CWOSSA "AA": Updates From Friday's Semifinal/Final Round

Junior
Bishop Macdonell 30, Simcoe 20

Glenview Park 43, Centre Dufferin 21

Final (3:30):  Bishop Macdonell vs. Glenview Park

Senior
Bishop Macdonell 49, OSCVI 33

Pauline Johnson 49, Southwood 38

Final (5pm):  Bishop Macdonell vs. Pauline Johnson

CWOSSA "AAAA": Updates

Feel free to follow @CWOSSABball or @ACSBBALL on twitter for updates.

Junior
SJAM 76, Brantford CI 47
SJAM:  Nino Spasik, 35

Eastwood 69, St. Mary's 57
ECI:  Layee Jabateh, 30

3:30pm:  St. Mary's def. Brantford CI

5pm:  Semifinal #1 - SJAM def. Eastwood

Senior
SJAM 55, Assumption 40
SJAM:  Nedim Hodzic - 25pts, 14 reb.

1:30pm - St. Mary's 54, Cameron Hts. 54 - End 3rd Q.

6:30pm - St. Mary's 68, Assumption 61

8pm - SJAM 60, Cameron Hts. 47

CWOSSA AAA: Draw

Games are set to go in Guelph this Saturday, with the field now set for "AAA" CWOSSA.

Pool games go on Saturday, with semifinals and finals on Monday.

Saturday games are at St. James (Pool A Teams) and Lourdes (Pool B Teams).  St. James will then host Monday's events.

Top two teams in each pool will advance to the cross-over semifinals (1st in A vs. 2nd in B).

Pool A - Senior
KCI
St. James
Preston

Pool B - Senior
St. David
Galt
North Park

Pool A - Junior
Bluevale
Guelph CVI
Galt

Pool B - Junior
St. David
KCI
North Park

The detailed schedule can be found on the CWOSSA website.

CWOSSA AAAA: Draw

Note:  All Games Are At Assumption CS in Brantford.

Junior
9am - SJAM vs. Brantford CI
10:30am - St. Mary's vs. Eastwood

3:30pm (Elimination Game):  Game 1 Loser vs. Game 2 Loser

5:00pm (Semifinal #1):  Game 1 Winner vs. Game 2 Winner

Saturday
10:30am - Elimination Game Winner vs. Semifinal #1 Loser (OFSAA Qualifier/Semifinal)

5pm - CWOSSA Final (Winner Noon Game vs. Winner Semifinal #1)

Senior - Friday
Noon - Assumption vs. SJAM
1:30pm - Cameron Hts. vs. St. Mary's

6:30pm (Elimination Game):  Game 1 Loser vs. Game 2 Loser

8:00pm (OFSAA Qualifier/Semifinal #1):  Game 1 Winner vs. Game 2 Winner

Saturday
Noon - Elimination Game Winner vs. Semifinal #1 Loser (OFSAA Qualifier/Semifinal)

7pm - CWOSSA Final (Winner Noon Game vs. Winner Semifinal #1)

"AA" CWOSSA: Today/Tomorrow in Owen Sound

Here are the results from today's action:

Senior
OSCVI 38, Norwell 31
Southwood 34, Simcoe 25

Bishop Mac 67, Saugeen 39
Pauline Johnson 58, Centre Dufferin 52

Second Round - Quarterfinals
OSCVI 45, Simcoe 27
Southwood 54, Norwell 37

Bishop Mac 71, Centre Dufferin 33
Pauline Johnson 68, Saugeen 60

(Winners of Second Round Games Advance to Semifinals Friday)

Junior
Saugeen 58, Wellington Hts. 29
Glenview Park 64, Simcoe 28

Bishop Mac 45, Sacred Heart 28
Centre Dufferin 48, Paris 37

Second Round
Simcoe 53, Saugeen 36
Glenview Park 71, Wellington Hts. 29

Bishop Mac 29, Paris 24
Centre Dufferin 66,, Sacred Heart 45

(Winners of Second Round Games Advance to Semifinals Friday)

WCSSAA Final: Maslenjak's Three-Pointer Caps Fun Night for Highlander Fans

Miki Maslenjak gave the crowd what it was looking for.

With the game decided, and the SJAM supporters chanting "We Want Miki", SJAM's reserve guard came off the bench (faking like he was going back to the bench before "officially" checking in), then promptly injured his ankle.

....but, he fought through it, and then this happened:

When bae comes to see you play pic.twitter.com/lhygl1ZB9U
— NO CHILL FIL (@_filipcabrilo_) February 26, 2015

It was a fun moment for one of the more memorable bench players in the WCSSAA league.  Maslenjak was extremely engaged in the contest (his team's biggest cheerleader), and was worth watching on the sidelines alone for his variety of celebratory hand-shakes, high-fives, towel waving and his reactions to 'Lander plays:

.@MikiiMaslenjak falling over on the bench after the latest Justin Hardy fake-and-score, 'Landers up 55-19, 3rd Q.
— CWOSSA Basketball (@CWOSSABball) February 26, 2015

The crowd reaction to his shot was something that you'd almost see from a game-winner, with fans on the baseline actually coming out onto the court several feet to celebrate.

It was an amazing scene, and fun to be a part of.

Of course, the reaction didn't end there.  Cue up the Twitter feed for some of these gems:

.@MikiiMaslenjak with a rebound, injured ankle, and hobbled down the court to drill a 3 in two minutes of action. #MVP
— CWOSSA Basketball (@CWOSSABball) February 26, 2015

Miki getting more recognition for sinking a 3 than sjam fc did for winning cwossa
— Ollie (@alihasnaiin) February 26, 2015

SJAM reserve Miki Maslenjak banks in the trifecta to send the crowd into a frenzy. They are #WCSSAA champions with a 70-24 win.
— Barry Hayes (@hoopstarscanada) February 26, 2015

What were the Vegas odds of @hoopstarscanada mentioning Miki as many times as Nedim in his #WCSSAAFinals tweets?
— CWOSSA Basketball (@CWOSSABball) February 26, 2015

15 years from now I hope to be able to tell my son the story of @MikiiMaslenjak and his clutch 3 in WCSSAA finals #MVP
— Лука (@LukaBanjanin_) February 26, 2015

Miki or Lebron?
— Juliana (@jubiepaps) February 26, 2015

Serbian Sniper- the heroic tale of Miki Maslenjak assassinating Cameron Height's hopes and dreams from beyond the arc
— Kaltris (@Kaltreese_) February 26, 2015

My goodness @MikiiMaslenjak banking in a three on one foot! Imagine the things he could do on two feet ?! #thereGoesThatMan
— Pavneet Singh (@pavisinghz) February 26, 2015

We're watching Miki's three in class
— Reza (@reza_rouhollahi) February 26, 2015

Tonight we all witnessed what @MikiiMaslenjak is capable of..... someone draft him.🏀 #beast #nbaprospect
— Martin (@Martin_Gjorgiev) February 26, 2015

My boy @MikiiMaslenjak finally got to showcase his skills ahh!! #MVPforreal
— Chuder Teny (@Kid_Teny7) February 26, 2015

Give miki a d1 scholarship
— _ (@pattersonseb) February 26, 2015

WCSSAA Senior Final: SJAM Dominant In Title Romp

As Ron Burgundy would say....."well, that escalated quickly!"

The SJAM Highlanders started the game on a 9-0 run and never looked back, running away with the WCSSAA Senior Title to the tune of 70-24 over Cameron Heights at CHCI on Wednesday evening.

The 'Landers were in "lockdown" defensive mode from the get-go, holding Cameron Heights to just 5 points in the opening quarter, and 15 in the first half, as they opened up a 25-point lead at recess.

Meanwhile, SJAM's top guns were on fire from the floor, with Brett Parrott pouring in 19 points by himself in the opening 16 minutes.  Justin Hardy also scored in double-figures in the first half with 11, while Nedim Hodzic was his usual force on the backboards, with a 6-point 9 rebound first-half.

By the mid third-quarter, this one was clearly out of reach as the 'Landers padded 11 more points to their margin.  Frustrations were clearly mounting for Cameron Heights, as PG Nik Farkic picked up an offensive foul, followed by a technical foul to foul him out of the contest.

With the game decided, Coach Nazim Ramzan started putting in some of his deeper rotation players in the third quarter, though the cold-shooting and turnover bug was a roster-wide problem for Cameron on Wednesday.

In the fourth, both teams went deep to their benches for the final couple of minutes, which led to some entertaining exchanges.  SJAM's Miki Maslenjak, who looked like he tweaked an ankle after checking into the game, provided the most memorable of those when he snagged a rebound, dribbled (read: hobbled) up the court, and knocked home a three-pointer that actually drew some of the baseline contingent onto the court in celebration.

.....arguably one of the more memorable moments in finals history, despite the score.

When things were wrapped up, this one went in the books as a 70-24 SJAM win, the largest margin of victory in WCSSAA Finals history.

Both Justin Hardy (22) and Brett Parrott (21) cracked the 20-point barrier for SJAM, with Nedim Hodzic adding 14 points and 14 rebounds.  Also on the SJAM scoresheet were Simon Petrov (8), Miki Maslenjak (3) and Karan Heer (2).

For Cameron, Yonatan Ahferom had two three-pointers to lead the Gaels with 6, while their scoresheet was rounded out by Nik Farkic (4), Jackie Do (4), Ivan Cucak (4), Sasha Simic (2), Chris Phomsouvanh (2), and Viktor Gjorgiev (2).

Both teams will participate in this weekend's "AAAA" CWOSSA tournament in Brantford.  The 'Landers will take on homecourt team Brantford Assumption at noon on Friday, while Cameron Heights will play St. Mary's in the game that follows.

Boxscore
CHCI    05-10-04-05 = 24
SJAM   19-21-17-13 = 70

CHCI
N. Farkic         2-6 FG, 0-0 FT, 1 Reb, 1 Ast - 4 Pts.
C. Phmsvnh     1-4 FG, 0-2 FT, 2 Reb, 1 Ast - 2 Pts.
S. Simic           1-5 FG, 0-3 FT, 1 Reb, 0 Ast - 2 Pts.
I. Cucak          2-8 FG, 0-2 FT, 7 Reb, 0 Ast - 4 Pts.
J. Do               2-4 FG, 0-0 FT, 1 Reb, 0 Ast - 4 Pts.
----
J. Dekker        0-2 FG, 0-0 FT, 3 Reb, 0 Ast - 0 Pts.
J. Bradford      0-2 FG. 0-0 FT, 0 Reb, 0 Ast - 0 Pts.
V. Gjorgiev      1-2 FG, 0-0 FT, 1 Reb, 0 Ast - 2 Pts.
Y. Ahferom      2-5 FG, 0-0 FT, 1 Reb, 0 Ast - 6 Pts.
M. Hameed     0-0 FG, 0-0 FT, 0 Reb, 0 Ast - 0 Pts.
GT Mander     0-2 FG, 0-0 FT, 0 Reb, 0 Ast - 0 Pts.
R.P'preddy      0-0 FG, 0-0 FT, 0 Reb, 0 Ast - 0 Pts.
V. Djurdjevic   0-0 FG, 0-0 FT, 1 Reb, 0 Ast - 0 Pts.
J. Drew            0-0 FG, 0-0 FT, 0 Reb, 0 Ast - 0 Pts.
L. Peng            0-3 FG, 0-0 FT, 2 Reb, 0 Ast - 0 Pts.

Field Goals:  11-43 (.256).  Free-Throws:  0-7 (.000).  Three-Point Goals, 2-18 (.111):  Y. Ahferom 2-5, N. Farkic 0-1, J. Dekker 0-1, J. Bradford 0-1, V. Gjorgiev 0-1, GT Mander 0-2, S. Simic 0-2, I. Cucak 0-2, L. Peng 0-3.

SJAM
S. Petrov        4-6 FG, 0-0 FT, 2 Reb, 1 Ast - 8 Pts.
D. Gallivan     0-1 FG, 0-0 FT, 2 Reb, 2 Ast - 0 Pts.
J. Hardy         8-10 FG, 5-6 FT, 5 Reb, 1 Ast - 22 Pts.
B. Parrott       7-13 FG, 4-4 FT, 8 Reb, 0 Ast - 21 Pts.
N. Hodzic      5-13 FG, 4-6 FT, 14 Reb, 1 Ast - 14 Pts.
-----
J. Scheele       0-2 FG, 0-0 FT, 1 Reb, 0 Ast - 0 Pts.
P. Kapoor      0-0 FG, 0-0 FT, 1 Reb, 0 Ast - 0 Pts.
B. Vedut        0-2 FG, 0-0 FT, 0 Reb, 1 Ast - 0 Pts.
C. Grant         0-0 FG, 0-0 FT, 1 Reb, 0 Ast - 0 Pts.
I. Amin           0-0 FG, 0-0 FT, 0 Reb, 0 Ast - 0 Pts.
K. Heer          1-1 FG, 0-0 FT, 0 Reb, 0 Ast - 2 Pts.
M. Maslenjak 1-1 FG, 0-0 FT, 1 Reb, 0 Ast - 3 Pts.
A. Bansal        0-2 FG, 0-0 FT, 2 Reb, 0 Ast - 0 Pts.

Field Goals:  26-51 (.510).  Free-Throws:  13-16 (.813). Three-Point Goals, 4-12 (.333):  B. Parrott 3-5, M. Maslenjak 1-1, J. Hardy 1-2, J. Scheele 0-2, B. Vedut 0-2.

WCSSAA Junior Final: 'Landers Clamp Down in Second Half For Title Victory

The SJAM Highlanders used the strength of a 13-0 third quarter start to help them pull away to a 51-36 victory over the Eastwood Rebels in the 2015 WCSSAA Junior Basketball championship at Cameron Heights in Kitchener on Wednesday evening.

The Rebels kept pace in the early-going, and a couple of Prabhjit Sangha three-pointers helped Eastwood go into halftime down by only a single point (28-27).

SJAM, however, quickly turned up the defensive pressure, and was able to execute on offense, with Nino Spasik the beneficiary of some good looks by SJAM's guards on the interior.  SJAM went on their 13-0 run before Eastwood even had a shot connect with the rim in the third-quarter.

Spasik ended up with 11 points in the third-frame en route to a game-high 15.

With the 'Landers slowing things down on offense, the 13-point deficit after three quarters would be too much for Eastwood to overcome.  Only 10 points (combined) were scored in the final eight minutes, with everyone on both benches getting some playing time by the final minutes.

In total, SJAM held Eastwood to just 9 second half points.

For SJAM, Nino Spasik led the way with 15 points, while Brian Zapp had 11.  Dragan Stajic hit for 9 points, while other 'Landers on the scoresheet included Filip Popovic (7), Chris Bullock (4), Maksim Koprivica (3), and Terrance Patrick (2).

Eastwood was led by Mubaarak Adem Ibrahim's 12-point effort, while Prabhjit Sangha was also in double-figures with 10.  Layee Jabateh (7), Tucker Sutton (6) and Greg Huras (1) rounded out the Eastwood scoring.

Both teams advance to this weekend's AAAA CWOSSA tournament in Brantford.  SJAM will take on Brantford CI in their opening game (Friday, 9am), while Eastwood plays St. Mary's immediately following.

Linescore
SJAM  16-12-17-06 = 51
ECI      11-16-05-04 = 36 

ECI (36)
L. Jabateh 3-9 1-4 7, T. Lewis 0-2 0-0 0, M. Aden Ibrahim 4-13 3-6 12, P. Sangha 4-9 0-0 10, A. Mitchell 0-1 0-0 0, T. Sutton 2-4 2-4 6, G. Huras 0-2 1-2 1, M. Sute 0-0 0-0 0, N .Lebar 0-1 0-0 0, E. Bacila 0-1 0-0 0, J. Dorleon 0-0 0-0 0, M. Faulhammer 0-0 0-0 0, M. Cat 0-0 0-0 0.

Field Goals:  13-42 (.309).  Free-Throws:  7-16 (.438).  Three-Point Goals, 3-11 (.272):  P. Sangha 2-6, M. Aden Ibrahim 1-5.

SJAM (51)
D. Stajic 4-8 0-1 9, C. Bullock 2-4 0-0 4, N. Milosevic 0-4 0-0 0, B. Zapp 3-5 4-5 11, N. Spasik 7-9 0-0 15, F. Popovic 3-5 0-0 7, M. Koprivica 1-10 0-0 3, T. Patrick 1-2 0-0 2, H. Ahluwalia 0-1 0-0 0, W. Cullen 0-0 0-0 0, J. Summer 0-0 0-0 0, D. Bain 0-0 0-0 0.

Field Goals:  21-48 (.438).  Free-Throws:  4-6 (.667).  Three-Point Goals, 5-17 (.294):  N. Spasik 1-1, D. Stajic 1-2, B. Zapp 1-2, F. Popovic 1-3, M. Koprivica 1-8.

"A" CWOSSA: PRDG, Georgian Bay Take Titles

The four-team "A" CWOSSA tournament wrapped up in Kitchener, and it was an entertaining day of basketball, particularly in the Senior Championship game.  Here's a quick rundown of the action:

Junior
PRDG captured the school's first-ever CWOSSA title, backed by outstanding efforts from their leading scorer, Pat Martini.

Martini poured in 29 points in the championship game, which went down as a 63-29 win for the Chevaliers.  Sam Coachman netted 15 for GBSS.

Georgian Bay got past Waterford (30-22) and PRDG took out Emmanuel Christian (51-27) in the morning's semifinals.

Senior
After both teams scored comfortable wins in their opening games --- Woodland 52-32 over Peninsula Shores and Georgian Bay 41-25 over Waterford --- it was quite the barn-burner in the Senior "A" championship final.

I got to the Rockway gym with the score 30-29 for GBSS in the fourth, and the teams would go back-and-forth for the remainder of the game.  GBSS extended to a 34-30 lead, only to see Woodland go on a 9-3 run to take a 39-37 lead.  

With the score tied at 39, Georgian Bay was fouled on a drive with only 8 seconds left to play.  After missing the first FT, the second free throw --- just like you would see in a movie --- bounced off the back rim, up in the air, back down, back up, and in for what would prove to be the winning point.

Woodland had one last chance, but Shane Clarke's desperation three-point attempt was off the mark.

With the win, Georgian Bay advances to "A" OFSAA in early March.  The win was the school's first CWOSSA victory since 1990, when they were a "AA" school.

CWOSSA Qualifying: Eagles Get All They Can Handle From Royals

In a "one and done" scenario, anything can happen.

That lesson was nearly learned the hard way by the St. Mary's Eagles, who travelled to Guelph yesterday and played the JF Ross Royals on their home floor in the "AAAA" Senior CWOSSA qualifier.

It was the Royals making the most of their home court advantage and crowd support, as they took a 1-point lead into halftime before extending to a 5-point lead in the third quarter.

Cue the Tesloth Simon show.

Simon drilled back-to-back three-balls to help the Eagles re-take a 1-point lead after three.  In the fourth, the Eagles couldn't break away from the Royals and led by a single-point (71-70) with under two minutes to go.

With St. Mary's season (and his career) on the line, Simon knocked in a HUGE three-pointer with 1:30 to go to push the Eagle lead to 4.  After some fouling down the stretch, the Eagles were able to escape with an 82-72 victory.

As CTV reporter Darren Stevenson mentioned on Twitter, the final score certainly wasn't indicative of how close this one was.

With the win, St. Mary's advances to Friday & Saturday's "AAAA" tournament in Brantford.  Their first game is Friday at 1:30pm against Cameron Heights (at Brantford Assumption).

Junior
Things went better for the Junior St. Mary's Eagles in their CWOSSA qualifier, as they handled the Centennial Spartans by a 71-49 final.

The Junior Eagles will play Eastwood in their first "AAAA" CWOSSA game (at Assumption), 10:30am on Friday.

Senior AAA
No troubles for the North Park Trojans, who advanced to "AAA" CWOSSA over Holy Trinity in both Junior & Senior games last night.

The senior game went down as a 61-26 final, with Brandon Webster netting 14 and Brandon McIvor 10 for the Trojans; Matt Baxter had 10 to pace the Titans.

"AAA" CWOSSA goes this Saturday & Monday in Guelph.

"AA" CWOSSA: Tomorrow & Friday in Owen Sound

It's a full 8-team draw this year for the "AA" CWOSSA championship, which goes Thursday and Friday in Owen Sound.  The tournament is an "OFSAA format' draw, meaning first-round winners meet first-round losers in the second round.

A D10-based team (Lourdes or Bishop Mac) has won the Senior Tournament 9 of the past 10 years, and this year looks to be fairly similar as the Bishop Mac Celtics enter the tournament as overwhelming favourites.

The draw is as follows:
OSCVI vs. Norwell
Southwood vs. Simcoe CS

Saugeen vs. Bishop Mac
Centre Dufferin vs. Pauline Johnson

There's been similar D10 dominance on the junior side, although this could be the year that the streak of 7 consecutive wins by a D10 team comes to an end.

The Bishop Macdonell Celtics, though still a contender, are not the favourites entering play as Glenview Park of Cambridge is the highest-ranked CWOSSA team at the tournament.  The Cambridge school has won a senior CWOSSA crown (AAA back in 2002), but has never won a junior title.

The junior draw goes like this:
Saugeen District vs. Wellington Hts.
Glenview Park vs. Simcoe CS

Sacred Heart vs. Bishop Mac
Centre Dufferin vs. Paris DHS

WCSSAA Finals: Junior & Senior Previews

Don't have much time today, but here's a quick note to set the table for the action tonight:

It'll be #1 vs. #2 in both the WCSSAA Junior and Senior finals, which go tonight at Cameron Heights Collegiate in Kitchener.  Tip times are 6:30pm (Junior) and 8pm (Senior).

The SJAM Highlanders, the top seed in both divisions, are attempting to add their name to the list of schools that have swept the WCSSAA finals.

Junior - (1) SJAM vs. (2) Eastwood
On the junior side, the CWOSSA #1-ranked SJAM Highlanders enter as prohibitive favourites over the Eastwood Rebels, having won all but one of their league games by double-figures.

These teams met back in mid-January, with the 'Landers pulling away to a 72-48 victory.

SJAM has a multifaceted offensive attack, with any number of players able to lead the charge on any given night.  Favourites to do so (in no particular) include Maksim Kopvivicia, Filip Popovic, Nicolas Milosevic, Nino Spasik, and Brian Zapp.

The Rebels are a team that loves to get out in transition, and they could benefit from the game being played on the big court at Cameron Heights.  ECI put up some point totals in the 60s and 70s during the season, with their "big three" doing most of that damage --- Layee Jabateh, Prabhjit Sangha, and Mubaraak Aden Ibrahim.

From Eastwood's perspective, they really have nothing to lose as a prohibitive underdog, which is always a factor that can make things interesting.  That said, I think the depth of SJAM will propel them to victory today.

My Pick:  SJAM by 16

Senior - (1) SJAM vs. (2) Cameron Hts.
A tremendous amount of interest surrounds this game, and most people suspect that one of these teams will be joining the St. Mary's Eagles at OFSAA in a couple weeks' time.  Still a lot of basketball to be played before that point, though, and it starts tonight at Cameron Heights.

These teams are fairly evenly matched, which was demonstrated by their tight regular season affair back in December, a 61-55 SJAM win.  Nedim Hodzic poured in nearly half of the SJAM points (28) in that one, so it's needless to say that the Gaels will need to do a much better job on him this time around.  Easier said than done, of course, as he always seems to find a way to put himself in optimal position.

SJAM is heavily reliant on the scoring outputs of their "big four", who actually combined for all of the 'Landers 68 points in their semifinal win over Grand River.  Hodzic, Brett Parrott, Justin Hardy and Simon Petrov are the main offensive threats, keyed by their two forwards (Hodzic & Parrott).  Hardy has had a nice rookie campaign for the 'Landers, while Petrov (who played up last year in senior as a grade 10) demonstrates nice court vision and usually racks up the assists.

Speaking of assists, Cameron Heights' PG Nikola Farkic had one of the highest-ever tallies in that category for a game I'd tracked in last year's final, when he registered a whopping 13 against Grand River in Cameron's 63-46 win.

Sharp-shooting guard Sasha Simic presents some match-up problems for the opposition with his size at the guard position, while 6'10" Ivan Cucak patrols the interior.

The Gaels have been getting contributions up and down their roster during WCSSAA play this year, including the playoffs, where Chris Phomsouvanh has led them in scoring both times.

SJAM hasn't necessarily been playing their best basketball down the stretch, while Cameron Heights seems to have turned it on over the last couple weeks.  Add in homecourt advantage, and a rowdy fanbase, and the Gaels might be able to come away with their second straight finals win.  Regardless, should be an entertaining affair.

My Pick:  CHCI by 4.  

"A" CWOSSA Set for Tomorrow in Kitchener

The first ticket for a CWOSSA school to an OFSAA championship will be punched tomorrow afternoon in Kitchener, when the 4-team "A" Senior CWOSSA tournament takes place at Rockway Mennonite Collegiate.

4 teams will also be at Rockway tomorrow to compete for the "A" Junior crown.

Interestingly enough, high school hoops fans can essentially do a "quadruple header" tomorrow:

3:30pm - "A" Junior Final @ RMC
5pm - "A" Senior Final @ RMC

....then head down Charles Street to Cameron Heights:

6:30pm - WCSSAA Junior Final @ CHCI
8pm - WCSSAA Senior Final @ CHCI

Here are the draws for the 4-team tournament, which is single-elimination (semifinals - final):

Junior
9:30am:  Waterford DHS vs. Georgian Bay DSS
11am:  PRDG (Cambridge) vs. Emmanuel Christian (Fergus)

Senior
12:30pm:  Waterford DHS vs. Georgian Bay DSS
2pm:  Woodland Christian vs. Peninsula Shores DSS

D8 Senior Final: Eagles Shoot Lights Out in Fourth Straight Finals Win

Make it 53 and counting.

The St. Mary's Eagles completed their fourth consecutive unbeaten D8 season, and have now won 53 consecutive league and playoff games after a 78-55 championship final victory over the St. Benedict Saints on their home floor yesterday evening.

Things were tight in the early going, with the Eagles holding a one-possession lead before Jermaine Lyle had an "and-one" lay-in off a steal with seconds to play in the opening frame; this gave St. Mary's a 21-16 lead after one quarter.

The Eagles slowly took control in the second stanza, and they did it with balance.  Six Eagles scored 5 or more points in the half, including Thijien Simon, who hit two three-pointers late in the quarter as part of a half-closing 11-0 run to put St. Mary's in the driver's seat (44-29) at halftime.

St. Benedict was unable to chip away in the third, as the hot-shooting from St. Mary's continued.  St. Benedict didn't shoot poorly on Monday evening (actually 50% for the game), but the Eagles were on fire, extending their lead to 61-42 after three.

With a 19-point lead into the fourth, things were basically a formality and Jamari Stephenson put three exclamation points on the victory with a trio of final-frame dunks.  

After the game, Stephenson told CTV Kitchener that he loves to get the crowd into the game.

"It's showtime. Gotta entertain the fans, that's all I think about," he said.

As I mentioned yesterday, not many teams in the province will beat St. Mary's when they shoot as they did on Monday.  The Eagles finished 63.8% from the floor overall, including nearly 80% (!) from 2-point range (22-for-28).  All 5 Eagle starters shot at least 50% on field goal attempts.

The Eagles also displayed tremendous unselfishness with the basketball, with all starters registering at least two assists.

Things aren't all bad for St. Benedict, as they are projected to be one of the top teams in CWOSSA next season.  Their youthful roster saw grade 11s score all but two of their 55 points, meaning the future is bright down in Cambridge.  Their starting lineup was entirely grade 11s, as well.

Scoring-wise, St. Mary's spread things around with four players in double-figures.  Tesloth Simon had 18 to lead the way, while Jamari Stephenson and Jermaine Lyle had 15 each.  Thijien Simon notched 11 points, while Nathan Riley had 8 (alongside 12 rebounds and 6 assists), Tyrick Thompson 6 and Minas Abara 5 to round out the Eagle scoring.

Zubair Seyed was strong in defeat for St. Benedict, putting home a game-high 20 points.  Justin Malnerich had 12 points, all behind the arc, while other Saints to hit the scoresheet included Alex Douglas (8), Lucas Cardoso (6), Mohamed Hajjo (3), Evan Rodenburg (2), Marcus Penaloza (2), and Jamal Hajo (2).

St. Mary's will now move on to play JF Ross in a CWOSSA "AAAA" qualifer in Guelph tomorrow evening.

Despite the Royals being a veteran-laden club and playing on their home floor in front of a rowdy fan-base, St. Mary's Coach Jason Hergott told CTV Kitchener that he doesn't feel that the Eagles will be fazed.

"Ross can bring as many noisemakers as they want, we'll be glad to entertain them," he said.

Boxscore
SBCSS  16-13-13-13 = 55
SMHS   21-23-17-17 = 78

St. Benedict (55)
Z. Seyed        7-16 FG, 4-6 FT, 3 Reb, 5 Ast - 20 Pts.
L. Cardoso    2-5 FG, 1-2 FT, 1 Reb, 2 Ast - 6 Pts.
J. Malnerich   4-8 FG, 0-0 FT, 1 Reb, 2 Ast - 12 Pts.
A. Douglas     4-5 FG, 0-0 FT, 4 Reb, 1 Ast - 8 Pts.
E. Rodenburg 1-2 FG, 0-0 FT, 5 Reb, 1 Ast - 2 Pts.
-----
M. Penaloza   1-2 FG, 0-0 FT, 2 Reb, 0 Ast - 2 Pts.
J. Hajo           1-1 FG, 0-0 FT, 0 Reb, 0 Ast - 2 Pts.
M. Hajjo        1-3 FG, 1-4 FT, 0 Reb, 0 Ast - 3 Pts.
O. Camanto    0-0 FG, 0-0 FT, 0 Reb, 0 Ast - 0 Pts.

Field Goals:  21-42 (.500).  Free-Throws:  6-12 (.500).  Three-Point Goals:  7-17, .411 (J. Malnerich 4-7, Z. Seyed 2-6, L. Cardoso 1-3, M. Hajjo 0-1).

St. Mary's (78)
N. Riley         3-6 FG, 2-3 FT, 12 Reb, 6 Ast - 8 Pts.
Te. Simon     7-10 FG, 2-4 FT, 3 Reb, 3 Ast - 18 Pts.
T. Thompson 3-4 FG, 0-2 FT, 0 Reb, 2 Ast - 6 Pts.
J. Lyle           5-6 FG, 4-5 FT, 4 Reb, 4 Ast - 15 Pts.
J. Steph'son   6-12 FG, 2-2 FT, 5 Reb, 2 Ast - 15 Pts.
-----
A. Eleeda      0-2 FG, 0-0 FT, 0 Reb, 0 Ast - 0 Pts.
M. Abara      2-2 FG, 0-0 FT, 0 Reb, 0 Ast - 5 Pts.
Th. Simon     4-5 FG, 0-0 FT, 0 Reb, 1 Ast - 11 Pts.
H. Abara      0-0 FG, 0-0 FT, 1 Reb, 0 Ast - 0 Pts.
B. Niel          0-0 FG, 0-0 FT, 0 Reb, 0 Ast - 0 Pts.
D. Nguyen    0-0 FG, 0-0 FT, 0 Reb, 0 Ast - 0 Pts.

Field Goals:  30-47 (.638).  Free-Throws:  10-16 (.625).  Three-Point Goals:  8-19, .421 (Th. Simon 3-4, Te. Simon 2-5, M. Abara 1-1, J. Lyle 1-2, J. Stephenson 1-5, N. Riley 0-1, A. Eleeda 0-1).

D8 Junior Final: Farquharson's Second Half Propels Eagles To Title

With the St. Mary's Eagles in serious foul trouble, Tyreak Farquharson knew his team needed a boost.

After going scoreless in the first half, Farquharson poured in 20 second-half points, including 11 points in about a three minute stretch over the third and fourth quarters as the Eagles pulled away and then held off a furious St. David comeback down the stretch in a 64-57 D8 Junior championship victory at St. Mary's on Monday evening.

All three regular-season meetings were decided by 10 points or less, and this one appeared to be no different in the early going as St. David took a 14-11 lead after one, followed by the Eagles turning that around to a 2-point lead in their favour (29-27) at halftime.

Joshua Maligaya poured in 5 quick points for St. Mary's to start the third quarter, helping them get a bit of breathing room and a 6-point lead.  However, shortly thereafter, starter Raiden Thorne fouled out with about 3 minutes left in the third quarter, and one of the Eagles' other key offensive threats, Kanayo Nnadi, picked up his fourth.

Cue the Tyreak Farquharson show.

Farquharson started by drilling a buzzer-beating (deep) three-pointer to give St. Mary's a 45-37 lead after three.  After Brent Lasovich opened the fourth quarter scoring for St. David with a three-pointer, Farquharson then went on a personal 8-0 run for St. Mary's, helping them extend to a 53-40 lead early on in the fourth.

However, that didn't quite put away the Celtics, who had a late run in them.

After the score was 56-42 (the Eagles largest of the game), St. David went on a 6-0 run to quickly cut things down to single digits and under 3 minutes to go.

They chipped another couple points off the deficit, and made it 58-52 with 1:30 to go, before a St. Mary's turnover and a subsequent Jahnei Powell three-pointer for SDCSS got the Celtics to within three.

St. Mary's inbounds went off the backboard (out of bounds), their third consecutive turnover, which gave St. David the ball back and around a minute to go.

The Celtics' Brent Lasovich, who had a tremendous game (more on that later), had a pretty good look at a game-tying three-pointer but it went off the rim, and the Eagles would eventually secure the victory at the free-throw line en route to the 7-point win.

After the game, Farquharson said that he had the confidence to help his team pull through with the win.

"Thanks to our coaching staff, the team was able to stay as one unit and play through the foul trouble by keeping our confidence and playing together because they put us in a mind frame to keep cool and stay composed," Farquharson said.

When asked about his 20-point second half outburst, Farquharson knew his team was counting on him.

"I was just hungry to get this 'W' in the first place and after (the) missed shots in the first half, I just kept cool and came through in tough times for my team as I knew they were depending on me after the foul trouble with two of our other key players," he said.

Alongside Farquharson's 20 points, Jason Jaros (13) and Joshua Maligaya (12) were also in double-figures for St. Mary's.  Kanayo Nnadi added 7, while also scoring for the Eagles were Gew Chuol (4), Raiden Thorne (3), Jody Brown (3), and Michael Carali (2).

For St. David, Brent Lasovich was a one-man wrecking crew, displaying an impressive mid-range game in particular at the junior level en route to a game-high 32 points.  The other St. David starters combined for the remaining Celtic points --- Jahnei Powell (7), Matthew Radocchia (7), Justin Henderson (6) and John Winnett (5).

The victory was St. Mary's fifth consecutive District 8 Junior Boys' championship, and they have advanced to play Centennial in a "AAAA" CWOSSA play-in game on Wednesday in Guelph.  A win in that game would advance them to this weekend's tournament in Brantford.

St. David will also advance to CWOSSA, at the AAA level.  That tournament is also this weekend, and is co-hosted by Our Lady of Lourdes and St. James in Guelph.

Linescore
SDCSS 14-13-10-20 = 57
SMHS  11-18-16-19 = 64

(Below is read as:  FG-A FT-A PTS)

St. David (57)
B. Lasovich 10-24 10-14 32, J. Winnett 2-5 1-4 5, J. Powell 3-5 0-0 7, M. Radocchia 3-8 1-4 7, J. Henderson 2-7 2-2 6, G. Martin 0-1 0-0 0.

Three Point Goals:  B. Lasovich 2, J. Powell 1.

St. Mary's (64)
R. Thorne 1-2 0-0 3, K. Nnadi 3-10 1-2 7, J. Maligaya 3-6 5-6 12, T. Farquharson 7-11 4-4 20, J. Brown 1-3 0-0 3, J. Jaros 6-9 0-0 13, M. Carali 1-1 0-0 2, T. Whitely 0-1 0-0 0, G. Chuol 2-2 0-0 4.

Three-Point Goals:  T. Farquharson 2, R. Thorne 1, J. Maligaya 1, J. Jaros 1.

D8 Senior Finals Preview: (1) St. Mary's vs. (2) St. Benedict

Will the biggest stumbling block to St. Mary's 4th consecutive CWOSSA championship & OFSAA berth be hiding in the backyard of their District 8 league?

The answer to that question is what we'll find out today as the upstart St. Benedict Saints look to pull an upset as they head into the Eagles' Nest for an 8pm tip-off in the D8 senior final.

Season Series:  3-0 SMHS
For a team that doesn't see too many competitive games in league play, the Saints stuck with the Eagles for the majority of their league games.  I say "majority of" as the Eagles turned a 1-point game (after three quarters) into an 85-55 blowout in their most recent affair.

The Eagles were victorious by 15 & 8 points in their other two meetings, but St. Benedict may be peaking at the right time, having performed very well in a recent tournament in London (wins over Sarnia St. Pat's and HB Beal) and were lights-out shooting-wise against Rez in their semifinal.

Projected Starters:
You may see a pattern for both teams here:

St. Mary's
Nathan Riley, F (5th Year)
Tesloth Simon, G (5th Year)
Tyrick Thompson, G (5th Year)
Jermaine Lyle, G (5th Year)
Jamari Stephenson, F (5th Year)

St. Benedict
Zubair Seyed, G (3rd Year)
Justin Malnerich, G (3rd Year)
Evan Rodenberg, C (3rd Year)
Lucas Cardoso, G (3rd Year)
Alex Douglas, F (3rd Year)

History Lesson
The Eagles are making their 10th consecutive D8 finals appearance, and have won the last three titles.

St. Benedict, meanwhile, is making their first finals appearance since they were upset in the 2003 finals by Resurrection (but rebounded to make St. Benedict's only OFSAA "AAAA" appearance by finishing second as a 6-seed at CWOSSA).  Their last D8 title was 14 years ago, in 2001.

Preview
Although they're favoured, Tesloth Simon knows that his veteran St. Mary's club isn't going to have the championship plaque handed to them when they take on St. Benedict in today's D8 final.

"(I think) the biggest challenge for us is playing guys that feel like they are overlooked in District 8.  In the past, championships have usually been between us and Resurrection --- now against St. Benedict, we're playing a young team who are playing to showcase themselves with nothing to lose," Simon noted.

Of course, Simon was quick to note that the stacked Eagles' roster, in itself, creates some advantages.

"Our depth is the biggest thing that separates us from other teams around this region because everyone has a role and knows their role," he said, "any given night, our rookies could come in and "hoop", which makes our jobs as starters that much easier."

Perhaps the most glaring example of that was when, with a couple of the usual scoring suspects struggling, Adham Eleeda came off the bench to knock in 18 points in the championship game of the Silver Fox tournament in Hamilton.

St. Mary's Head Coach Jason Hergott knows first-hand the challenges of the "single-elimination" D8 final, as his club struggled shooting the ball two years ago as heavy favourites against Resurrection and held them off in a 57-50 final.

"I'm hoping they realize its a one and done situation and talent won't always carry us through. Everyone wants to beat us, and I'm sure we won't get the benefit of calls so we just can't afford to play less than 32 minutes of quality ball," he said.

Making their 10th straight D8 finals appearance is certainly an impressive feat.  Despite a plethora of talent in recent years, it has been players accepting their roles and a hunger for greater success that's been key to St. Mary's establishing themselves as a CWOSSA dynasty, Hergott noted. 

"We've had a steady flow of Wolverine, Wildhawk and Viper boys attend the school. The players have been great at times understanding their roles and where they can contribute.  Overall our success has come the hard way. We worked our way up. We've lost games that hurt, which in turn motivated us. We made noise at smaller tournaments, which allowed us to get invited to better tournaments. We've fought amongst ourselves and worked through the differences. In the end when 12-13 players are talented and committed to doing everything to win, whether you win or lose the game doesn't matter because the thought of losing never entered into their heads," he said.

For St. Benedict, they've been a team that has certainly turned some heads at the CWOSSA-level (and at various tournaments around the province) despite nearly all of their scoring production coming from grade elevens.

Their top gun is guard Zubair Seyed, who averaged over 21 PPG in District 8 play, and is coming off a 30-point performance against Resurrection in the semifinals.

Seyed mentioned that it has been hard work that's allowed him to have one of the most impressive rookie seasons in District 8 history.  He's already received post-secondary interest from CIS schools Western & Queen's, alongside NCAA D1 school Central Michigan.

"I'm just always in the gym, it's basically my second home, but it also comes from the coaching.  Coach Malnerich really helps me to excel and reach my full potential," he said.

Despite their youth, Seyed knows the Saints have to play their game against St. Mary's.

"We need to play every second of the final with maximum effort on the defensive and offensive end; we can't be scared of them and need to bring our "A" game," he said.

With Seyed accounting for nearly 40% of the Saints' scoring offense this season, Coach Hergott knows that slowing him down will be key for the Eagles.

"Zubair is their heartbeat. He facilitates their flow and their pulse. We've always respected what he's done and know what he is capable of," Hergott said.

The Game/Prediction
Although the Eagles certainly enter this game as favourites, the "one and done" District 8 championship final certainly makes things interesting.  The Saints have nothing to lose in this one, and I expect them to play like it.

It will be interesting to see how things go "pace-wise" early on.  The Saints are a very patient offensive club, and look to run their sets to completion.  St. Mary's, meanwhile, is the definition of a "run and gun" team, who want to push the pace.

I think if this game stays in the 50s, the Saints certainly have a shot --- but as for my prediction, I think the 5th year veterans of St. Mary's realizing that this is their final high school game should they lose will provided the motivation they need to get the victory.

Prediction:  St. Mary's 64, St. Benedict 53