. Ryan Morales had 13 for St. James while Joey Hasson, Liam McCormack and Zack McClenaghan each netted five.

St. James 61 Centre Wellington 38
Joey Hasson struck for 18 points for St. James while Zack McClenaghan had 16. Ian Newman had nine and James Scott eight for Centre Wellington.

D10 Jr. Boys Basketball

St. James 62 Ross 36
Nick Marquis netted 17 points for St. James while Iziah Perrel added seven. Curtis Gordon led Ross with nine while Eton Merrit had five.

Centennial 65 Bishop Macdonell 56
Harmon Goyal connected for 18 points for Centennial while Mark Shinouda had 16 and Jack Zhu 12. Lucas Wood had a game-high 23 for Bishop Mac while Evan Hosker and Jake Chaput each had 14.

St. James 54 Centre Wellington 37
Keegan Feeney collected a game-high 15 points for St. James while Alex Mckegan added nine. Nick McKeller had 11 for Centre Wellington while Justice Abbot gathered seven.

D4 Sr. Boys Basketball

Norwell 32 Wellington Heights 23
Tyler Pronk netted nine for Norwell while Drew Cowan had seven. Luke Hogg and Avery Bilton each had six for Wellington Heights.

Centre Dufferin 74 Emmanuel Christian 26
Doug Costanzo’s 16 points led Centre Dufferin while Dan Craig added 13. Casey Vanleeuwen had 17 for Emmanuel Christian.

D4 Jr. Boys Basketball

Norwell 51 Wellington Heights 38
Travis Souhnan led Norwell with 17 points while Tory Langille followed with 15. Josh Feletto had nine for Wellington Heights while Kevin Hutchinson chipped in with seven.

Centre Dufferin 50 Emmanuel Christian 16
Blair St. Amour had nine points for Centre Dufferin while Brendan Lyver and Brandon Richardson each had seven. Marty Westrik had five for Emmanuel Christian.

Retrieved From:  http://www.guelphmercury.com/sports/highschool/article/870263--bishop-mac-celtics-hold-off-centennial-rally

D8: Wednesday Picks

Junior YTD:  10-2 (.833)
Senior YTD:  24-2 (.923)

If you're looking for the opportunity to check out some good junior boys basketball action, you certainly have the opportunity in Cambridge today.

Resurrection will play at St. Benedict (3:30pm start today) and St. David is at Monsignor Doyle in a 5:00pm tip-off. With approximately 10-15 minutes driving distance between the schools, it's certainly possible to check out both games in their entirety.

Junior

Woodland (1-7) at Rockway (0-9) - 5:30pm
My Pick: WCHS by 3
Assuming both of these teams can regain their focus after close losses to highly favoured teams the other day, we should have a great game at RMC today. Slight edge to Woodland who have the best player on the floor in this game in my opinion (Shane Clarke).

Resurrection (5-3) at St. Benedict (8-1) - 3:30pm
My Pick: SBCSS by 8
The Saints, who won the first match-up by 6 points on the road, are a much better team at home. I think they'll get the win here today, although the Phoenix are certainly capable of keeping it interesting.

St. David (5-4) at Monsignor Doyle (4-5) - 5:00pm
My Pick: SDCSS by 6
The Mustangs NEED this win in the worst way if they are to keep their playoff hopes alive. Otherwise, they'll need to beat both Resurrection and St. Benedict just to have a shot at a tiebreaker. Despite the desperation, I'll go with the Celtics who won the earlier game in a double OT thriller.

Senior

Resurrection (6-2) at St. Benedict (6-2) - 5:00pm
My Pick: RCSS by 7
Rez has been playing well as of late, and kept things interesting against Centre Dufferin in a tournament game on the weekend. I'll take them here on the road today.

St. David (4-5) at Mons. Doyle (3-6) - 3:30pm
My Pick: SDCSS by 12
The Celtics can virtually lock-up a playoff berth with a win today against Doyle.

Woodland (0-9) at Rockway (2-7) - 4:00pm
My Pick: RMC by 15
Fresh off of an upset of Monsingor Doyle, look for the Flames to make it "two straight" today.

Junior: Exhibition Game Request

Coaches:  Guelph CYO Midget (U15 Rep) basketball team is interested in playing competitive junior boys basketball teams in exhibition games.

They can get gym time late Sunday (afternoon / early evening) and Mondays (8pm - 9:30pm) and are also willing to travel to your gym.  Their preference of those days is to play on Sundays, if possible.

For more information, contact Andrew Chaput via e-mail at achaput @ wellingtoncdsb.ca.

D8 Monday: Tournament Hangover Plagues Junior Squads

It was an interesting Monday in the D8 junior league.

Three teams that had successful tournament runs at local events this weekend --- the St. David Celtics, Resurrection Phoenix and Monsignor Doyle Mustangs --- all struggled mightily in their return to D8 league play yesterday.

St. David dropped a 50-30 decision to St. Mary's, a surprising result given St. David's offensive firepower and the fact that these teams had played a 2-point game earlier in the year.  However, the shots weren't dropping on Monday as no Celtic failed to register more than Alec Scheffler's 7 points.  Adham Eleeda led the way for the Eagles with a 21 point effort.

Monsignor Doyle got all they could handle from winless Rockway before prevailing 40-35.  Sohrob Sultani had 13 and Jordan Deveney-Reid 11 for MDCSS; Liam Robinson had 12 and Connor Huxman 9 for the Flames.

It was nearly a shocker in Breslau as Woodland Christian actually led Resurrection at halftime (24-20) and were tied 36-36 after three quarters before the Phoenix came through in the fourth --- barely --- for a 52-45 win.

Nick Snider netted 11 and Jake Rush 10 for Rez; Shane Clarke poured in a game-high 26 for WCHS with Tristan VanderHoef adding 10.

Junior D8 Standings
1.  St. Mary's 8-1
2.  St. Benedict 7-1
3.  Resurrection 5-3
4.  St. David 5-4
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5.  Mons. Doyle 4-5
6.  Woodland 1-7
7.  Rockway 0-9

Senior
No surprises in the senior circuit on Monday.

Resurrection took care of business on the road, blasting winless Woodland 75-25.  Patric McGlynn and Tyler Bartley each had 14 for Rez, while Ryan Dickieson netted 9 for the Cavs.

St. Mary's remained perfect with a 58-33 decision over St. David; Telloy Simon (12) and Tyler Hergott (9) led the way for the Eagles with Francis Samson (12) and Jake Winter (11) being the top St. David performers.

It was a competitive affair in Kitchener but Monsignor Doyle got a needed win over Rockway in a 47-42 contest.  Uzair Khan led the 'Stangs with 11; Simon Pudwell had a game-high 13 for Rockway with Michael Born adding 12.

Senior D8 Standings
1.  St. Mary's 9-0
T2.  Resurrection 6-2
T2.  St. Benedict 6-2
T4.  St. David 4-5
T4.  Mons. Doyle 4-5
6.  Rockway 1-8
7.  Woodland 0-8