Guelph Tribune: Great Eight For Senior Celtics

Team still ticks with just 8 players, 3 of them in Grade 10

Article By:  Ned Bekavac

Just because their bench is barren, doesn’t necessarily mean their trophy case will be.

The Bishop Macdonell Celtics senior boys basketball team, District 10 champions and OFSAA AA bronze medalists last season, might appear to be a shadow of their former selves these days.

But their play, and their record, tell a different story.

The Celtics have just eight players on this year’s roster. And almost half of them aren’t even seniors – the team includes three Grade 10 ballers.

Yet here they are, in a three-way tie for first with the Ross Royals and the Lourdes Crusaders. All three have 6-1 records after games Tuesday, a day that saw the Celtics bounce back from their lone defeat of the season and beat the previously undefeated Royals 70-64.

“We have a new, young team. I was interested to see how they bounce back (from their first loss). I had an inkling, but they really proved their heart,” said coach Trevor Smith, after the win.

While things are now going tickety-boo, the picture wasn’t so pretty prior to the season.

“There was a time there, early on, where we didn’t even know if we were going to have a senior team,” says Smith.

Contributing to the shortage of basketball bodies is the moving of two Celtics studs to other teams.
Mitchell Wood currently plays for the ACTS Athlete Institute in Orangeville and attends Orangeville high school, and Michael Ganson plays for St. John’s-Kilmarnock in Breslau.

“(They’re) great players that decided they wanted to go to college in the States, or university,” said Smith. “So they went to teams where they could get more exposure.”

Celtics’ star Jesse Kendall, who hit for 19 points in Tuesday’s win, said the look of things ahead of the season wasn’t all that fun, but they sure have come around.

“It was a little frustrating at first,” said Kendall, a Grade 12-plus student who is looking to play CIS ball next year. “But I knew all the guys had heart. We’re all pretty close.”

At initial tryouts, a junior crew showed up and, with them included, there were only about 11 potential players there, says Smith. Some have stepped away, leaving a team of eight.

Smith gives all the kudos to the players.

“These guys have the passion. They come together and they made it happen,” he said.

“We’re a hard working group, and we work well together for sure,” said Kendall.

Smith said having a thin roster can be a good thing, as it’s easier to get everybody some playing time.

That said, eight isn’t great for practice.

“It’s hard for practice. We’re trying to work an offence, and myself, slow as molasses, and coach (Andy) Chaput are out there (playing). We try to fit in . . .” Smith says.

He’s asked if junior Celtics coach Dennis Morris was cool with three of his stars moving up to the senior ranks. He jokes that he had to smooth things over with Morris.

“There were some beverages bought,” Smith laughs.

He then relays a story about Jake Chaput, who is one of the three Grade 10 players on the senior team, along with Evan Hosker and Chris Poloniato.

Jake was upset after one of their games, feeling he didn’t play well.

Smith says: “Basically the speech is: ‘You had a tough game against guys who are three years older than you. But if you want to play junior, you can, and drop 40 (points) a night. But how are you getting better?’”

The three Grade 10s are looking to play ball beyond high school, so this season will be massive for them.

“To hold them back, sure the (junior) team would be successful, but in the long run, these guys have aspirations to play OUA and stuff. And this year is going to be huge for them and their development. (Morris) was all for it.”

Kendall says that despite the age range, the team jells well.

“It’s five years (for me). Some of these guys are just in their second year. But it’s a great dynamic.”

Celtics roster:
• Jesse Kendall (Grade 12+)
• Owen Brombal (12+)
• Eric Forster (12+)
• Adam MacEachern (12)
• Lukas Wood (11)
• Jake Chaput (10)
• Evan Hosker (10)
• Chris Poloniato (10)

Retrieved From:  http://www.guelphtribune.ca/sports/great-eight-for-senior-celtics/

CWOSSA Mid-Point "All Star Team" - Junior

Yes, it's early, but I thought I'd put together a list of a few players that have certainly been impressing to this point in the season. 

The players below have had a significant impact on their respective team's performance in league and tournament play --- so it's not a surprise that many of the selections are from "highly ranked" CWOSSA teams.

Senior list to follow.

(Teams listed in alphabetical order)

First Team - Junior

Adham Eleeda, G/F, St. Mary's
He was good last year in grade nine, and he's only improved from there.  Matchup nightmare for teams as he has size, but is equally adept from outside the arc as he is inside.  "A guard in a forward's body", who knows how to use his size to his advantage.

Aaron Grubb, PG, Waterloo CI
Confident point guard who does a tremendous job of running WCI's offense.  He's equally adept as a scorer and a distributor, and has a very nice "mid range" game for a junior-aged player -- which you don't often see.

Muyang Iluya, G/F, Resurrection
He's been a quality performer for Rez to this point, including an MVP honour at the Eastwood tournament last weekend, where he averaged 21.0 PPG.  Long-strider with the ability to get to the rim with one dribble from the three-point line; great finisher in traffic and does a job for the undersized Phoenix on the backboards as well.

Barnaba Neil, F, St. Mary's
After being a raw offensive threat a year ago, Neil has significantly improved that area of his game.  He was always a huge rebounder and shot blocker, but his offensive growth has been exponential --- to the point of him taking his game on the perimeter at times.  He's been SMHS' leading scorer in their two key league games vs. SBCSS & RCSS. 

Zubair Seyed, G, St. Benedict
The quick-as-lightning PG can do it at both ends of the floor.  Offensively, he's as comfortable at hitting the "3" as he is driving to the glass.  Defensively, he can be a pest with some very active hands.  Overall, extremely sound player and a fun one to watch.

Second Team - Junior

Alex Douglas, F, St. Benedict
I compare him to a "men's league player", which is not disrespecting him by any means.  He's beyond his years in terms of his knowledge of the game and has well developed fundamentals that you don't often see at the junior level.  Slightly undersized, but makes up for that with smarts & provides a much-needed interior presence for the Saints.

Alex Durigon, G/F, St. James
Has been tremendous in league play to this point for the Lions, including averaging over 22 PPG in his last 5 league contests (including 25, 30, and 22 point efforts).  It's a wide open D10 league this year, with all teams having at least 2 losses entering the break, and his performance in the second half could be a key to help the Lions break through.

Devon Gallivan, G, SJAM
Have to give him the nod based upon his "Mr. Clutch" status of performing in big games.  Hit for 20+ against Resurrection, and came through this past week against WCI with two free-throws as time expired for the win. 

Justin Hardy, G/F, SJAM
After seeing significant minutes last year (albeit in a limited season for the 'Landers), he's accepted his new role as a leader for the team.  Good all-around player who is especially noted for his shooting ability and active hands on defense; isn't afraid to take a charge either.

Adam Piazza, F, WCI
A 6'5"ish wing forward with a long wingspan will certainly create some issues at the junior level.  A constant "double-double" (points + rebounds) threat in every game.    

Ali Rashid, G, Resurrection
Fearless PG who is arguably one of the quickest in CWOSSA with the ball in his hands in transition.  Good distributor but an improved shooter & scorer for the Phoenix as evidenced by a couple of 20+ efforts, most recently this past week against St. Mary's.

CWOSSA Weekly Power Ranking: Junior

Not a lot of change at the top of this week's ranking, as most games among the top teams went according to form (RCSS over WCI; SJAM over WCI; SMHS over RCSS) --- although all of them were competitive contests.

Here's this week's ranking, with last week's in brackets as usual:

1.  St. Mary's HS / Kitchener (1)

2.  Resurrection CSS / Kitchener (2)

3.  St. Benedict CSS / Cambridge (3)

4.  Sir John A. MacDonald HS / Waterloo (4)

5.  Waterloo CI / Waterloo (5)

6.  Cameron Heights CI / Kitchener (6)

7.  John F. Ross CVI / Guelph (NR)

8.  St. James CHS / Guelph (7)

9.  Grand River CI / Kitchener (8)

T10.  Bluevale CI / Waterloo (10)

T10.  Bishop Macdonell CHS / Guelph (NR)

T10.  North Park CVS / Brantford (9)

CWOSSA Weekly Power Ranking: Senior

Some shifting this week in the CWOSSA "Top 10" rankings, thanks in part to a heavy tournament schedule as well as the usual league games --- many of which featured ranked teams.

Of course, there's no change at the top with the St. Mary's Eagles and Cameron Heights Golden Gaels continuing to lead the way.

This week's ranking (last week's in brackets):

1.  St. Mary's HS / Kitchener (1)

2.  Cameron Heights CI / Kitchener (2)

3.  Grand River CI / Kitchener (4)

4.  Bishop Macdonell HS / Guelph (T7)

5.  John F. Ross CVI / Guelph (3)

6.  Our Lady of Lourdes HS / Guelph (5)

7.  Sir John A. Macdonald HS / Waterloo (T7)

8.  St. James CHS / Guelph (T10)

9.  Resurrection CSS / Kitchener (6)

10.  St. John's College / Brantford (T7)

D10: Senior Royals Rebound From Defeat, Edge Lions

The JF Ross Royals snuck past a pesky St. James Lions team on Thursday, edging them 42-40 on the strength of a double-digit performance by Ryan Stulp (10).  Zach McClenaghan had a game-high 11 for the Lions.

With the win, the Royals will enter the Christmas Break with a 7-1 record, and sole possession of first place in the D10 standings.  However, the two teams right behind them (Lourdes & Bishop Mac) are 6-1 with a game in hand.

The other game on Thursday was a bit of a surprise --- at least as far as the final margin is concerned --- as Centre Wellington easily handled Centennial by a 63-34 final.  Ty Uhrig had 14 and James Scott 13 for the Falcons, while Chris Jin and Harnoor Samra had 10 each for the Spartans.

In junior games on Thursday, CWDHS edged Centennial 57-56 on the strength of an overtime buzzer-beating three-pointer by Nate Scott, who led Centre Wellington with 13.  Harman Goyal had a game-high 27 points for Centennial.

The improving JF Ross junior squad defeated St. James 52-41, avenging a loss to the Lions earlier in the year.  The 11-point margin also gives the Royals the tiebreak edge; currently both teams are tied atop the standings with 6-2 records.

Curtis Gordon had 12 for a balanced Royal attack on Thursday; Keegan Feeney (20) and Alex Durigon (15) were the leading scorers for St. James.

D10 Senior Standings
1.  JF Ross 7-1
T2.  Bishop Mac 6-1
T2.  Lourdes 6-1
4.  St. James 4-4
5.  CWDHS 3-5
6.  Centennial 3-6
7.  Orangeville 1-6
8.  GCVI 1-7

D10 Junior Standings
T1.  JF Ross 6-2
T1.  St. James 6-2
3.  Centennial 5-3
T4.  Bishop Mac 4-4
T4.  Orangeville 4-4
6.  CWDHS 3-5
7.  Lourdes 2-5
8.  GCVI 1-6

WCSSAA Wednesday & Mid-Season Standings

The Jacob Hespeler/Grand River doubleheader, rescheduled from the day's opening season, took place yesterday with the Rens sweeping both ends of the junior-senior tilt.

On the senior side, David Bajic and Chuder Teny had 17 points each in a 67-51 Grand River win.  Navone Peart netted 12 to pace the Hawks.

The junior game was a 53-31 final for the Renegades; they were led by Jake Zuzan and Nathan Rowe with 9 points each.  Eric Purdy had 9 for the Hawks.

WCSSAA - Senior Standings
1. Cameron Heights 6-0
T2. Eastwood 5-1
T2. SJAM 5-1
T2. Grand River 5-1
T5. Glenview Park 4-2
T5. Galt 4-2
T5. KCI 4-2
T8. Huron Heights 3-3
T8. WCI 3-3
T10. Bluevale 2-4
T10. Preston 2-4
T10. Southwood 2-4
13. Forest Heights 1-5
14. Jacob Hespeler 0-6

WCSSAA - Junior Standings
1. SJAM 6-0
T2. WCI 5-1
T2. KCI 5-1
T2. Grand River 5-1
T5. Bluevale 4-2
T5. Cameron Hts. 4-2
T7. Jacob Hespeler 3-3
T7. Preston 3-3
T7. Huron Heights 3-3
T10. Eastwood 2-4
T10. Glenview Park 2-4
T10. Southwood 2-4
T10. Galt 2-4
T14. Forest Hts. 1-5
T14. Elmira 1-5
16. WODSS 0-6

Norfolk News: High School Athletes -- It's Great To Be Back

Article By:  Darryl Smart

As Jordan Peever and Corey MacLean went head-to-head in Tuesday’s Norfolk Secondary School Athletic Association senior boys basketball game between the Waterford Wolves and Simcoe Sabres, they knew it was more than just a regular season game.
                          

It may be a preview of this year’s final. It could have very well been a rematch of last year’s final. That is, if there was a NSSAA final.

                          

“It’s awesome to be playing high school basketball again,” Peever said after scoring 13 points to lead the Sabres to a 37-35 win on home court. “I missed it tremendously. It’s just great to be back on the court with my team.

                          

“Last year I believe we had a really good team,” he said. “It’s sad we didn’t get to finish the season. But I’d like to think we were aiming to be a tough competitor in CWOSSA (Central Western Ontario Secondary School Assocaiaiton).

                          

MacLean, who led the Wolves with 15 points Tuesday, said his team also had high expectations before the cancellation of the season because of a dispute between the public school teacher’s union and government.

                          

“We had a solid team last year, “ MacLean said. “We went in a pre-season tourney in Dunnville and won that, and then had one regular season game. We were hoping for a trip to CWOSSA and maybe even OFSAA (Ontario Federation of Schools Athletic Association).

                           

“Everyone was so rattled,” he said. We knew we had a good shot last year with a solid team and we never got the change to succeed that year."

                          

But it’s a new year, with new hopes, and both teams are eying similar goals.

                          

“It’s awesome to get back on the court, “ MacLean said. “It’s something I look forward to every school year and it was a shame it was locked out last year. We are hoping for the same thing, like every other team, have a shot at the NSSAA title, make a trip to CWOSSA and hopefully even OFSAA.

                          

“We have quite a few kids that stayed back a year that was on our team last year and now this year,” he said. “I know there into the sports so for sure they are looking for an another shot.”

And like the Wolves, the Sabres are very hungry this season.

                          

“When the stoppage came it was the worst,” Peever said. “I know there is a lot of sports in high school but for some of us basketball is our sport we love and to have the taken was really disappointing. The team we have this year is still working out some kinks but were hoping to improve our game and get to the point where we just flow in every aspect of the game and hopefully take home the NSSAA title.”

 

Retrieved From: http://www.norfolknews.ca/sports-story/4279110-high-school-athletes-it-s-great-to-be-back/ 

D10 Wednesday: Gaels Upset Spartans For First Win

The GCVI Gaels picked up their first win of the D10 senior season last night, nipping the Centennial Spartans by a 56-55 final at home.

The Spartans had won the earlier matchup by a 57-44 score, but the Gaels received strong play yesterday by Tyler Beaton (20), Spencer Swan (14) and David Wesley-James (10) in the win.

Harnoor Samra (17) and Mark Shinouda (13) led the way for Centennial.

I also heard that the Orangeville seniors forfeited their game against Bishop Mac on Thursday, but that's still unconfirmed at the time of this post.

There was one junior game on Tuesday as well, with Bishop Mac scoring a 50-46 win over Orangeville thanks to a 22 point effort from Jack Morris.

Today's Picks  (YTD 19-3)

Centennial over CWDHS (by 9)

JF Ross over St. James (by 4)

D8 Junior: Eagles Maintain Hold On Top Spots in D8, CWOSSA

The St. Mary's Eagles are making a habit of coming through in the second half of D8 league games.

Just like their game against St. Benedict last week, the Eagles held a slim one point advantage over Resurrection yesterday evening but were able to use their interior size for offensive rebounds and putbacks in the second half en route to a 60-48 win on the road in a battle of top-rated CWOSSA teams last night.

Barnaba Neil had 17 while fellow forward Jason Jaros netted 14.  Devonte Douse had 8 more for the Eagles; Rez was led by Ali Rashid (game-high 20 points), Prince Dang (10) and Muyang Iluya (8).

The other game on Wednesday was between two other "top 4" teams in the D8 junior circuit.

Justin Malernich scored 20 and Alex Douglas added 8 as the St. Benedict Saints scored a 58-44 win over St. David.

Brent Lasovich (14) and Mason Cummings (12) were the top scorers for the Celtics.

St. Mary's, Resurrection, St. Benedict and St. David will form the "A" circuit of the tiered D8 league after the holidays, while Monsingor Doyle, Rockway, and Woodland will round out the "B" loop.

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

The Record: Eagles Hand Phoenix First Loss

Article By:  Mark Bryson

KITCHENER — Round 1 goes to the St. Mary's Eagles.
                          

Nathan Riley scored a game-high 18 points as the two-time defending champions scored a 67-51 win over the Resurrection Phoenix in a District 8 senior boys basketball showdown on Wednesday afternoon. Jermaine Lyle added 14 and Tesloth Simon had 13 as the visiting Eagles dominated the final half of a game that was tied 30-30 at the intermission. St. Mary's improved to 6-0 with the victory and Rez dropped to 5-1.

                          

"We had a nice long talk with coach (Jason Hergott) at halftime and he told us that we had to start playing like a family, that we were playing as individuals and we had to come together and play our game and play like a team," said Eagles guard Jermaine Lyle.

                          

"So we did that. We started talking on defence and playing together, and when we do that, we can dominate like we did in the second half."

                          

The Eagles jumped out to a 9-0 first-quarter lead before Rez guard Adam Schneider hit a three-point shot almost four minutes in to put the home side on the board.

                           

The Phoenix would go on to build a 28-17 lead in the second quarter but the Eagles responded with a 13-2 run to close out the half.

                          

The second half was all St. Mary's as the visitors outscored the Phoenix 19-7 in the third quarter and never looked back.

                          

"The momentum really shifted. They'd a get a rebound and get up the court and we couldn't get back, we didn't have the legs. They ran it down our throats," said Phoenix forward Patric McGlynn.

                          

"We played very well in the first half, perhaps our best basketball of the season, so that's something to build on."

                          

The Kitchener rivals will meet once again when the regular season resumes in January and quite possibly a third time in the D8 final on Feb. 14.

                          

"I expect to see them in the final and I expect it will be a good game," said Lyle.

                          

The District 8 league will use a tiering system for the second half of the schedule, with the top four teams making up the 'A' division and the bottom three forming the 'B' division. Each team will play one more game against their divisional opponent before the playoffs.

                          

Monsignor Doyle (4-2) will join St. Mary's and Rez in the top tier along with St. Benedict (3-3), which defeated St. David (2-4) by a 73-55 margin on Wednesday to nail down the final spot.

                          

Jamal Hajo and Omar Camanto led the Saints with 21 and 17 points respectively, while Alec Scheffler led the Celtics with 14 and Cole Brenner added 10.

                          

The Celtics are relegated to the lower tier with Rockway (1-5) and Woodland (0-6).

 

Retrieved From:  http://www.therecord.com/sports-story/4279035-eagles-hand-phoenix-first-loss/

D8: Tuesday Result & Wednesday Picks

YTD Record:  18-0 (1.000)

One game to report from yesterday before getting into the picks column, and it involved both "A" teams in the D8 league, Woodland and Rockway.

The Flames pulled the senior-junior sweep, taking the senior contest 58-34 and edging Woodland in the junior contest, 33-32.

For the seniors, Connor Huxman led RMC with 19, while Tristen Vanderhoof had 15 for WCHS.

On the junior side, Rockway's Isaac Regier and Woodland's Isaac Klooster had 9 each for their respective clubs.

Wednesday's Games & Picks
Of note, today is the final day of the D8's "first loop" of the schedule.

New this year is a "tiering system" that will take place after all teams have played each other once.  The top 4 teams will form the "A" division, and the bottom 3 teams the "B" loop.  Each team will then play those within their division one more time.

Here's how it currently looks.  Junior divisions are already confirmed, while Senior divisions depend on the SBCSS/SDCSS result today:

Junior
"A" - St. Mary's (5-0), Resurrection (5-0), St. Benedict (3-2), St. David (3-2)

"B" - Rockway (2-4), Mons. Doyle (1-5), Woodland (0-6)

Senior
"A" - St. Mary's (5-0), Resurrection (5-0), Mons. Doyle (4-2), SBCSS/SDCSS (2-3)

"B" - SBCSS/SDCSS (2-3), Rockway (1-5), Woodland (0-6)

Both of today's senior contests are 3:30pm starts.  Of note, in case you have an old schedule, the St. Mary's - Resurrection game has been moved to Rez today due to assembly setup required at the SMHS gym.  They've shifted volleyball games there since those generally wrap up before basketball games do.

Anyways....

St. Mary's (5-0) at Resurrection (5-0)
My Pick:  SMHS by 16
Wouldn't be surprised to see the Phoenix hang with the #1 CWOSSA-ranked Eagles (see last year's D8 final as an example), but I would be surprised to see SMHS lose this one.  Don't think that will happen as I project SMHS by double-digits.

St. David (2-3) at St. Benedict (2-3)
My Pick:  SDCSS by 8
Big game here with the winner staying in the "A" loop and the loser joining the "B" circuit.  The Celtics struggled on Monday so I hope they've found their scoring touch as I'll pick them to win here.

WCSSAA Senior Tuesday: Surprises Abound With Cambridge Teams

Living in Cambridge, you'd think that I might have a good grasp on that city's teams as far as my picks column was concerned.

Apparently not, as two intra-Cambridge battles and one other game involving a Cambridge team (Galt/KCI) went the opposite way of my expectations.

For those scoring at home, that means I didn't get a game correct that involved any of the city's 5 public high schools.

Thankfully, the other 4 did go as anticipated, salvaging a 4-3 record on the day for a 29-8 mark heading into the break.  Let's take a look at how it went down:

Grand River 81, Bluevale 51
My Pick:  GRCI by 21
Very balanced attack for GRCI on Tuesday with the Rens scoring 80+ but their leading scorer, Murtada Khamis, having just 12.  Chuder Teny added 11 for GRCI, while Garrett Large had a game-high 13 and Cody Hamley 9 for the Knights.

Cameron Hts. 62, Forest Hts. 40
My Pick:  CHCI by 36
Sasha Simic had 16 points and Yonatan Ahferom 5 for the Gaels as they cruised past the Trojans on Tuesday.  Ryan Hagey led the way for Forest Heights with 7.

SJAM 65, WCI 42
My Pick:  SJAM by 13
The 'Landers established themselves as the senior team to beat in Waterloo with a solid win over WCI.  Rookies Nedim Hodzic (23) and Simon Petrov (15) paced the way, while Shafi Mutware led the Vikes with 17.

Eastwood 59, Huron Hts. 52
My Pick:  ECI by 5
Ousmane Kromah had 13 and Izzy Nemeth 11 in a big win on the road for ECI.  Darcy Jacobs led the way for the Huskies with 23, while Arshid Babury had 11.

Southwood 47, Jacob Hespeler 46
My Pick:  JHSS by 15
Swing and a miss on this pick, as the Sabres came through for their second win of the season, leaving the Hawks still searching for win #1.  Riley Clipper had 16 to pace Southwood, while Brandon Roth had 12 for JHSS.

Galt 69, KCI 57
My Pick:  KCI by 3
Gave the edge to the Raiders in the beige ballroom but it was Galt's TJ Lall pouring in 41 points in the victory for the Ghosts.  Scott Holton added 14 more, while Stefan Simic had 17 and Rade Soknic 10 for the Raiders.

Preston 48, Glenview Park 44
My Pick:  GPSS by 12
Well, I did "technically" pick the Panthers, right?  Despite Sean Davidson's 23-point effort, GPSS came up on the short end of this one.  Lucas Moffitt had 17 and Tanner Derjugin 12 for Preston.

WCSSAA Senior Standings
1.  Cameron Heights 6-0
T2.  Eastwood 5-1
T2.  SJAM 5-1
4.  Grand River 4-1
T5.  Glenview Park 4-2
T5.  Galt 4-2
T5.  KCI 4-2
T8.  Huron Heights 3-3
T8.  WCI 3-3
T10.  Bluevale 2-4
T10.  Preston 2-4
T10.  Southwood 2-4
13.  Forest Heights 1-5
14.  Jacob Hespeler 0-5

WCSSAA Junior Tuesday: Games Between Ranked Teams Live Up To Billing

The two games between CWOSSA-ranked teams certainly lived up to their billing on Tuesday night, with both the WCI/SJAM and GRCI/BCI games coming right down to the wire.

At Bluevale, the Renegades held a 2-point lead with just over 1:00 to play before being solid from the FT line down the stretch en route to a 60-50 win.

Aleks Cvrkalj had 20 points to lead the way for Grand River, with Abdei Hamad adding 8.  Will Scheffler (10) and Greg Smith (7) were the top BCI scorers.

At SJAM, Devon Gallivan made 2 FTs at the end of regulation to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat for the #4-ranked Highlanders in a 58-57 win over #5 WCI. 

Karan Heer (12), Justin Hardy (11) and Amarbir Bansal (11) were all in double-figures for SJAM, while Aaron Grubb had a game-high 17 for WCI with Adam Piazza adding 16.

In other WCSSAA junior action on Tuesday:

KCI 41, WODSS 31
David Okot had 15 and Abdul Adan 10 for the Raiders on Tuesday as they overcame a 22-point outburst by WO's Jason Holmes.

Preston 44, Glenview Park 41
Mitchell Devonish scored 17 for the (Preston) Panthers as they moved to .500 with a win at home.  Huzaifa Hassan (14) and Peter Hastings-Clarke (10) were both in double-figures for the.....other Panthers.

Galt 61, Elmira 44
Back-to-back wins for the Ghosts thanks to a 16-point effort from Hayden Merkir and 8 by Dawood Khan.  Justin Lebold had 16 and Alex Vujosevic 12 for the Lancers.

Huron Heights 60, Eastwood 55
The Huskies stormed back from a big deficit in this one with Kuel Thomas leading the way for Huron with 26 points.  David Dragan added 15 more for the Huskies, while Hanani Ujullu paced Eastwood with 14.

Jacob Hespeler 36, Southwood 30
Steven Lim netted 13 and Oliver Sharma 7 for Hespeler as they move to 3-2 on the campaign.  Connor Hall had 8 to lead the Sabres.

Cameron Heights 53, Forest Heights 19
No trouble for the Gaels in this one with Raghu Podipireddy pacing the Gaels with a 13-point effort.  Nikola Ivic had 6 to lead the way for FHCI.

WCSSAA Junior Standings
1.  SJAM 6-0
T2.  WCI 5-1
T2.  KCI 5-1
4.  Grand River 4-1
T5.  Bluevale 4-2
T5.  Cameron Hts. 4-2
7.  Jacob Hespeler 3-2
T8.  Preston 3-3
T8.  Huron Heights 3-3
T10.  Eastwood 2-4
T10.  Glenview Park 2-4
T10.  Southwood 2-4
T10.  Galt 2-4
T14.  Forest Hts. 1-5
T14.  Elmira 1-5
16.  WODSS 0-6

D10 Tuesday: Senior Celtics Hand Royals First Loss of Season

The Bishop Macdonell Celtics gave the JF Ross Royals their first loss of the D10 senior season last night, knocking off the Royals in a 70-64 thriller at home yesterday afternoon.

Jesse Kendall had 19 points for BMAC, pacing 4 Celtics in double-figures --- Owen Brombal (13), Lukas Wood (10) and Chris Poloniato (10) were the others.

Kristian Vande Kemp had a game-high 27 points for JF Ross, with Ryan Stulp adding 12.

The win by Bishop Mac actually makes for an interesting three-way tie at the top of the league standings, with the Celtics, Royals, and Lourdes Crusaders all tied with a 6-1 mark.

Teams will play one more game (either today or Thursday) before the break.

In other games Tuesday:

Lourdes 73, Orangeville 56
My Pick:  OLOL by 18
A couple of 20+ efforts in this one, as Craig Valeriote had 20 for the Crusaders while Deysean Thompson netted a game-high 21 for the Bears.  As noted above, Lourdes' 6-1 record is now good to be tied for 1st place in the standings.

CWDHS 63, Guelph CVI 52
My Pick:  CWDHS by 8
James Scott had a game-high 24 points to help the Falcons pick up their second win of the season.  Ian Newman added 12 more for CW, while David Wesley-James (12) and Tyler Beaton (10) were the leading Gaels on Tuesday.

St. James 57, Centennial 41
My Pick:  STJ by 9
Scoring details weren't made available, but the Lions won this battle of 3-3 teams to move into 4th place in the standings.

D10 Senior Standings
T1.  Bishop Mac 6-1
T1.  JF Ross 6-1
T1.  Lourdes 6-1
4.  St. James 4-3
5.  Centennial 3-4
6.  CWDHS 2-5
7.  Orangeville 1-6
8.  GCVI 0-7

Junior

Orangeville 75, Lourdes 66
The junior Bears might be one of the more intriguing teams to watch --- they're 4-3 but lead the league in both points scored and points allowed.  Shan Lekhi had 19 to lead ODSS on Tuesday, while James Gerstenkorn had a game-high 24 for Lourdes.

JF Ross 65, Bishop Mac 49
Curtis Gordon had 14 points to pace the Royals to victory in this one, while Greg MacEachern had a game-high 15 for the Celtics in the loss.

CWDHS 71, Guelph CVI 49
Nate Scott netted 24 points while Mitch Rose-Jane added 13 for the Falcons in their win over GCVI.  Kyle Kush had 17 for the Gaels, with Mano Mathivanan adding 11.

St. James 71, Centennial 52
Alexander Durigon hit for 30 points for the Lions on Tuesday, a D10 season-high on the year.  Keegan Feeney added 15 more for STJ, while Harman Goyal (17) and Andy Ly (16) paced the Spartans.

D10 Junior Standings
1.  St. James 6-1
T2.  JF Ross 5-2
T2.  Centennial 5-2
4.  Orangeville 4-3
5.  Bishop Mac 3-4
T6.  Lourdes 2-5
T6.  CWDHS 2-5
8.  GCVI 1-6

D10: Tuesday Picks

YTD:  16-2 (.888)

And now, today's D10 action:

Lourdes (5-1) at Orangeville (1-5)
My Pick:  OLOL by 18
The Bears are better than their 1-5 receord might indicate, but I still look for the Lourdes Crusaders to get a road win here today.

JF Ross (6-0) at Bishop Mac (5-1)
My Pick:  JFR by 6
I'll go with the undefeated Royals in what probably is the "game of the day" in all CWOSSA leagues.  Should be a good one in South Guelph.

St. James (3-3) at Centennial (3-3)
My Pick:  STJ by 9
The Lions have been playing well as of late and I like them to pick up the win at CCVI here today.

Guelph CVI (0-6) at CWDHS (1-5)
My Pick:  CWDHS by 8
As good a shot as any for the Gaels to pick up their first league win, but I'll stick with the homecourt advantage and pick the Falcons.

WCSSAA: Tuesday Picks

YTD:  25-5 (.833)

On a nice run as far as the picks are concerned, so let's see if I can keep it going with today's action, all slated for 5pm starts:

Southwood (1-4) at Jacob Hespeler (0-4)
My Pick:  JHSS by 15
The JHSS Hawks have played a competitive schedule to open their season, but they should be able to get their first win of the year here at home.

Forest Heights (1-4) at Cameron Hts. (5-0)
My Pick:  CHCI by 36
Unless they're already mentally on Christmas holidays, the Gaels will maintain their perfect league mark into the midway point of the season.

Glenview Park (4-1) at Preston (1-4)
My Pick:  GPSS by 12
The Panthers might be the surprise team of the year to this point, at least as far as the standings are concerned.  I'll take them to grab another win in this one.

Galt (3-2) at KCI (4-1)
My Pick:  KCI by 3
Big game for both teams here, who should be in the hunt for "AAA" CWOSSA spots at year's end.  I'll roll with the homecourt Raiders in what should be a great game. 

WCI (3-2) at SJAM (4-1)
My Pick:  SJAM by 13
Big rivalry game here, so certainly not a "gimme" by any means, but I do like the SJAM Highlanders in the friendly confines of their home gym.

Eastwood (4-1) at Huron Hts. (3-2)
My Pick:  ECI by 5
An interesting one here, as Huron Heights played very well over the weekend at the WCI/BCI tournament, capturing the consolation title.  I'll go with the Rebels, though, in one that could go either way.

Grand River (3-1) at Bluevale (2-3)
My Pick:  GRCI by 21
The Rens are currently in 6th place in the WCSSAA standings, though they do have a game in hand on the teams in front of them.  Not sure if they'll be able to bypass any today (as I've picked them all to win again), but look for GRCI to hold up their end of the bargain and win here.