Simcoe Reformer: Wolves Win Back to Back NSSAA Titles

"Back to Back"
By Jacob Robinson, Simcoe Reformer
Retrieved From: http://www.simcoereformer.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=2457010

You'd have to go back a while to find the last time the Waterford Wolves dominated the NSSAA basketball ranks like this -- it was right about the time current SCS head coach Greg Pajor patrolled the floor at WDHS.

Pajor returned to his alma matter with the Simcoe Sabres as they took on the Wolves in Thursday's NSSAA Championship game for the fourth straight year.

The Sabres came in with all kinds of momentum. They turned a once 0-4 season around to not only get into the playoffs, but upset second-seeded Valley Heights in the semifinals.

But midnight finally struck the Cinderella Sabres as the Wolves went on a 17-7 run in the second quarter and cruised from there to a 55-37 win.

The win was much like the 11 that have come before it in Waterford's perfect season. The Wolves get hot as the game goes along and work on putting teams away from there.

"That's what we always do, we usually have a slow start when it's a pressure game, which we can't keep doing," said Hill-Stone, who scored 9 points.

"As soon as the second half comes we're hot and everybody starts getting into it."

Though Aaron Hall's early triple in the third put Waterford ahead by 19, the Sabres put in a valiant effort right until the end of the fourth. When the final whistle was blown, team captain Connor Pettersen gathered his troops for one final message.

"I said that I wouldn't rather be on any other team," Pettersen, who scored 12, explained. "I'm so proud of these guys, it's unbelievable were we came from. I had high hopes the whole season, but I didn't know what we could do. I think (a February 9 win over) HT was the game I really saw us come together. This isn't my team, if anybody thinks that (they're wrong), we're a group and it's everybody. We played together."

On the league's grandest stage, with a packed house looking on, the Wolves drained a staggering six three-point shots, four alone from Paul Malcolm who led all scorers with 21.

"Yesterday we did a new offence, and that's what we practiced because we knew they did a 2-3. At practice we never missed. Paul made nine in a row, he was feeling it and that's why we kept giving him the ball," said Hill- Stone.

When the game was said and done, the Sabres had nothing but respect for the now back-to-back champs.

"They're a good team, they've played together forever. (20-point scorer) Mike (Couperus) is obviously a big deal, Paul is good, they made their shots," assessed Pettersen.

"I think we played the best I've seen us play. We battled, they just hit the shots and played very good, congratulations to them."

Simcoe will compete in a double- A CWOSSA play-in game next week while the Wolves travel to Walkerton Thursday for single-A CWOSSA as they look to become champs again and book a return spot to the OFSAA competition in the process.

"All we've been doing from the start is trying to get ready for CWOSSA," said Hill-Stone.

"We were expected to win this, so all we cared about was going to CWOSSA, so that's the big day."


JUNIOR: Sabres Score a Norfolk Title

Posted By JACOB ROBINSON, SIMCOE REFORMER

In the face of extreme pressure and a hostile crowd, the junior Simcoe Sabres looked like the calmest citizens in Norfolk County.

The boys in blue put their first place record on the line in the NSSAA championship last night against the second place Port Dover Lakers, where a great start led to a 52-28 win.

Tommy Tran started it off with a pair of three pointers -- the only scoring in the first quarter following some cold shooting from both clubs.

The Sabres began to heat up in the second though, pulling out to a 13-0 lead.

Port Dover had drawn mostly iron from the rim before finally scoring their first basket with five minutes to go in the half. From there, the Lakers would go on a run highlighted by a Lucas Martin running floater that went in at the buzzer to cut the Sabres lead to eight at the break.

In the second though, the Sabres put up points while the Lakers would get away similar shots, but get different results.

"(The start) was big, they were the underdogs and they wanted to come out stronger than us, but we had to step it up," said Brandon Reaney.

"Free throws were big, rebounding was big -- they got a lot of offensive rebounds we couldn't get, but really we just played well."

SCS led the way for much of the third, and when Tran -- who led all scorers with 21 -- hit a running hook to end the quarter that bounced off the rim four times and eventually in, it became clear things just weren't going to go the Lakers' way.

"We were all hitting (shots) in practice before the game, but they just wouldn't go," said Oli Carleton, who led Port Dover with 11 points.

"We were having trouble with their one play in the first half, but got it in the second and started to claw are way back but, I don't know, started to fall apart a bit."

The Sabres were playing with nearly a full lineup thanks to the return of Kevin Allemang and Cody Cunningham, both of whom missed the semifinals because of a playoff hockey game. The pair decided to play for a championship with the Sabres instead of head to the rink Thursday, which proved to be a wise decision.

"That was big, Kevin especially, he shot the ball well tonight and his free throws were big -- clutch free throws," said Reaney.

Despite draining several key shots for the Sabres and scoring 16 points, Reaney was deflecting the praise to Tran and his teammates afterward.

"Tommy, he's our team. If we didn't have him, we'd be in trouble," he said. "He's our ball handler and he makes the team big time."

SCS will have a play-in game for entry into double-A CWOSSA next week while the Lakers will travel to Walkerton for the single-A championship.