Waterloo Chronicle: Raiders Snatch a Thrilling Victory from Vikings

Shouts out to Bob Vrbanac of the Waterloo Chronicle who had a great article in last week's edition of that paper documenting the WCSSAA final between WCI & KCI. Yes, it's technically "old news" now as the girls season is now officially over, but it's still worth a read.

Article retrieved from: http://www.waterloochronicle.ca/news/article/195425

By: Bob Vrbanac, Chronicle Staff

With 45 seconds left to go, and the last two unbeaten teams — WCI and KCI — battling it out for the WCSSAA senior girls basketball championship the ball fell into the hands of the unlikeliest of heroes for the Raiders, Claire Lockhart.
“I’m not a particularly offensive player and I never have been, I recognize that,” said the Grade 12 student in her victory lap with the team. “I do the hard work on defence and try to go after the rebounds and loose balls.

“I just try to work as hard as I can and leave it all out on the court. That’s pretty much all I try to do.”

So what happened next even shocked her a little bit. She pulled in a long rebound with the game on the line, and with an open look at the basket heaved up a shot at the Vikings basket.

To say it was an ugly looking shot would be an understatement. The ball hit back rim, and bounced twice, before miraculously rolling into the basket for the 69-67 win.

It was the quietest that a raucous, overflow crowd gathered at Preston high school in Cambridge to watch the final, was on the evening before exploding as the winning basket swished through.

“I just chucked it up there, apparently that’s what I do,” said a bemused Lockhart. “I saw the hoop and threw it up — it was lucky it went in that time.”

Lockhart said her heart skipped a beat as the ball continued to bounce. She joked she just wanted add a little drama to what was already a dramatic final.

“It took a while to go in, and the crowd went crazy,” said Lockhart laughing. “I do it for the fans.”

If that was the case, both teams were playing for the fans in one of the most entertaining basketball finals in the past decade. The script for the championship final didn’t start that way with the Viking touted as the heavy favourites to win their fifth consecutive title.

The Vikings also beat the Raiders in the last three WCSSAA finals, so the Raiders considered themselves the underdogs going into the contest.

But they didn’t play like underdogs, building a 23-19 lead after the first quarter, and growing it to 42-33 at the half.

The Vikings responded like you’d expect the defending champs would in the third quarter, cutting the lead down to one, 57-56. WCI’s leading scorer Shelby Kurt, who struggled in the first half, found her range again and hit for 11 of her game high 27 points to get her team back in the game.

With less that a minute to go it looked like WCI was going to back to the familiar script. The Vikings were up by three and poised to close out another championship win.

That’s when the Raiders’ Rachel Urosevic got her shot at redemption after losing to the Vikings in the last three championship finals. The Raiders point guard and leading scorer with 17 points, threw up an airball on the possession before but that didn’t stop her from creating a turnover and hoisting up the game-tying three pointer.

“You can’t let it get you down,” said Urosevic, about the perseverance she showed against the Vikings.

“Your team needs you, especially in these “Your team needs you, especially in these moments, and you want to be the player to take that shot because who else will?”

The win cemented a family legacy for the Urosevic clan. She’s just the latest family member to win a WCSSAA basketball championship with her uncle, aunt and dad, Bob, all accomplishing that honour.

The KCI fans couldn’t hide their joy for their floor general after the game, rushing the court. The Grade 12 student was gracious in victory and hoped they weren’t showing up the Vikings. But it was party time for the Raiders given their long history of futility.

“I feel a little bad because you feel like you’re rubbing it in somebody’s face when you’re screaming like that, but this is a long time coming,” said Urosevic.

“I didn’t know what it’s like to hold this championship plaque. Now I do, and it feels amazing.”

KCI went on to win the CWOSSA Triple A title in Brantford by beating North Park 66-59. They now travel to the all-Ontario championships on the weekend.

The Vikings made it to the finals of the CWOSSA Quad A Championships against St. John’s before losing 75-47. Both teams qualify for OFSAA championships in Hamilton this week.

Preseason All-WCSSAA First Team

If you look over to the right, I've posted a poll of 5 guys that I think have a decent shot of winning this year's Mike Moser Award, presented annually to the MVP of the league. Generally speaking, this will go to an individual on the WCSSAA championship team.

Previous Winners Include:
2009 - Justin Tomas, SJAM
2008 - Nik Saric, FHCI
2007 - Zach Nagtzaam, SSS
2006 - Cam McIntyre, KCI
2005 - Gavin Horne, WCI

Here's my preseason WCSSAA first all-star team. Note that this team was "selected" (by me) and was done so with no regard for position.

In alphabetic order by last name...

Stefan Arezina, Cameron Heights (G)
Arezina was named by the Record's former high school sports guru Josh Brown as his "rookie of the year" last year, and with good reason.

Arezina is a sweet-shooting guard who can light it up in a hurry, and not just against the 'cupcakes' of the WCSSAA league. Last year he pumped in 38 points in a loss to eventual champ SJAM. Already this year he's cracked the 30 point barrier against Resurrection in an exhibition tilt.

I look for him to take control of the Gaels this season and if the Gaels young corps of junior talent can contribute they could be a legit title contender come February.

Stefan Cvrkalj, Bluevale (G)
Pretty obvious selection here. Cvrkalj was a member of WCSSAA's first all star team last year and is currently getting some serious NCAA looks (Waterloo Chronicle Article).

Cvrkalj was named as a Heinbuch all-star with his impressive 27.0 PPG over three games, including a ridiculous buzzer-beater against London HB Beal to send the game to OT.

He's a smooth shooting guard that teams will obviously be keying on, but will find difficult to stop.

Arben Kalaba, KCI (G)
Kalaba was a big reason as to why the Raiders were able to advance through the playoffs last year and get to the WCSSAA finals. With KCI's top scorer (John Mitchell) having graduated, the bulk of the offensive load will need to be carried by Kalaba. He averaged 20.0 PPG (24, 17, 19) over three games at the Heinbuch this past weekend.

Kalaba is a deep three point threat with unlimited range (and, sometimes, conscience when it comes to putting it up). As KCI's vocal leader, he will be called upon if the Raiders are to make another deep run in the WCSSAA post-season.

Taylor McNaughton, Forest Heights (G/F)
Another guy who didn't get as much hype perhaps as he deserved last year due to teammate Mark Peterson, this is now McNaughton's fifth year and his opportunity to lead FHCI back to the WCSSAA championship.

Along with being a great spot-up shooter, McNaughton has a deceptive ability to drive, as well as some good length and positioning on the defensive end.

Jake Robinet, SJAM (F)
Like McNaughton, a guy that can do it all offensively and defensively. At 6'6" provides a lot of match-up issues with his perimeter shooting, so you have to respect it (NOTE: If anyone has the video from last year of him shot-faking and driving in on Bluevale for a dunk, I'll gladly post it).

I look for Robinet to take advantage of a lot of undersized (and/or youthful) front-lines in the WCSSAA league this season.

Your Preseason MVP?
Granted, there's a few others out there but I've gone with these 5 as my preseason all-stars based upon the fact that they exemplified good talent last year and should be forces in the league this year. I'm sure there's going to be a couple guys who have improved tremendously over the summer and surprise......but that's why we play the games.

Who's your pick? Right now after 126 votes:
1. Stefan Cvrkalj, 51 (40%)
2. Stefan Arezina, 43 (34%)
3. Jake Robinet, 13 (10%)
4. Arben Kalaba, 6 (4%)
5. Taylor MacNaughton, 5 (3%)

....8 other voters (6%) think that someone outside of those 5 will rise up and be this year's MVP.

Bishop Mac Celtics Claim "AA" OFSAA Crown

The Bishop Macdonell Celtics had no troubles whatsoever in claiming the AA OFSAA crown up in Belleville this past weekend.

The Celtics dumped #6 Sarnia St.Clair in the championship final, 52-44 as per the OFSAA website. Bree Chaput (21) and Janine DeLeon (14) were high scorers for Bishop Mac in the final.

Including the final, the Celtics beat up on their opponents by an average of 21.6 points per game:

Semifinals: Bishop Mac 76, LaSalle 51
Quarterfinals: Bishop Mac 69, Nicholson 40
Second Round: Bishop Mac 69, Denis O'Connor 34
Opening Round: Bishop Mac 40, North Grenville 29

Around the Horn - Monday, November 30th

Freed's Windsor Results
Three local teams (Southwood, St. Mary's, Resurrection) took part in the Freed's Windsor/Catholic Central Tournament this past weekend.

Pool play results were as follows:

Pool A
Windsor CCH 64 Sarnia St. Patick's 39
London Mother Teresa 59 Kitchener St. Mary's 56
CCH 84 London Mother Teresa 45
CCH advances to semi-final against St. Michael`s 11:30a.m.

Pool B
Toronto St. Michael`s 80 Windsor Assumption 49
Windsor Forster 2 St. Basil`s Sault Ste. Marie 0 Default
St. Michael`s 82 Forster 49
St. Michael`s advance to semi-final against CCH 11:30a.m.

Pool C
Oakville Loyola 74 Windsor Brennan 58
Windsor Holy Names 50 Kitchener Resurrection 47
Oakville Loyola 67 Holy Names 38
Oakville Loyola advances to semi-final against Windsor St. Joseph`s

Pool D
Windsor St. Joseph`s 74 London Oakridge 62
Cambridge Southwood 38 Hamilton Bishop Ryan 36
Windsor St. Joseph`s 74 Southwood 58
St. Joseph`s advances to semi-final against Oakville Loyola

Oakville Loyola defeated Toronto St. Mike's 82-62 in the championship game.

Thanks to hooptowngta for the info. If anyone can fill in missing scores, shoot me an email.

SJAM Highlander Hoopla This Weekend
The SJAM Highlander Hoopla Junior Boys' Tournament is set for this Friday & Saturday at Sir John A. Macdonald up in Waterloo.

The tournament has earned a reputation of drawing some of the best CWOSSA junior boys basketball teams to participate, and it is often a good early season benchmark of who will be teams to watch. Last year, Kitchener Resurrection defeated Guelph JF Ross in the championship game.

This year's format is slightly different, as the first round game is a "seeding game" (i.e. first round winners play second round losers).

First round draw:
SJAM vs. St. Mary's, 11:30am Friday
Grand River vs. Centennial, 1:00pm
JF Ross vs. North Park, 2:30pm
Resurrection vs. Forest Heights, 4:00pm

SJAM/St. Mary's/Grand River/Centennial will all play their second round games on Friday evening, while the other four clubs will play their second round games Saturday morning.

Based upon the projected draw, I see SJAM vs. North Park in one semifinal and Grand River vs. Forest Heights in the other.

District 8 Picks - Monday, November 30th

Here we go with another week in D8 basketball......2 games on tap today.

YTD D8 Senior Picks Record: 1-1 (.500)

Rockway (0-0) at St. Mary's (1-0)
My Pick: St. Mary's
Line: SMHS by 27

The Eagles should have no trouble with the Rockway Flames in this one.

Resurrection (0-0) at St. David (0-1) ***Game of the Day***
My Pick: St. David
Line: SDCSS by 4

Should be a great game over at St. David (tip time: 5:00pm for those interested). The Phoenix and Celtics are looking to bounce back after sub-par performances in elite tournaments this weekend (Resurrection went 2-2 at Freed's Windsor, St. David 0-3 at the Heinbuch).

I had the Celtics over St. Mary's last week, so I'm hoping they don't cost me another correct pick as I would like to improve on that ugly looking .500 record. I have a feeling the veteran Celtics will edge the young Phoenix.

Junior D8
Season Junior Picks Record: 3-0

Resurrection (1-0) at St. David (0-1). Pick: RCSS
Rockway (0-1) at St. Mary's (1-0). Pick: SMHS

St. John's Eagles are Senior Girls "AAAA" OFSAA Champions

The St. John's Green Eagles have done it.

The girls from Brantford lived up to their #1 seeding by capturing the OFSAA championship on Saturday evening at Cathedral High School with a 41-37 victory over Burlington Notre Dame.

The Eagles finish the year with a 45-0 record and, obviously, Branford, CWOSSA and now OFSAA titles to their credit.

In the title game, Kelly Van Leeuwen and Andrea Polischuk were the top scorers for St. John's with 10 a piece. Jamie Ruttle led Notre Dame and all scorers with a 17 point performance.

Earlier at Cathedral, Waterloo Collegiate captured the consolation bracket with a 41-30 victory over #11 Northern SS of Toronto. Alyssa Shortt (15) and Megan Fowler (11) were high scorers for the Vikes.

Centennial Falls at Heinbuch
CWOSSA was unable to capture any titles on championship Saturday at the Heinbuch.

The Centennial CVI Spartans were defeated by London's HB Beal in the bronze championship by a 65-52 score. Rob House was again the top scorer for Centennial with 16 points in the losing effort.

Final CWOSSA Results:
Centennial 2-2 (lost bronze final)
Bluevale 1-2 (lost silver semifinals)
SJAM 1-2 (eliminated silver semifinals)
KCI 0-3 (lost consolation semifinals)
St. David 0-3 (lost consolation semifinals)

KCI Claims Antique Bronze at "AAA" OFSAA

The KCI Raiders' terrific season came to an end on Saturday in London with a 54-41 loss to #5 Regina Mundi.

The Raiders earned the OFSAA "AAA" antique bronze medal.......a question for historians out there: is the first OFSAA medal for basketball in KCI history?

Rough Heinbuch for Raiders, Celtics; Spartans advance to Bronze Final

The KCI Raiders and St. David Celtics both went 0-for-3 in Heinbuch action as both fell in semifinal action in the Consolation division this morning.

KCI lost to London Westminster 54-43. Arben Kalaba was KCI's top gunner for the third consecutive game with 19 points. Alex Kravic had a game-high 21 for Westminster.

The St. David Celtics lost a close one to Governor Simcoe of St. Catharines, 45-43. Mike Schummer led a balanced Celtic attack with 12 points.

The Bluevale Knights, playing in the Silver division, were dumped by Ajax Pickering 68-37. Stefan Cvrkalj had 13 for Bluevale in the loss.

Also in the Silver division, Waterloo SJAM's depleted squad saw their Heinbuch Tournament come to an end at the hands of Stoney Creek's Orchard Park (58-40). Matthias Hamm had 9 for the Highlanders.

The Guelph Centennial Spartans will be the lone CWOSSA participant in any of the four divisional finals later today. The Spartans defeated Sarnia St. Christopher's 67-61 and will play London HB Beal in the final at 5:00pm (Huron Heights). Robert House had 27 points for CCVI; Joe Rocca had 31 points for St. Chris.

An interesting sidenote is that Rocca's father, Emilio, was the all-time leading scorer in Ontario College basketball (1433 career points) --- a mark that stood for 23 years until it was broken last year by Durham College's Anthony Batchelor.

Heinbuch - Stefan Cvrkalj Buzzer Beater vs. Beal

Here is video footage of Stefan Cvrkalj's buzzer-beating effort against HB Beal of London in the Heinbuch to tie the game and send it to overtime:

Bishop Mac, St. John's to Battle for OFSAA Gold, KCI in Bronze Game at "AAA"

OFSAA UPDATE
The #9 KCI Raiders suffered their first postseason defeat this morning at the hands of #2 seeded Louis Riel of Ottawa (Gloucester).

The Raiders led after the first quarter, but Louis Riel used a 43-17 run over the second and third frames to put the game away en route to a 67-44 win.

KCI is currently playing in the bronze medal game against the host school, #5 Regina Mundi of London.

Meanwhile, the St. John's Eagles of Brantford were up against the wall during their battle with #5 St. Mary's CSS of Hamilton at Cathedral this morning. The Eagles fell behind as St. Mary's used a 13-5 third quarter run to take a 40-37 lead heading to the fourth. However, the experience of the Eagles shone through down the stretch and they came away with a 51-43 victory. Kayla Santilli was sensational with 21 points for St. John's. The Eagles now advance to battle #2 Burlington Notre Dame in the gold medal game (8:00pm, Cathedral High School in Hamilton). Good luck St. John's!

Up in Belleville at AA action, the Bishop Macdonnell Celtics had no troubles dispatching the fifth-seeded LaSalle Black Knights of Kingston. The Celtics jumped out to a 22-4 lead at the end of the first and never looked back, cruising to a 76-51 win. Bishop Mac will now battle #6 Sarnia St. Clair in the gold medal match tonight.

No CWOSSA Teams in Gold Finals at Heinbuch

Another year, another Heinbuch classic that will finish without a WCSSAA champion. After St. David, Centennial, and KCI lost their first round games, it was up to Bluevale and SJAM to try and get their way to the gold semifinals.

However, Emery withstood 31 points from Bluevale's Stefan Cvrkalj and defeated Bluevale 72-57. At the St. Mary's gym, Oakwood cruised past Waterloo SJAM 69-44. SJAM transfer Matthias Hamm led the Highlanders with 17 points.

Second round action on the consolation side of the bracket saw the Guelph Centennial Spartans advance to bronze action on Saturday with a convincing 55-37 victory over London Westminster. Jay Francis netted 17 in the winning effort.

KCI and St. David will play in the Consolation portion of the bracket after both were defeated in their second-round games. KCI was defeated 65-49 by Sarnia St. Christopher's. Arben Kalaba scored 17 points after netting 24 in KCI's noon 71-63 loss to Mother Teresa.

St. David lost to Toronto Emery 60-50. Daniel Hummel had 18 for the Celtics.

Bishop Mac, KCI, St. John's all Advance to OFSAA Semifinals

CWOSSA has guaranteed themselves at least three "antique bronze" medals at the girls OFSAA basketball championships after three schools qualified for the championship semifinals.

In AA at Belleville, Bishop Mac jumped on the host school Belleville Nicholson early ---- key as you definitely didn't want the home crowd getting into it. The Celtics put up 29 in the first quarter and led 44-17 at half en route to a 69-40 win. Janine Deleon was the high scorer for BMac with 17 points.

In London's AAA action, the Cinderella KCI Raiders, the #9 seed, continued their magical march to the semifinals with a 49-42 win over #6 seed Bishop Ryan of Hamilton. KCI will play #2 Louis Riel of Ottawa tomorrow morning at 9am. The other semifinal features #1 General Amherst and #5 Regina Mundi of London.

Over in Hamilton, AAAA action saw Brantford St. John's challenged by #8 Brampton D'Youville, but they still ended up prevailing by a 40-33 final. Kayla Santilli had 11, while Andrea Polischuk and Kelly Van Leeuwen contributed 8 each for the Eagles. St. John's advances to face #5 St. Mary's CSS of Hamilton in one semifinal tomorrow morning.

Congratulations on your performances thus far and good luck tomorrow in the semifinals!

Friday Heinbuch

Mother Teresa 71, KCI 63
I wasn't there, so I can't comment but it appears as though KCI hung in there with one of the better teams in the GTA. Not a bad job at all for the Raiders, who were without head coach Nick White (OFSAA Girls Basketball).

KCI will play Sarnia St. Christopher's later this evening at St. Mary's.

Bishop Mac, St. John's, KCI continue to roll at OFSAA; Rockway & WCI Eliminated

Bishop Mac downs Denis O'Connor
As expected, the #1 Bishop Mac Celtics have defeated Denis O'Connor of Ajax by a 69-34 final to advance to the quarterfinals at "AA" OFSAA.

Laura Doyle led the way for the Celtics with 17 points.

The Celtics, will head to the quarterfinals and play #10 Nicholson (host school), who defeated #14 Downsview 67-63 in double overtime. That game goes at 5:00pm this evening.

St. John's Steamrolls #16 St. Joan of Arc
St. John's used a 23-3 third quarter run to put away the #16 seed, Barrie Joan of Arc. The final tally was a 65-20 crushing. SJA managed just 7 second half points.

Kayla Santilli led St. John's with 18, while Andrea Polischuk had 9.

The Green Eagles will now play in the quarterfinals against the winner of the 11:45am game between #3 Waterloo CI and #8 Brampton D'Youville.

KCI Advances to "AAA" Quarterfinals
The KCI Raiders defeated #14 Fr. Leo 49-24 in their second round OFSAA "AAA" game. They started by scoring the first 20 points of the game and led 20-0 at the end of one quarter.

The Raiders will play #6 Bishop Ryan in one quarterfinal game tonight at 6pm (Regina Mundi). All games played at RM are available online for free, so visit the OFSAA website (www.ofsaa.on.ca/girlsaaabasketball) and click the link to watch this evening.

Flames Eliminated from "A" OFSAA
It was a surprising quick exit from the championship bracket for the 4th seeded Rockway Flames at the "A" OFSAA Championships, going 0-2. The Flames fell in second-round action to the host school, #7 seed Holy Trinity of Cornwall 41-28. Laura Burnett led Rockway with 19 points.

Rockway will still have another game or two, albeit on the consolation side of the tournament bracket.

WCI Eliminated at "AAAA" OFSAA
Speaking of surprising, the #3 ranked WCI Vikings also dropped their first two games at OFSAA and were also eliminated from championship contention.

The Vikes fell to #8 D'Youville of Brampton 41-38 in an overtime heartbreaker. Alyssa Shortt led WCI with 16, while Megan Fowler had 10.

D5 (Brantford) Season Preview

Courtesy of brantnews.com, which always has some great articles/videos from down the river.

Check out the Senior Boys Basketball Preview here.

Resurrection Round Robin Results - Friday

Junior Boys Tournament @ RCSS

Game #1 - Resurrection 57, Huron Heights 43
Resurrection: Alphonso Ellis 12, Adam Schneider 11
Huron Heights: Shawn Samuels 28, Darcy Jacobs 4

Game #2 - Cameron Heights 54, St. David 26
CHCI: Simic 10, Quanguan 9
SDCSS: Matt Scanlon 11, M. Montag 6

Game #3 - Huron Heights 54, Bluevale 38
Huron Heights: Shawn Samuels 23, Sam Hernandez 13
Bluevale: Lukas Seibert 8, Dylan Park 7

Game #4 - Resurrection 52, St. David 31
RCSS: Adam Schneider 14, Alphonso Ellis 8
SDCSS: Matt Scanlon 10, Tyler Schierholtz 7

Game #5 - Cameron Heights 41, Bluevale 30
CHCI: Vedran Dmitrovic 17, Djorje Malesevic 7
BCI: Lukas Seibert 16, Cassidy Pomeroy 6

Game #6 - Huron Heights over St. David

Game #7 - Resurrection 63, Bluevale 39


Current Standings:
T1. Resurrection 3-0
T1. Cameron Hts 3-0
3. Huron Heights 2-1
T4. Bluevale 0-3
T4. St. David 0-3

Tomorrow's Games
9am - Huron Hts. vs Cameron Hts.
10:30am - St. David vs Bluevale
12 noon - Resurrection vs Cameron Hts.

D10 & D8 Standings Report - Friday, November 27th

Senior D10
T1. Centennial (2-0)
T1. St. James (2-0)
T3. Bishop Mac (1-1)
T3. Centre Wellington (1-1)
T3. Lourdes (1-1)
T3. JF Ross (1-1)
T7. GCVI (0-2)
T7. Orangeville (0-2)

Junior D10
T1. Bishop Mac (2-0)
T1. St. James (2-0)
T1. Lourdes (2-0)
T4. Centennial (1-1)
T4. Centre Wellington (1-1)
T6. GCVI (0-2)
T6. JF Ross (0-2)
T6. Orangeville (0-2)

Senior D8
T1. St. Mary's (1-0)
T1. St. Benedict (1-0)
T3. Resurrection (0-0)
T3. Rockway (0-0)
T5. St. David (0-1)
T5. Monsignor Doyle (0-1)

Junior D8
T1. St. Mary's (1-0)
T1. Resurrection (1-0)
T1. St. Benedict (1-0)
T4. St. David (0-1)
T4. Rockway (0-1)
T4. Monsignor Doyle (0-1)

Around the Horn - Friday, November 27th

Cvrkalj keys Bluevale's Heinbuch Win

After going 0-2 to start at the Heinbuch, CWOSSA teams rallied for victories in the late games at St. Mary's High School yesterday evening.

Firstly, the SJAM Highlanders of Waterloo, despite missing several players at OFSAA volleyball (including WCSSAA all-star Jake Robinet), came back from 12 points down in the 4th quarter to defeat London Westminster 48-46.

Mark Bryson's Record article today has the Highlanders losing to Westminster 48-43! Just so you know when you see two different game results.

However, the night was just getting started. I was hoping to make it out to the Bluevale/Beal game, and looks like I missed a dandy.

Stefan Cvrkalj banked home a tying buzzer-beater from midcourt as the Knights rallied from a nine point fourth quarter deficit. After a second overtime period (by which time Beal's entire starting lineup had fouled out), Bluevale came away with an 81-73 victory. Cvrkalj scored 37 points in the victory, the 5th highest total in any Heinbuch Classic game.

Today's matchup's include:
KCI vs. Mother Teresa (Noon, St. Mary's) **First Round Game**
Oakwood vs. SJAM (4:30, St. Mary's)
Emery vs. Bluevale (4:30, Huron Hts.)
St. David vs. HB Beal (3:00, Huron Hts)
Centennial vs. Westminster (3:00, St. Mary's)

Earlier CWOSSA scores were:
Oakwood 85, Guelph Centennial 59 (Robert House - 14 for CCVI)
Emery 51, St. David 39 (Dan Hummel - 19 for SDCSS)

OFSAA Action Continues Friday
Games on Tap for Local Teams:

Single A
(4) Rockway vs (7) King's Christian, 1:45pm Friday

Double A
(1) Bishop Mac vs (16) Denis O'Connor, 9:00am Friday (currently under way)

Triple A
(9) KCI vs (14) Fr. Leo, Noon Friday

Quad A
(1) St. John's vs (16) Barrie St. Joan of Arc, 10am Friday
(3) WCI vs (8) St. Marguerite D'Youville, 11:45am Friday

....I'll try to have updates periodically throughout the day.

Resurrection Round Robin Tourney on the Go
The annual "Resurrection Phoenix Early-Bird Round Robin" junior boys basketball tournament is under way at Resurrection CSS in Kitchener.

The tournament, which usually features only local clubs, has 3 WCSSAA schools (Bluevale, Cameron Heights, Huron Heights) and 2 D8 schools (St. David & Resurrection) competing this year.

As one would surmise, each team will play each other during the tournament, which wraps up tomorrow morning.

Local Teams off to Tough Start at Heinbuch

CWOSSA is winless (to this point) at the Heinbuch Classic roundball tournament in Kitchener.

In the tournament's first game, Centennial CVI of Guelph fell to Toronto Oakwood by an 84-59 final. Julian Clarke paced Oakwood with 16, while Robert House had 14 for the Spartans in a losing effort.

The second game on Thursday afternoon saw St. David drop a 51-39 decision to Toronto Emery. Anthony Ottley pumped in 23 points for the winners, while Daniel Hummel scored 19 for St. David.

Centennial will now play the loser of Mother Teresa and KCI (likely KCI) tomorrow at 3pm (St. Mary's) --- a quick turnaround after MT and KCI do battle at 12 noon.

St. David, meanwhile, gets the loser of Bluevale and London HB Beal tomorrow at Huron Heights. Tip time for that one is also 3pm.

WCI upset, St. John's Cruises at "AAAA" in Hamilton

Lindsay Taylor scored 13 and Shelby Kurt added 8 points but it wasn't enough for the 3rd seeded Waterloo CI Vikings at the "AAAA" OFSAA Championships in Hamilton as they fell to the 9th seed, London's Pope John Paul II by a 54-51 final. The Carriere sisters, Danielle (15) and Katelyn (14) set the pace for the Jaguars.

Brantford St. John's, the #1 seed in the tourney, had no trouble with #11 Toronto Northern. They jumped to a 28-11 halftime lead and cruised to a 52-24 final. The Eagles' balanced attack featured Arielle Mendoza leading the way with 11, while Kelly VanLeeuwen and Rachel Cleary contributed 9 each.

This means that if St. John's and WCI both win their next game, the teams would then meet in the quarterfinals in what would be a rematch of last weekend's CWOSSA championship game --- at least guaranteeing a CWOSSA medal.

D10 Results - Thursday, November 26th

SENIOR

Centre Wellington 79, Orangeville 45
My Pick: Centre Wellington
My Line Was: CW by 7

Tim Francis scored 23 points, and Gavin MacNamara added 12 in the Falcons' rout of Orangeville. For the Bears, Josh McCallum led the way with 11.

Our Lady of Lourdes 47, Guelph CVI 39
My Pick: Lourdes
My Line: Lourdes by 9

Almost picked this one bang on ---- thought it would be a bit higher scoring, however. Mike Finoro and Sharieff Peru continued their hot start for Lourdes with 20 and 16 respectively. Noman Yamini (11) and Anti Wesley-James (10) were high scorers for GCVI.

St. James 51, JF Ross 37
My Pick: JF Ross
My Line: Ross by 11

I said that JF Ross should be able to limit Ryan Higgins --- and they did, holding him to 17 points. However, they couldn't score themselves and the Lions end up starting the year 2-0. Kudos to them. Owen Moynihan and Brad Crnkovic led the Royals with 9 each.

Year To Date D10 Senior Picks Record: 7-1 (.857)

Junior Results
St. James 58 (Emilio Pavato 21), JF Ross 48 (Nick Maule 23)
Lourdes 48 (Chris Watson 16), GCVI 40 (Aaron Loder 15)
Centre Wellington 55 (Travis Laitar/Sivan Heeralall 10), Orangeville 26 (Josh Chua/Kyle Holmes 9)

KCI Upsets #3 Ingersoll 52-49 at "AAA" OFSAA

....huge win for KCI in their quest for a medal. Firstly, it keeps them on the opposite side of the draw as #1 General Amherst, meaning they will avoid potentially meeting up with them in the quarterfinals if both were to advance that far.

Secondly, you have to like their chances of possibly advancing to the semifinals with the following teams on their side of the bracket:
(11) Martingrove
(6) Bishop Ryan/(16) Westview (WINNER of that game)
(8) AN Myer/(14) Fr. Leo (LOSER of that game)

....in other words, the highest potential remaining seed on their side of the bracket would be 6th-seeded Bishop Ryan.

Still a lot of work to be done, but they're off to a good start. Good luck Raiders!

Girls OFSAA Updates......

****Latest Updates at the Top****

**FINAL SCORE ALERT - AAA OFSAA**
(9) KCI 52 (3) Ingersoll 49

**FINAL SCORE ALERT - A OFSAA**
(10) Sacre-Coeur 40 (4) Rockway 28

**FINAL SCORE ALERT - AA OFSAA**
(1) Bishop Mac 44 (11) North Grenville 29

Girls OFSAA Action Begins Today

The KCI Raiders' Senior Girls basketball team, seen to the right in this photo (courtesy The Record, 11/25/09) are one of five CWOSSA representatives in total at this week's OFSAA Basketball Championships.

The Raiders will play at 2:00pm in London at Catholic Central High School in London against #3 Ingersoll.

The Bishop Macdonnell Celtics of Guelph (#1 seed at AA) are the first CWOSSA team to tip-off, as they play at 1:00pm in Belleville against the #12 seeded North Grenville Knights.

The Rockway Flames (#4 in "A" OFSAA) do battle at 1:30pm against #10 Ecole Secondaire Sacre-Coeur from Sudbury.

CWOSSA's "AAAA" representatives have to wait until this evening before seeing action. #1 St. John's of Brantford takes on #11 Toronto Northern SS at 5:00pm, while #3 Waterloo CI battles #9 John Paul II HS. The St. John's game will be played at Hamilton's St. Mary's HS, while WCI heads over to Cathedral for their game.

Stay tuned through the day for updates as time permits.

CWOSSA 20+ Points Club

Note to readers: the CWOSSA "20+ points club" is now active at the bottom of the page (i.e. underneath the blog entries).

If you have any stats from games to forward my way, please let me know.

Poll Results - Readers think CCVI, SJAM best bets at Heinbuch

The annual Court Heinbuch Tournament tips off today at St. Mary's High School in Kitchener.

Today's games feature half the draw, including:

3pm - Guelph Centennial vs. Toronto Oakwood
4:30pm - Toronto Emery vs. Waterloo St. David
6:15pm - Waterloo SJAM vs. London Westminster
7:45pm - London HB Beal vs. Waterloo Bluevale

The other CWOSSA participant, KCI, plays tomorrow at noon against Scarborough Mother Teresa. Given the OFSAA schedule in London, I would think that KCI will be without head coach Nick White, who is down there with the KCI Senior Girls.

At any rate, over on the right side of the blog, there is a poll (still open for voting) on who you think will have the best performance of the local (CWOSSA) teams.

Thus far, 32 votes have been cast. Results to date:
Centennial - 11 (34%)
SJAM - 10 (31%)
Bluevale - 7 (22%)
KCI - 4 (13%)
St. David - 1 (3%)

Can't say I disagree with our readers, who have picked the veteran Centennial Spartans to this point. I'm a little surprised with SJAM coming in second, however, given the fact that a couple key players (i.e. Jake Robinet) will be away at OFSAA volleyball.

As per the hooptowngta.com website's "Super 16" ranking of GTA teams, they have Oakwood at #3 and Mother Teresa at #5. Toronto Emery is not in the top 16, but is an honourable mention.

Needless to say, looks like a tough opening round for our local teams, but the funny thing with the Heinbuch is that it seems to bring out the best in our CWOSSA guys. Who can forget a couple of years back when Mary's lost a close game to Carr (I believe) by 2 on their home court? Last year saw a bunch of tight games as well......perhaps the trend will continue.

Another trend that will continue, in my opinion, will be the WCSSAA/D8 championship drought, as it doesn't look like this will be the year for any of our locals to pull out the victory.

District 10 Picks - Thursday, November 25th

Games Scheduled For Thursday, November 25th....

All Senior Games Tip at 4:00pm, Junior Games go at 5:30pm.

Senior
Orangeville (0-1) at Centre Wellington (0-1)
Guelph CVI (0-1) at Our Lady of Lourdes (0-1)
JF Ross (1-0) at St. James (1-0)

Orangeville (0-1) at Centre Wellington (0-1)
My Pick: Centre Wellington
My Line: CW by 7

The Bears of ODSS came close to Bishop Mac in their first game, but I think the Falcons will be a bit too much at home.

Guelph CVI (0-1) at Our Lady of Lourdes (0-1)
My Pick: Lourdes
My Line: Lourdes by 9

Rookies Sharieff Peru and Mike Finoro pumped in 50 points combined in a narrow loss to JF Ross on Tuesday. I think they'll get it done at home against the Gaels.

JF Ross (1-0) at St. James (1-0)
My Pick: JF Ross
My Line: Ross by 11

Ross has some quality defenders that should be able to limit Ryan Higgins --- note that I said "limit", not "stop" (there's a difference there). Ross takes this battle of East Guelph.

Year To Date D10 Senior Picks Record: 5-0

Junior
Orangeville (0-1) at Centre Wellington (0-1) --- Pick: CWDHS
Guelph CVI (0-1) at Our Lady of Lourdes (1-0) --- Picks: Lourdes
JF Ross (0-1) at St. James (1-0) --- Pick: JF Ross

Wednesday, November 25th Results - D8 & D10

D10 - Senior

Centennial 63, Bishop Mac 27
My Pick Was: Centennial
My Line: CCVI by 23

Robert House scored 16 and top rookie Serge Khayipangi added 13 for Centennial in a romp over the Celtics at Bishop Mac.

For BMac, two rookies combined for 20 of their 27 points --- Justin Manarang had 12, and AJ Lacasmana scored 8.

After a narrow win over Orangeville and a blowout loss to Centennial, it looks like it could be a long year on Clair Rd....

D10 Junior
Bishop Mac 62, Centennial 48
BM: Mitchell Wood 14, Jessie Kendall 10
CCVI: Erik Sterne 20, Aleks Kaludjerovic 11

D8 - Senior

St. Mary's 59, St. David 49
My Pick Was: St. David
My Line: SDCSS by 7

The Eagles step up and beat the Celtics on the road. Can't say I'm surprised, as Mary's does have a nice team, but there goes my perfect prognosticating right off the bat in D8....

Alex Thompson led St. Mary's with 16, and Ben Bankazo added 14 for St. Mary's. Dan Hummel had 15 and Tyson Lavigne 10 for the Celtics.

St. Benedict 64, Monsignor Doyle 54
My Pick was: St. Benedict
My Line: St. Benedict by 12

Tyrone Tyndale pumped in 25 points in a winning effort for the Saints. Fellow Saint Derrick Strickland added 17.

For Monsignor Doyle, Shayne Teet had 22 and Brody VanGestel had 11.

D8 - Junior

Resurrection 77, Rockway 26
RCSS: Adam Schneider 13, Ryan De Vega 12
RMC: Jordan Fayez 9, Nick Reid 9

St. Benedict 38, Monsignor Doyle 28
SBCSS: Kevin Heath 17, Steve Zatychies 7
MDCSS: Ryan Clayton 10, Mark Sanchez 5

District 10 Picks & Spreads - November 25th

One game today in the D10 league.....bumped up from Thursday as a result of Centennial's participation in the Heinbuch:

Centennial (1-0) at Bishop Mac (1-0)
My Pick: Centennial
My Line: CCVI by 23

The veteran Spartans should be too much for the Celtics in this one. Was BM looking ahead to their game with Centennial when they played Orangeville yesterday? I guess we'll find out. I don't think that the Celts have the offensive horses right now to hang with Rob House and co.

This game is slated for a 4:00 tip over at Bishop Mac. The junior game will be played today as well afterwards (scheduled for 5:30).

Year To Date D10 Senior Picks Record: 4-0

District 8 Picks & Spreads - November 25th

St. Benedict @ Monsignor Doyle
My Pick: St. Benedict
Line: SBCSS by 12

Big game for both these clubs early as they look to establish themselves as a contender for a playoff spot.

At this point, I think the Saints have a bit too much firepower for the Mustangs.

St. Mary's @ St. David
My Pick: St. David
Line: SDCSS by 7

And, right off the bat, a finals rematch from last year's D8 championship. St. Mary's improved more (personnel wise) than St. David did over the offseason, but the champs are still the champs.

Resurrection @ Rockway - Postponed due to Rockway at OFSAA Volleyball

Junior Games & Picks
Resurrection @ Rockway (Pick: Resurrection)
St. Mary's @ St. David (Pick: St. Mary's)
St. Benedict @ Monsignor Doyle (Pick: St. Benedict)

District 10 Results - Tuesday, November 24th

Will update as the results come in.

SENIOR

Centennial 67, Centre Wellington 36
My Pick was: Centennial
My Line was: CCVI by 35

No trouble in the opener for the defending D10 champs. Robert House scored 24 points while Adrian Varilla contributed 13 for Centennial. For the Falcons, Tim Francis had 11 and Reid Goindi scored 10.

St. James 49, GCVI 42
My Pick Was: St. James
My Line Was: STJ by 8

Grade 12 star Ryan Higgins had 24 points in a winning effort for St. James. GCVI's James Ingram had 13, and Jon Warnholtz had 8.

JF Ross 74, Lourdes 65
My Pick Was: JF Ross
My Line Was: JFR by 22

Grade 11 rookies Sharieff Peru and Mike Finoro wasted no time in putting up some numbers at the senior level --- Peru scored 26 and Finoro 24, albeit in a losing effort.

For JF Ross, top returnee Ryan Cook led a balanced attack with 16. Four other Royals contributed 8 each.

Bishop Mac 44, Orangeville 39
My Pick Was: Bishop Mac
My Line Was: BM by 31

A bit surprised by how close this was, but then again it's early. Kyle Phillips led BM with 12 points, while Gordon Dewar had 13 points and Cody McMahon 10 for Orangeville.


JUNIOR

Lourdes 67, JF Ross 58
Lourdes is a veteran team and I expect them to have some success this year. If I'm not mistaken, they only lose 2 players to senior ---- although they were the two guys who combined for 50 points in Lourdes' senior loss to JF Ross.

Chris Watson had 24 for OLOL while Jordan Trimble scored 9. Ross was led by Mike Friesen's 19, while Nick Maule had 13.

Bishop Mac 74, Orangeville 30
Mitchell Wood (Connor's younger brother) scored 14 points for the Celtics, while teammate Sean Young put in 10.

ODSS' Kyle Holmes led all scorers with 16, and Jamie McMahon had 6 more for the Bears.

Centennial 54, Centre Wellington 44
Alex Kaludjerevic scored 21 for Centennial, and teammate Eric Sterne scored 15. Braewyn Bird netted 15 in a losing effort for the Falcons.

St. James 48, Guelph CVI 36
Ron Kinga scored 15 for St. James, while teammate Emilio Pivato added 10. Aaron Loder responded with 16 for the Gaels.

D8 Senior Basketball Preview - 2009/10

The District 8 basketball season kicks off on Wednesday, with a couple of games --- including a very interesting matchup right off the bat in St. Mary's visiting St. David (3:30pm start). Monsignor Doyle and St. Benedict will meet in a Cambridge clash, while Rockway and Resurrection's Wednesday tilt has been postponed due to the Flames participation in "A" Volleyball.

Here's a quick run-down of the teams, in my predicted order of finish.

St. David Celtics
Last Year: D8 & CWOSSA "AAA" Champions

No Bryson? No problem. The Celtics, coached by Dave MacNeil, return a bunch of guys from last year's CWOSSA "AAA" Championship team, and they are expected to contend for the D8 title as well as the CWOSSA Crown.

Tyson Lavigne & (hopefully a healthy) Dan Hummel will lead the charge for the Celts --- keep in mind this team will be mostly comprised of guys that went undefeated in junior a couple years back.

St. David doesn't get much help from a third place junior squad, but rookie Nick Batten adds some size in the frontcourt.

St. Mary's Eagles
Last Year: D8 Finalists & CWOSSA "AAAA" Semifinalists

St. Mary's surprised a bunch of people, myself included, by managing not only to secure D8's "AAAA" CWOSSA berth, but by advancing to within one game of the OFSAA championships.

This year's squad returns some nice size in the frontcourt for coach Jason Hergott, including veteran Mike Kasunic.

The Eagles, who had arguably the second-best junior team in the region after Resurrection, will add a few solid rookies to the senior squad, incluing guard Alex Thompson, guard Isaac Lance, forward Daniel Harun and guard/forward Zak Hannah.


Resurrection Phoenix
Last Year: 3rd Place D8

Matt Kras' Phoenix get an influx of talent from their 48-2 junior "AAAA" CWOSSA championship team, but I still think they might be a year away from serious senior-level success.

Hoping to make that prediction wrong will be rookies Tyler Schneider, Andrew Mwangi, Cam Gibbs, John Moi, and Jamie Keil, to name a few. Brandon Lee will be called upon for leadership in the backcourt, while fellow fifth year veterans Mike Tyler and Matt Stocco will combine with Ryan Herron to provide some solid size in the frontcourt. It might be tough for some teams to handle, but will it be enough to get a CWOSSA berth? Time will tell.

St. Bendict Saints
Last Year: Did Not Make Playoffs

An interesting trivia question - what is the only D8 team to ever qualify for AAAA OFSAA? No, not St. Mary's or Resurrection ---- it's the St. Benedict Saints (2003).

The Saints are nowhere near OFSAA calibre this year, but they should be able to claim the 4th playoff spot in a deep D8 league.

Derrick Strickland, Tyrone Tyndale and Dane Osborne are key returnees for the Saints.

Rockway Flames
Last Year: 4th Place D8

The Flames lose Tim Minkarious, and, likely a spot in this year's D8 playoffs after a solid run over the last few years.

Veteran Zach Steckley will lead the charge for Rockway, who also add a prolific scorer from the junior ranks in Josh Klassen.

Monsignor Doyle Mustangs
Last Year: Did Not Make Playoffs

It is expected to be another long year for the Monsignor Doyle Mustangs --- but I will say that they are starting to build a program. Their junior team almost made the playoffs last year, while having a midget team as well over the last few years has further increased the number of kids playing basketball at the school. Hopefully they'll begin to see some dividends over the next couple of years.

As for their 09-10 squad, look for veterans Shane Teet, Brody Van Gestel and Corin Langille to lead the way offensively. Grade 11 rookie Tyler Declan will add some muscle up front for the 'Stangs.

Around the Horn - Tuesday, November 24th

Raiders Seeded 9th at "AAA" OFSAA
The KCI Raiders, fresh off their CWOSSA victory, are seeded 9th overall heading into the 16-team OFSAA "AAA" tournament in London.

The tournament is set-up as such where the first round games are "seeding" games, and you are guaranteed at least 2 games. The Raiders play #3 Ingersoll in their first game --- and the loser of the first round game between the #8 and #14 teams.

Rockway Gets #4 Ranking at "A" OFSAA
After blowing away the competition at "A" CWOSAA last week, the Rockway Flames have earned the 4th overall seed at the OFSAA Championships in Cornwall.

Rideau District HS of Elgin is the #1 seed, while Ridley College (St. Catharines - #2) and Ecole Sécondaire Confédération (Welland - #3) are the other clubs ranked ahead of Rockway.

Rockway opens play against the 10th seed, Ecole Sécondaire du Sacre-Coeur from Sudbury.

Arezina off to Strong Start for Gaels
Stefan Arezina poured in 30 points as the Cameron Heights Golden Gaels defeated the Resurrection Phoenix in Senior Boys' exhibition play at RCSS on Monday night by a 54-45 score.

Yes, the Phoenix are finally back at full strength after football season and haven't made their final roster yet, but I think the Gaels are a team that might be able to make some noise in the WCSSAA ranks. Along with Arezina, the Gaels have some quality rookies including Amjed Osman, Adnan Shah, and Stefan Cucak, who all hit the scoresheet last night.

For Resurrection, Tyler Schneider had 12 points and Ryan Herron contributed 8.

The Junior Phoenix defeated Cameron Heights 53-46 in a game in which both teams substituted freely.

D8 Schedule Change
Due to the Rockway Flames Senior Boys' Volleyball team qualifying for the OFSAA "A" championships this week, their league opener against Resurrection (originally scheduled for this Wednesday @ 4:00pm) has been postponed.

In addition, the junior game between the Flames and Phoenix has been moved up from 5:30pm to the 4:00pm timeslot.

D10 Kicks Off Tonight
The D-10 (Guelph & area) league kicks off regular season play tonight with all teams seeing action. Games and tip-times are:

Bishop Mac @ Orangeville (Senior 3:45, Junior 5:15)
Centennial @ Centre Wellington (Senior 4:00, Junior 5:30)
St. James @ Guelph CVI (Senior 4:00, Junior 5:30)
Lourdes @ JF Ross (Senior 4:00 - Gym 1, Junior 4:00 - Gym 2)

Heinbuch Classic Set to Go This Weekend

The annual "Heinbuch Classic" Senior Boys' roundball tournament, hosted by Huron Heights SS and St. Mary's HS in Kitchener, is set for this coming weekend (November 26-28).

Local CWOSSA teams include the KCI Raiders, Bluevale Knights and SJAM Highlanders (WCSSAA); the Centennial Spartans (D10/Guelph); and the St. David CSS Celtics (Waterloo/D8).

Opening Round Matchups for the Locals Include:

Centennial vs Toronto Oakwood (3pm Thursday - St. Mary's)
Toronto Emery vs St. David (4:30pm Thursday - St. Mary's)
SJAM vs London Westminster (6:15pm Thursday - St. Mary's)
Bluevale vs London HB Beal (7:45pm Thursday - St. Mary's)
KCI vs Scarborough Mother Teresa (12 noon Friday - St. Mary's)

A Kitchener/Waterloo/Cambridge team has never won the Heinbuch Classic. The KCI team of 2004-05 was the closest, losing in the Gold Final to Mother Teresa by a 61-49 score.

CWOSSA has had some success before though - Guelph St. James won in 1998, and Brantford Assumption gained a repeat win for CWOSSA in 1999.

Here's the current list of most games won for schools throughout the history of the Heinbuch:
1. Toronto Runnymede CI (35)
2. Hamilton Cathedral (24)
3. Hamilton St. Mary's (23)
T4. Kitchener Grand River (19)
T4. Hamilton St. Thomas More (19)
T6. Sudbury LaSalle (16)
T6. Ajax Pickering (16)
T8. Brantford North Park (15)
T8. Brantford St. John's (15)
T8. Waterloo Bluevale (15)
T8. Guelph Centennial (15)
T8. Waterloo CI (15)
T8. Scarborough Mother Teresa (15)
T8. London HB Beal (15)
15. Kitchener CI (14)
16. Markham Milliken Mills (13)

Bishop Mac Earns #1 Seed at OFSAA "AA"

Make that two #1 seeds for CWOSSA teams entering this week's OFSAA championships.

The Bishop Mac Celtics from Guelph, last year's "AA" OFSAA champions, have been seeded first overall at this year's championship in Cornwall.

Perhaps they will be surprised to see that the General Amherst High School Lady Gens will not be at this year's OFSAA tournament. General Amherst, who won four consecutive OFSAA titles before Bishop Mac beat them in the final last year, have now moved up to the "AAA" level. Taking their place from their region is Strathroy's Holy Cross, who have earned the #2 seed.

Rounding out the top five are: St. Francis (St. Catharines) at #3, Sault Ste. Marie's St. Basil (#4), and #5 seed Kingston LaSalle.

Former WCI Star Kotsopoulos Having Successful Start to Senior Year

Former WCI Vikings' Girls Star May Kotsopoulos is off to another great start for the University of Vermont Catamounts.

The 5'10" senior guard is averaging 23.0 PPG, 2.0 assists and 1.7 steals for Vermont, who currently sport a 3-0 record. In addition, she is shooting 50.0% from the floor and 40.0% from behind the arc.

Girls "AAAA" OFSAA Seedings Released

Both St. John's and Waterloo CI earn top 3 nods.

Official Seedings:
#1 - St. John's College (Brantford)
#2 - Notre Dame CSS (Burlington)
#3 - Waterloo Collegiate (Waterloo)
#4 - St. Anne CSS (Tecumseh)
#5 - St. Mary CSS (Hamilton)
#6 - Pope John Paul II (Scarborough)
#7 - Notre Dame CHS (Ajax)
#8 - St. Marguerite D'Youville (Brampton)
#9 - John Paul II HS (London)
#10 - David & Mary Thomson CI (Toronto)
#11 - Northern SS (Toronto)
#12 - Westdale SS (Hamilton)
#13 - Cardinal Leger SS (Brampton)
#14 - St. Matthew SS (Ottawa)
#15 - Markham DHS (Markham)
#16 - St. Joan of Arc SS (Barrie)

Mark's Picks - Tuesday, November 24th

Senior

D10
Bishop Mac @ Orangeville DSS
Pick: Bishop Mac
Line: BM -31

Centennial @ Centre Wellington
Pick: Centennial
Line: CCVI -35

St. James @ GCVI
Pick: St. James
Line: STJ -8

Lourdes @ JF Ross
Pick: JF Ross
Line: JFR -22

D10 Year To Date: 0-0

Full Results - Girls A, AA, AAA, AAAA CWOSSA

Your one spot stop for all the results from last week and weekend.......

A CWOSSA
Junior
Semifinal #1 - Pere Rene de Galinée 46, Waterford 41
Semifinal #2 - Delhi 39, Chesley 22

Championship - Pere Rene de Galinée 31, Delhi 22

Senior
Semifinal #1 - Walkerton 34, Valley Heights 33
Semifinal #2 - Rockway 64, Delhi 24

Championship - Rockway 46, Walkerton 20

AA CWOSSA
Junior
Semifinal #1 - Bishop Macdonnell 54, Kincardine 10
Semifinal #2 - Erin DHS 43, Owen Sound CVI 40

Championship - Bishop Macdonnell 68, Erin DHS 23

Senior
Semifinal #1 - Bishop Mac 61, Owen Sound CVI 23
Semifinal #2 - Kincardine 46, Simcoe Composite 37

Championship - Bishop Macdonnell 73, Simcoe Composite 27

AAA CWOSSA
Junior

Quarterfinals
(1) North Park 43 (8) Grey Highlands 12
(2) Southwood 36 (7) Pauline Johnson 17
(3) St. James 54 (6) Monsignor Doyle 28
(4) Jacob Hespeler 47 (2) KCI 22

Semifinals
(1) North Park 50 (4) Jacob Hespeler 25
(3) St. James 40 (2) Southwood 38

Championship
(1) North Park 61 (3) St. James 46

Senior

Quarterfinals
(1) North Park 79 (8) Centre Dufferin 40
(2) KCI 53 (7) West Hill 34
(3) Brantford CI 55 (6) Elmira 28
(5) Galt CI 47 (4) St. David 40 (2OT)

Semifinals
(1) North Park 70 (5) Galt 38
(2) KCI 44 (3) Brantford CI 38

Championship
(2) KCI 66 (1) North Park 59

AAAA CWOSSA

Junior

Pool A
Waterloo CI 51 (Alex Klein 14), Centennial CVI 37 (Megan Chaisson 7)
St. Mary's 64 (Kaitlyn Schenck 36), Centennial CVI 34 (Hannah Ferguson 16)
St. Mary's 54 (Kaitlyn Schenck 30), Waterloo CI 52 (Erin Helsby 20) - in OT

Pool B
JF Ross 49 (Carolyn Holmes 10), Bluevale 44 (Natalie Bishop 20)
Brantford Assumption 53 (Jerika Baldin 11), Bluevale 43 (Sarah Hamm 15)
Brantford Assumption 53 (Sarah Harris 21), JF Ross 33 (Sydney Resch 13)

Semifinals
St. Mary's 48 (Kaitlyn Schenck 26), JF Ross 36 (Sydney Resch 10)
Assumption 38 (Sarah Harris 16), Waterloo CI 29 (Erin Helsby 9)

Championship
Assumption 52 (Emily Gill 16), St. Mary's 47 (Kaitlyn Schenck 35)

Senior

Pool A
Waterloo CI 94 (Lindsay Taylor 23), Centennial CVI 33 (Bethany Foster 10)
St. Mary's 42 (Naomi Lance 13), Centennial CVI 27 (Charlotte Clarke 8)
Waterloo CI 62 (Lindsay Taylor 16), St. Mary's 24 (Amanda Proulx 10)

Pool B
JF Ross 54 (Mackenzie Merkley 17), SJAM 43 (Krista Van Slingerland 18)
St. John's 70 (Devon Rizzo 10), SJAM 36 (Krista Van Slingerland 21)
St. John's 67 (Devon Rizzo 9), JF Ross 26 (Stephanie Monroe 10)

Semifinals
Waterloo CI 60 (Megan Fowler 19), JF Ross 43 (Gemma Bullard/Mackenzie Merkley 15)
St. John's 68 (Katie Polischuk 12), St. Mary's 20 (Naomi Lance 8)

Championship
St. John's 75 (Kayla Santilli 21), Waterloo CI 47 (Shelby Kurt 16)

Around the Horn - Sunday, November 22nd

Green Eagles Victorious in "AAAA" CWOSSA
The St. John's Green Eagles, who have to be considered a medal favourite at the "AAAA" OFSAA championships this coming week, defeated the Waterloo CI Vikings by a 75-47 count yesterday evening in Waterloo.

Kayla Santilli led St. John's with 21, while Shelby Kurt was the high scorer for WCI with 16.

The Vikings will also qualify for the "AAAA" OFSAA Championships, which take place in Hamilton.

On the junior side of the ball, the Brantford Assumption Lions were able to withstand St. Mary's guard Kaitlin Schenck's 35-point outburst to defeat the Eagles 52-47 and claim the AAAA crown.

Emily Gill and Abby Herron had 16 each for the Lions.

Schenck, meanwhile, had a CWOSSA performance for the ages. She had 26 in the semifinals (48-36 win over Guelph JF Ross), 36 in the first round against Centennial (64-34 win) and another 30 points against WCI in the first round (52-50 OT win). That's 31.8 PPG!

St. Mary's Senior Coach Jeff Roth must be excited to see that sort of offensive potential come up to the senior ranks next year --- the highest point total registered by any St. Mary's senior girl this year was Naomi Lance's 13 against Centennial in CWOSSA.

Raiders take "AAA" Senior Title
The KCI Raiders and North Park Trojans will represent CWOSSA at the "AAA" OFSAA level.

The Raiders were victorious by a 66-59 count in last night's final. Rachael Urosevic had 28 to lead KCI.

The junior Trojans defeated the St. James Lions of Guelph 61-46 in the junior final.

Forest Heights Victorious in Sarnia
The annual Sarnia "Black and Blue" tournament, co-hosted by Sarnia St. Patrick's and Sarnia St. Christopher's, took place this past weekend.

Local teams included Forest Heights, Resurrection, and Sir John A. Macdonald.

The Trojans ended up winning the tournament championship, with a victory over Sarnia Northern in the championship game. They earlier defeated SJAM in the championship semifinals --- although SJAM was missing 6 or 7 players due to their junior football championship tilt.

As for last year's CWOSSA champs, the Resurrection Phoenix already have as many losses as they did all of last season. Resurrection went 1-1 in pool play and ended up losing in the consolation final to St. Christopher's.

Former GRCI Star Qahwash Takes on Kansas

Former Grand River ('06) star Imad Qahwash and his University of Central Arkansas Bears travelled to Lawrence, Kansas, to battle the Kansas Jayhawks (#1 team in the NCAA) yesterday evening.

The Jayhawks were victorious, 94-44. Qahwash had an interesting encounter in the 2nd half where he inadvertently stepped on Sherron Collins' ankle, causing him to temporarily leave the game. For those who don't know, Collins is the Jayhawks starting point guard and a probable first round NBA draft pick. For video footage from ESPN and recap click here.

Qahwash, who has been the Bears starting point guard in all three games this year, finished with 5 points (1-5 FG, 3-4 FT), 4 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 steal in 27 minutes of action.

It was definitely one of the great experiences of Qahwash's career. "After they won the tip it felt like I was in the Final Four," he said. "I looked up at Sharron Collins with the ball in his hands and I knew it was on and it was for real --- not many kids get the chance to play against the number one team but I am grateful for (the opportunity)."

The Bears will host Western Illinois at home on Saturday before taking on another talented NCAA opponent, travelling to the University of Memphis to battle the Tigers next week --- a game that will be played at the FedEx forum, an arena also used by the NBA's Memphis Grizzlies.

On a personal note, nice to see a lot of former CWOSSA players having key roles with their NCAA teams this year and contributing on the court. I'll have periodic updates of who is where and how teams are doing throughout the season......

AAA CWOSSA Rankings & Picks

Rankings are as follows:

JUNIOR
1. North Park (Brantford - D5 Champions)
2. Southwood (WCSSAA Finalist)
3. St. James (D10 Champions)
4. Jacob Hespeler (WCSSAA Semifinalist)
5. KCI
6. Monsignor Doyle
7. Pauline Johnson
8. Grey Highlands

Thoughts: It gets pretty weak after the top 5. Monsignor Doyle didn't even make the D8 playoffs this year, so I think we'll see some first round blowouts. JHSS should handle KCI with ease as well in the 4/5 game.

St. James is a team to watch. They've beaten Bishop Mac in the playoffs (perhaps one of the top 2 junior teams in CWOSSA), and won the final over JF Ross. They're peaking at the right time, and have hit 16 threes in their last 2 games. Impressive stuff at the junior level.

My picks:
(1) North Park over (8) Grey Highlands
(2) SSS over (7) PJ
(3) St. James over (6) MDCSS
(4) JHSS over (5) KCI

Semifinals:
(3) St. James over (2) SSS
(1) North Park over (4) JHSS

Final:
(1) North Park over (3) St. James


SENIOR
1. North Park (D5 Finalist)
2. KCI (WCSSAA Champions)
3. Brantford CI
4. St. David (D8 Champions)
5. Galt
6. Elmira
7. West Hill
8. Centre Dufferin

Thoughts: Surprised that North Park takes the #1 spot over KCI, but both teams should likely make the final.

My picks:
(1) NP over (8) CDDHS
(2) KCI over (7) West Hill
(3) Brantford CI over (6) Elmira
(4) St. David over (5) Galt

Semifinals:
(1) NP over (4) St. David
(2) KCI over (3) Brantford

Final:
(2) KCI over (1) North Park


Typo of the Day

Mark Bryson's K-W Record article on the KCI victory says that KCI will be taking on "Toronto's West Hill Collegiate" in the first round of the CWOSSA championship.

See his article here.

Toronto's West Hill does come up first on a google search, but the team actually participating at CWOSSA will be West Hill Secondary School of Owen Sound. West Hill is the largest school in the Bluewater board, with approximately 1200 students.

Around The Horn - Friday, November 20th

District 8 Sweeps "A" CWOSSA

The D8 league came away with both "A" CWOSSA titles yesterday afternoon.

In the junior league, the PRDG Chevaliers from Cambridge took the crown with a 31-22 victory over Delhi DHS. PRDG earlier defeated Waterford by a 46-41 count in the semifinals.

On the senior girls side, the Rockway Flames won yet another title with relative ease. The Flames doused Delhi 64-26 in their semifinal game, and then took down Walkerton in the final, 46-20.

The Flames now advance to the Senior Girls "A" OFSAA Championships, which take place next week in Cornwall.

St. Mary's Senior Boys Beat Bluevale, Junior Huskies beat Eagles

The St. Mary's Eagles defeated Bluevale CI in an OT thriller yesterday evening. Don't have any more details at this time, but the few exhibition games that have been played between "top tier" teams thus far have all been close. Yes, it's early, and some teams are still missing guys with fall sports going on.....but hoepfully that's a sign of parity and will lead to an exciting race for the CWOSSA crown and the OFSAA berths.

In junior action, Huron Heights dumped St. Mary's --- is this a sign that Huron is up this year or that Mary's is down? Time will tell.

Forest Heights Senior Boys off to Hamilton

The Senior FHCI Trojans will be making a visit to Hamilton this weekend to participate in the Parkside Senior Boys Tournament.

The 8 team tournament is as follows:

(Today - Nov 20th)
10am - St. Mary's (Hamilton) vs Parkside
11:30am - Forest Hts vs Holy Trinity (Oakville)

1pm - Cathedral vs Westdale
2:30pm - St. Christopher's (Sarnia) vs Nelson

....needless to say, a tough draw for the Trojans. The Titans of Holy Trinity are one of the better teams in the Golden Horseshoe, so it will be a tough one to win. That said, it's nice to see them challenging themselves against high-calibre competition in an early season tourney after not being selected for the Heinbuch.

D10, D8 Schedules Start Next Week

The D10 league schedule is set for tip-off next week, with a key game almost right off the bat on Wednesday, November 25th. The Centennial Spartans will travel down the Hanlon to battle the Bishop Macdonell Celtics in a battle of two teams that many predict will battle for the league crown.

The D8 schedule has 3 games on Wednesday the 25th as well --- Resurrection @ Rockway, St. Mary's @ St. David (in a key early season Senior match-up), and a Cambridge clash between St. Bendict and Monsignor Doyle.

Around The Horn - Thursday, November 19th

Quickly around the horn.....

SJAM Tops Rez in Sr. Exhibition Play

On Tuesday, SJAM battled Resurrection in a Senior Exhibition Basketball game. Both teams were without key contributors due to football and volleyball action (Jake Robinet - SJAM & Tyler Schneider - RCSS to name a couple).

SJAM took the game, 45-40. It was a 14-13 (ew) game at halftime.

Rez will battle Cameron Heights on Monday afternoon in another exhibition tilt.

Three Junior Teams Heading to Sarnia

Three top local junior teams --- Forest Heights, SJAM, and Resurrection will all be heading to Sarnia this weekend for the annual St. Christopher's "Black and Blue" tournament.

The Phoenix defeated FHCI in last year's final, while SJAM was a semifinalist.

Of note --- SJAM, who many project as a top team in AAAA CWOSSA, will be shorthanded as their junior football team (featuring Theshawn Berry et al) will be competing in the title game Saturday afternoon.

AA Girls CWOSSA

Was hosted yesterday by Our Lady of Lourdes in Guelph. Although I don't have results as of yet, it's safe to say that Bishop Mac likely came away with both junior & senior titles in the 4 team, single elimination draw.

The Celtics, last year's AA OFSAA Gold Medalists, destroyed JF Ross in the D10 Senior final by a 61-35 count. Their junior squad finished first during the D10 regular season before being upset by a St. James squad that nailed 9 threes on them en route to victory.

CWOSSA "AAAA" Senior Girls Preview

Pool A


Waterloo CI Vikings (WCSSAA #1)



The Vikings will have little time to reflect on their heartbreaking loss to KCI in the WCSSAA finals, as the CWOSSA "AAAA" tournament kicks off on Friday.

The Vikes have any number of players that can go off for double figures, including Shelby Kurt, Carly Tithecott, and Lindsay Taylor. Bria Dietrich brings up the defensive intensity on that side of the ball for the Vikes.

I look for WCI to secure yet another OFSAA "AAAA" spot with a trip to the finals.

Centennial CVI Spartans (D10 #2)



The Spartans, who did not participate at the CWOSSA "AAAA" championships last season, will be making a return trip to the big dance.

Centennial finished 3rd overall in the D10 league (10-4), thanks in part to strong play from Laura Brown, who was the Spartans' leading scorer in every regular season game this season but one --- tallying a 16.0 PPG average. Grade 10 rookie Charlotte Clarke, has impressed playing up at the senior level and provides some added front court depth. Chloe Korol is also a key contributor.

St. Mary's HS Eagles (D8 #1)


Like the Vikings, the Eagles are coming away from a heartbreaking final loss, theirs coming to St. David in the D8 championship game (37-35).

Like last year where they went winless, the Eagles will face an uphill battle in pool play. Guard Naomi Lance and Amanda Proulx will have to be at the top of their game for the Eagles to advance out of pool play.

Pool B

JF Ross Royals (D10 #1)



The Ross Royals, runners up to Bishop Mac in the D10 league might actually be the heavy underdogs in the "B" pool despite their successful season to date.

Grade 12 forward Gemma Bullard, who also actually played overseas for England's U-18 team this summer (scoring 15 points in a game against Finland), will have to have a better performance than in the D10 finals, where Bishop Mac keyed on her and held her to 3 points.

Stephanie Monroe, Vanessa Martini, and Mackenzie Merkeley will all be counted on for solid contributions this weekend.

St. John's College Eagles (D5 #1)



The Eagles, who played at the "AAA" level last season, have made the jump up to Quad-A with ease. It goes without saying that they are the favourites entering this tournament, after some impressive wins over some Ontario powerhouses (including WCI) ---- they have a current record of 37-0 on the season.

Kelly Van Leeuwen and Andrea Polischuk lead a balanced attack for the Green and White.

SJAM Highlanders (WCSSAA #2)



The Highlanders might be able to make some noise in this tournament, and I'll predict them to claim the 2nd spot in "B" pool over the Ross Royals.

Jordan Tomas is a prolific scorer, while Krista Van Slingerland is a consistent second option for the Highlanders. Rochelle Thiel adds depth for SJAM.


Pool Predictions

"A"
Waterloo CI 2-0
Centennial CVI 1-1
St. Mary's 0-2

"B"
St. John's 2-0
SJAM 1-1
JF Ross 0-2

Semifinals
WCI over SJAM
St. John's over Centennial

Final
St. John's over WCI

KCI squeaks by WCI to win Senior Title

As good as the Senior Girls' Basketball team at KCI has been this year, you had to figure they were up against it when they went to battle the WCI Vikings down at Preston High School on Wednesday night.

The Raiders, however, got the monkey off their backs and escaped with a two-point victory, ending the Vikes' long playoff and regular season (WCSSAA) win streak.

The junior final saw WCI defeat Southwood.

More on this to come.

2009 AAAA CWOSSA - Junior Girls' Preview

Will be doing a few of these over the next couple of days -- AAA & AAAA, junior & senior.

CWOSSA "AAAA" Girls Preview

If some of these teams and players seem familiar, they should be. Four of six teams competing in the Junior "AAAA" Championship were here last year. Here's a quick rundown of the teams as well as my selections.

Junior - Pool "A"

St. Mary's Eagles (Kitchener - D8 #1)

The Eagles enter this tournament as the prohibitive favourite. They return the majority of their scoring offense from last year's team that advanced to the CWOSSA semfinals.

Guard Kaitlyn Schenck is the catalyst for the Eagles, and is a consistent double digit scorer who can fill the net in a variety of ways. Laura Boterman provides added depth in the backcourt.

Waterloo CI Vikings (Waterloo - WCSSAA #1)

Despite having 2 top grade 10s (Lindsay Lessard & Lindsay Taylor) play up in senior, the Vikes are back in the CWOSSA playdowns.

This year's team got off to a rocky start, including a loss to Galt (a non-playoff WCSSAA team). However, the Vikes have hit their stride and are the favourite in tomorrow's WCSSAA final against Southwood. They are led by Erin Helsby, Alex Klein, and Julia Pavlik.


Centennial CVI Spartans (Guelph - D10 #2)



The young Spartans only posted a 5-9 record en route to a 5th place finish during D10 league play this season, however, they get the CWOSSA nod as the three teams that they finished ahead of were all "AAAA" schools.

It will likely be a quick "two and out" for CCVI, but hopefully they can build on things with a young roster for next year. That said, you never know what can happen in a "one game" situation.

Lizzy Woods and Kendra Achonwa are the top performers to keep an eye on for the Spartans.


Junior - Pool "B"

John F. Ross Royals (Guelph - D10 #1)



The Royals gained experience last year and are hoping to improve on their CWOSSA experience from a year ago, where they lost both pool-play games.

JF Ross has a bevy of talented guards, led by veterans Silvie Cafarella and Carolyn Holmes, and grade nine Sydney Resch, Ross' MVP in their D10 championship game loss to St. James. Rachel Pollock provides some front-court scoring.

The Royals have been inconsistent at times, and will have to be at their best in order to advance out of a very tough "B" pool.

Bluevale CI Knights (WCSSAA #2)

The Knights, a semifinalist from a year ago, are back and hoping to improve on that finish.

They enter as the 2nd WCSSAA seed, but have proven they can hang with the top teams (they were the only team to defeat JHSS during regular season play).

With last year's dynamite player, Elissa Dent, having moved up to senior, several players have stepped in to fill the void. They include Natalie Bishop, Amy Shinkar, and Hannah Fishbein.

The Knights are a slight underdog in their pool, but they will be playing on familiar WCSSAA courts. Perhaps that will propel them into the semifinals....


Assumption CS Lions (D5 #1)



The Lions, coming off a 51-37 defeat in game #2 of the D5 final are hoping to find themselves on the right side of at least one game in pool play. The Lions have a young roster that should be a force next year ---- but they can definitely compete this year, so don't be surprised to see them in the semifinals, or even sneaking into the final.

Rebekah Couperus (who averaged double digits against NPC in the 2 game final) is their top scorer. Emily Gill and Abby Heron have solid scoring ability as well.

Pool Predictions:
"A"
St. Mary's 2-0
WCI 1-1
Centennial 0-2


"B"
Assumption 2-0
JF Ross 1-1
Bluevale 0-2


Semifinals:
Waterloo OVER Assumption
St. Mary's OVER JF Ross


Final:
St. Mary's OVER Waterloo

.......Good luck to all teams!

2009-2010 Junior "AAAA" Preseason Ranking

X = 2009 CWOSSA Qualifier

1. X - Sir John A. MacDonald (Waterloo - WCSSAA)
2. St. John's HS (Brantford - D5)
3. Forest Heights CI (Kitchener - WCSSAA)
4. X - John F. Ross CVI (Guelph - D10)
5. X - Grand River CI (Kitchener - WCSSAA)
6. X - Cameron Heights CI (Kitchener - WCSSAA)
7. X - Resurrection CSS (Kitchener - WCSSAA)
8. Waterloo Collegiate (Waterloo - WCSSAA)
9. X - Centennial CVI (Guelph - D10)
10. St. Mary's HS (Kitchener - D8)
11. Assumption CS (Brantford - D5)
12. Eastwood CI (Kitchener - WCSSAA)
13. Bluevale CI (Waterloo - WCSSAA)
14. Guelph CVI (Guelph - D10)
15. St. Benedict CSS (Cambridge - D8)
16. Centre Wellington DHS (Fergus - D10)
17. Orangeville DSS (Orangeville - D10)

2009-2010 CWOSSA "AAAA" Preseason Ranking

Full preview still to come.

X= last year's CWOSSA qualifier

1. X - Centennial CVI (Guelph - D10)
T2. X - Forest Heights CI (Waterloo - WCSSAA)
T2. X - Sir John A. MacDonald (Waterloo - WCSSAA)
4. X - St. Mary's HS (Kitchener - D8)
5. Resurrection CSS (Kitchener - D8)
6. St. John's HS (Brantford - D5)
7. Grand River CI (Kitchener - WCSSAA)
8. X - JF Ross CVI (Guelph - D10)
9. Cameron Heights CI (Kitchener - WCSSAA)
10. X - Bluevale CI (Waterloo - WCSSAA)
11. Waterloo CI (Waterloo - WCSSAA)
12. Assumption CS (Brantford - D5)
13. Eastwood CI (Kitchener - WCSSAA)
14. Centre Wellington (Fergus - D10)
15. Guelph CVI (Guelph - D10)
16. St. Benedict CSS (Cambridge - D8)
17. Orangeville DSS (Orangeville - D10)