Official WCSSAA Senior All-Stars

As sent my way by league sources, here are the **official** details surrounding this year's WCSSAA All-Star Game.

Date: Wednesday, April 21st (7:00pm Tipoff)

Location: WCI (300 Hazel St., Waterloo)

Cost: $3 with a student card, $5 without. All proceeds benefit Big Brothers & Sisters of Kitchener-Waterloo & Cambridge.

The game will feature 24 of the best basketball players in Waterloo Region. And the participants are:

WCSSAA First Team Senior All-Stars:
Stefan Arezina, Cameron Heights (4th year)
Stefan Cvrkalj, Bluevale (4th year)
Arben Kalaba, KCI (5th year)
Taylor McNaughton, Forest Heights (5th year)
Jake Robinet, SJAM (5th year)

WCSSAA Second Team Senior All-Stars:
Andrew Beney, Bluevale (5th year)
Jeff Robinson, Preston (5th year)
Tristan Ruddock, KCI (5th year)
Mark Stotesbury, Southwood (4th year)
Jasper Wesson, WCI (5th year)

The "home team" will be coached by Bluevale's Doros Theodosiou and will feature Cvrkalj, Kalaba, Beney, Robinson, Wesson and Ruddock. In addition, the following all-stars will join that team:

Drew Ballak, Bluevale
Darnell Simpson, KCI
Zaman Sindy, Eastwood
Nic Bradford, Galt
Osama Qahwash, Grand River
Connor Paddock, Jacob Hespeler

The "visiting team" will be coached by SJAM's Steve Maloney and will feature Arezina, McNaughton, Robinet, and Stotesbury. They will be joined by the following all-stars:

Edem Ame, SJAM
Ben Reyhani, SJAM
Nebojsa Djeric, Cameron Heights
Brian Doran, Southwood
Eric Alderice, Elmira
Cory Prince, Glenview Park
Kyle Weber, Waterloo-Oxford
TBD, Huron Heights

The HHHS all-star was not available at the time of this post, but will be passed along shortly. Once I have it, I'll update the post.

Also of note is that the Mike Moser Award (WCSSAA MVP) will be presented at halftime of the game. I think we can all agree on the overwhelming favourite to win that prestigious award.....but we'll see what happens.

Brant All-Stars Drop Opener in Spectator Classic

The Brant County Senior Boys' All-Stars dropped a 99-83 decision to the Hamilton Catholic All-Stars in their opening game at the 21st annual Hamilton Spectator All-Star Classic.

"I think our boys got a little fatigued," Brant coach Todd Andrew told the Brantford Expositor (article link). "We just don't have the depth in our league that they do here."

Scoring leaders for Brant County were Cale McDonald (North Park) with 23, Joe Dalia (St. John's) and Dave Eves (North Park) with 17, and JR Gallarza of St. John's with 15 points.

The Brant All-Stars will now play in the consolation final against the Hamilton Public All-Stars, who were nipped 92-90 by the Halton All-Stars. That game goes at 5pm over at St. Thomas More in Hamilton.

The Full Roster for Brant County is:

Josh Fabe (Paris DHS)

Joe Dalia (St. John's)

JR Gallarza (St. John's)

Cale McDonald (North Park)

Dave Eves (North Park)

Mark Dickens (North Park)

Mike Dulmage (North Park)

Dan Baterseh (Assumption)

Tyler Thibert (Pauline Johnson)

Harrison Dickson (Brantford CI)

cwossabasketball.com's WCSSAA 2009-2010 Junior All-Stars

Again, these are not "official" WCSSAA all-stars, but thought I'd throw them out there since WCSSAA hasn't historically announced junior all-star selections.

Just a note --- like their senior teams, at least one player had to represent each school.

Let's get right to it:

WCSSAA Junior First Team All-Stars

Sean Samuel, Huron Heights (MVP - Guard, Grade 10)

This kid can light it up --- and against good teams too. Aside from his playoff game against FHCI (scoresheet said 27, but his coach and those in attendance say he had 40+), he put 32 home against Grand River, 28 against Resurrection, and 26 in league games against WCI and Forest Heights among others.

Have to give him the MVP based not only his numbers, but the fact that he really helped carry the team after they were decimated by injury and the transfer of Sam Hernandez to St. Mary's --- he led them to an upset shocker over the (at the time) CWOSSA favourite Forest Heights Trojans. Though things didn't go so well in the WCSSAA semis against WCI, the Huskies rebounded to make the CWOSSA semifinals before bowing out. All in all, a successful season and his talent will be greatly appreciated in coming years by the Senior Huskies who are looking to make their first playoff appearance in school history.

Javon Masters, Forest Heights (Guard, Grade 10)

Alongside teammate Juwan Miller, he was part of the most dynamic backcourt in the region. In all likelihood, would have been my MVP if not for the Trojans' early playoff exit. Tremendous finisher and has a great knack to draw contact in the lane. Was a good three-point shooter in grade 9, and improved upon that this season. Besides his season-high 42 points against WODSS, he put in an impressive 30 on Bishop Mac & Huron Heights, and 28 and 26 on GRCI and WCI respectively. People sometimes overlook his defensive capabilities with all those high scoring efforts, but he's solid there too --- and is dynamic in looking ahead and finding people on the fast break.

Vedran Dmitrovic, Cameron Heights (Guard, Grade 10)

Really came on this year and established himself as one of the top junior players in WCSSAA. Hit for 20+ points in 6 regular season WCSSAA games, and led his team to victory in the HHHS/RCSS "Purple and Gold" Shootout --- scoring 25 points and adding 5 'boards.

Speaking of rebounding, he hauled in 17 rebounds (as a 6'0" guard!) in their WCSSAA semifinal loss to Grand River --- and scored 21 points in that contest too.

I look forward to seeing good things from this great shooting guard at the senior level. Assuming all of Cameron Heights' seniors come back, that's going to be a heck of a team over the next couple of years.

Jason Quiring, Jacob Hespeler (PG, Grade 10)

Exploded onto the scene in January and got everyone's attention with a 40 point outburst against Bluevale. When he scored 22 and led JHSS to an upset win over WCI, everyone knew that he was the real deal. Helped lead the Hawks to their best season ever in junior basketball --- culminating in a CWOSSA "AAA" finals appearance.

This 6'2" PG is really just starting to come into his own, so keep his name in your memory banks as he heads into senior play.

Filip Cvrkalj, Grand River (SG/SF, Grade 10)

The 6'3" Cvrkalj has "in the gym range" and Cameron Heights found that out the hard way. In the WCSSAA semifinal on Cameron's home floor, he dropped 28 points (including 6-10 from 3 point land) en route to a GRCI victory and CWOSSA appearance.

He's a terrific scorer that was second only to Sean Samuel in number of 20+ outings, and he helped lead a GRCI team that many had low expectations for at the start of the year to WCSSAA final and CWOSSA semifinal appearances.

The scary thing? Over the latter part of the season he was battling mononucleosis. Yikes!

WCSSAA Junior Second-Team All-Stars

Jacob Ranton, G/F, Waterloo CI (Grade 10)

Malcolm Piazza, C, Waterloo CI (Grade 10)

Juwan Miller, G, Forest Heights (Grade 9)

Wes Meertens, F, Preston (Grade 10)

Andrew Squires, G, Glenview Park (Grade 10)

WCSSAA All-Stars: Honourable Mentions

Nem Simic, Cameron Heights

James Roberts, Jacob Hespeler

Mirza Zahic, Eastwood

Jerelle Vaughan, Eastwood

Adam Anagnostopoulos, Waterloo CI

Chuder Teny, Grand River

George Stankovic, Bluevale
Jack Simmons, Galt CI
Zac Sauer, Southwood
Chris Thomson, WODSS
Amanj Aras-Saber, KCI
Quinn Turner, SJAM (note - Turner gets the SJAM nod due to the injuries to Theshawn Berry & Connor Bradley throughout the better part of the year. Tough call here but I'll give it to the big grade 9 who helped get this team off to a great start while they were battling the injury bug).

cwossabasketball.com's top 15 players of the last "decade": #1 - Cam McIntyre, KCI

You had to figure that our #1 spot might go to someone from (in my opinion), the top team this area saw over the past handful of years.

KCI's Cam McIntyre, noted by some as the "babyfaced assassin", was undoubtedly a key component of KCI's teams during their run over the middle portion of the previous decade. In particular, he led the 05-06 Raiders to the WCSSAA & CWOSSA titles and a #6 ranking for KCI at "AAAA" OFSAA ---- which was hosted here in Waterloo that year.

We all remember this '06 Mike Moser winner as a lights-out three-point shooter, but he had a most impressive mid-range game and could get by you for the occasional dunk if you played him too tightly. Perhaps one of his more memorable jams was one that sealed a win against Grand River in the 2005 CWOSSA semifinals.

In 2006, the 35-3 Raiders won their first two games at OFSAA "AAAA" to advance to the quarterfinals against Mother Teresa of Scarborough. The Titans would win by 4 (KCI did hold the lead at numerous points in the game) and go on to take the OFSAA gold medal that year. The interesting thing that many don't remember is that (potentially) the Raiders' roster could have been more stacked than it was; starting centre Ronnie Sweeney left KCI in January to take a baseball scholarship in Iowa. Meanwhile, another former Heinbuch All-Star, Jake Kindl, suffered a knee injury during football season and didn't suit up for the Raiders.

Since high school, McIntyre attended Conestoga College for a year before heading back to the hardwood for the University of Waterloo Warriors. He made a quick impact --- only a month into his rookie season, he lit up the York Lions for 37 points, which led to him being named the CIS' male athlete of the week (Nov 26-Dec 2/07). Through 3 years at the CIS level, he's averaged 15 PPG and has remained a feared three-point shooter (nearly 1/2 his attempts are from beyond the arc).

He's also had some solid outings against NCAA D-1 competition, scoring 21 points against Duquesne and 15 against East Tennessee State.

Anyways, that wraps up the list. It's been a controversial one at times with where I've ranked guys and there may be those that you feel have been omitted. That said, this is all based upon my personal opinion and not upon any scientific theory. I hope you've enjoyed!

The List:

#15 - Bobby Colorado (GRCI) & Ian Harriette (SBCSS)

#14 - Nate Samuel (ACS)

#13 - Dave Burnett (RMC)

#12 - Jordan Dixon (RCSS)
#11 - Jesse MacDonald (ACS)
#10 - Borko Popic (KCI)
#9 - Chyro Blackwood (RCSS)
#8 - Zach Nagtzaam (SSS)
#7 - Boyd Vassell (ECI)
#6 - Taylor Allan & Justin Tomas (SJAM)

#5 - Imad Qahwash (GRCI)
#4 - Jon House (CCVI)
#3 - Gavin Horne (WCI)
#2 - Craig Bauslaugh (KCI)
#1 - Cam McIntyre (KCI)

D10 MVP Chaput headed to Wilfrid Laurier

D10 MVP and Bishop Macdonell student Bree Chaput is headed to Wilfrid Laurier University next fall to continue her academic studies while playing varsity basketball for the Golden Hawks.

As Guelph Mercury reporter Rob Massey reported yesterday (CYO All-Stars Win Own Tourney), Chaput's games this past weekend in Guelph may have marked the last time she competes in Guelph for a Guelph-based team.

Chaput had 10 points in the championship final, a 60-48 victory over the Burlington Skyhawks. The All-Stars defeated Kitchener-Waterloo 41-39 in their semifinal game.

(Photo Credit - Guelph Mercury)

Stay Up To Date - Become a Facebook Fan

Stay up to date on all the latest "off season" happenings:

Become a Fan on Facebook and get all the latest CWOSSA basketball details in your news feed. Feel free to leave your comments and suggestions as well.

We won't be quite as busy over the summer but I'll try to do up a couple of posts a week --- be it recruiting information, news and notes, alumni updates, etc.

D4: All-Star Selections

All-Stars from the District 4 League:

Junior Boys:
Riley Crean (Westside)
Andrew Bronson (Westside)
Kody Fry (Westside)
Marco Zanette (CDDHS)
Carlo Zanette (CDDHS)
Doug Costanzo (CDDHS)
Cole Rooney (Wellington Hts)
Russell Hogg (Wellington Hts)

Senior Boys:
Adam Craig (Westside)
Josh Hodge (Westside)
Jordan Critch (Westside)
Dylan Craig (CDDHS)
Jadon Vardy (CDDHS)
Geoff Dunlap (CDDHS)
Nakeno Amiri (Norwell)
Trevor Martin (Norwell)
Brett Harper (Wellington Heights)
Joe Batte (Wellington Heights)
Tim Barraclough (Woodland Christian)

Rez's Herron Heads Back to Illinois

Resurrection grade 11 starting forward Ryan Herron is heading home.

As a result his father's employment transfer, Herron is heading back to Yorkville, Illinois (a town of about 50 000 an hour from Chicago) this coming summer.

This means that Resurrection now will return just 2 starters from this year's squad ---- but they were their two highest scoring starters this season (Grade 11s Andrew Mwangi and Tyler Schneider). In addition, 6 other Phoenix from this year's roster were only in grade 11, while another was in grade 12 --- giving them 9 returnees in total.

The Record: Hard Working Player Rewarded With MVP Award

By: Mark Bryson, Record staff

Retrieved From: The Waterloo Region Record

His mother was tired of him sitting around after school and not doing much of anything.

So Lucy Mwangi encouraged her son to get off the couch and give basketball a try.

Four years later, Andrew Mwangi is the most valuable player in the District 8 senior boys basketball league. The Resurrection student was honoured Wednesday night as the District 8 all-stars faced their District 10 counterparts at the University of Guelph.

The MVP nod caps a remarkable season for Mwangi, whose game improved dramatically throughout the course of the year as he made the transition from post player to wing. The Grade 11 student played a leading role for a Phoenix squad that won the District 8 title and fell just shy of reaching the Central Western Ontario championship game.

“I was actually kind of surprised. I didn’t think it would be me because I thought there were a lot of other guys who stepped up,” said the six-foot-four Mwangi. “I really hadn’t given it any thought because I figured it would go to someone in Grade 12 or someone leaving school.”

“It means a lot though. It’s like a culmination of all the hard work and practice.”

Hard work is nothing new for Mwangi, whose family came to Canada from Kenya just five years ago. He’s an articulate youngster who speaks with no hint of an accent, a dedicated student and someone who gives everything he has on the basketball court.

He’s also quick to spread the love around, saying his Rez teammates played a huge role in his MVP award. He singled out coaches Matt Kras and Patrick Buchholtz as people who helped him take his game to a higher level.

“He’s a good worker in school and works very hard on the court, too,” said Kras. “He played out of position to start the season but he developed into a good outside shooter and he was starting to put the ball on the floor and taking it to the hoop.”

Mwangi was also a leader on the Phoenix junior squad that won CWOSSA one year earlier. All in all, it’s a rather impressive stretch for someone who only started shooting hoops while in Grade 7 at St. John’s Catholic School. Until then, his only athletic achievements had been on the soccer pitch.

Mwangi looks back on the D8 title game victory over St. Mary’s as the team highlight of the year and his rim-rocking dunk against Guelph Centennial at CWOSSA as his favourite moment.

Mwangi continues to work on his skills with the K-W Vipers and will be counted on to play an even larger role next season when the Phoenix will be one of the teams to beat in Waterloo Region. With a significant chunk of the team returning, Mwangi figures the Phoenix will be capable of winning CWOSSA in 2011.

As for repeating as MVP as a Grade 12 player, Mwangi knows he’ll have to continue improving.

“I think everyone will come back next year bigger and better, so you have to put in all the work and expect anything. Nothing is handed to you,” he said. “Just because I got it this year doesn’t mean I’ll win it next year unless I’m going to put in all the work and effort I did this year.”

Mwangi also has another goal heading into next season, one that is beyond his control.

“I’m actually crossing my fingers. I’d like to be six-six or six-seven by next season and then I can retire,” he laughed.

Senior All-Star Game: D10 108, D8 105 (in OT)

In a thrilling all-star game last night at the University of Guelph, the D10 all-stars were able to survive a 33 point barrage by D8 MVP Andrew Mwangi (Resurrection) and defeat the D8 all-stars by a 108-105 final in overtime. The game was played under FIBA rules and featured 10-minute quarters.

With the score 94-92 for D10 and only 6.7 seconds remaining in regulation, D8's Alex Thompson drove the lane and missed the tying layup. However, Mwangi was right there to tip back the rebound and send the game to an extra session.

The D10 controlled the early part of the extra session --- at one point building a 7 point lead. However, a couple of missed free-throws down the stretch and D8 made baskets (including Mwangi's fifth three-pointer of the game) made it 108-105 with 8 seconds left.

After a D8 timeout, D10 turned the ball over and gave D8 the opportunity to tie things up. However, Ben Bankazo's three-point attempt was just off the mark.

Alongisde Mwangi's 33 points, Bankazo (St. Mary's) added 21 for D8 while Alex Thompson (St. Mary's) had 16. For D10, Ryan Higgins (St. James) pumped home 26, Mike Finoro (Lourdes) had 16 - all in the second half, and Centennial's Rob House and Jay Francis had 11 each.

Prior to the game, House was honoured with his third consecutive D10 MVP award. Higgins and Bankazo were given the respective honours as game MVPs.

D8 - 26-16-25-27-11 = 105

D10 - 18-25-29-22-14 = 108

D8 (105)

Isaac Lance (St. Mary's) - 2-9 (1-6 3 PT), 1-2 FT, 6 Points.

Josh Loehle (Doyle) - 3-8 (1-2 3PT), 0-0 FT, 7 Points.

Alex Thompson (St. Mary's) - 6-20 (0-7 3 PT), 4-6 FT, 16 Points.

Andrew Mwangi (Resurrection) - 13-22 (5-9 3 PT), 2-5 FT, 33 Points.

Matt Stocco (Resurrection) - 0-3 FG, 2-2 FT, 2 Points.

-----

Tyson Lavigne (St. David) - 0-3 FG, 0 Points.

Tyler Schneider (Resurrection) - 3-8 FG (1-3 3 PT), 7 Points.

Ben Bankazo (St. Mary's) - 8-16 FG (3-7 3 PT), 2-4 FT, 21 Points.

Dan Hummel (St. David) - 1-7 FG (0-1 3 PT), 2-2 FT, 4 Points.

Derrick Strickland (St. Benedict) - 1-5 FG (1-2 3 PT), 3-4 FT, 6 Points.

Josh Klassen (Rockway) - 0-2 FG, 0 Points.

Shane Teet-Corriveau (Doyle) - 1-3 FG (0-1 3 PT), 1-1 FT, 3 Points.

D10 (108)

Ryan Cook (JF Ross) - 3-9 FG (0-1 3 PT), 3-12 FT, 9 Points.

Rob House (Centennial) - 5-13 FG (1-5 3 PT), 0-0 FT, 11 Points.

Adrian Varilla (Centennial) - 1-3 FG, 3-4 FT, 5 Points.

Ryan Higgins (St. James) - 10-21 FG (1-4 3 PT), 5-5 FT, 26 Points.

Shamlo Saeed (JF Ross) - 0-2 FG, 0 Points.

-----

Brad Crnkovic (JF Ross) - 1-2 FG, 1-2 FT, 3 Points.

Mike Finoro (Lourdes) - 6-13 FG (3-6 3 PT), 1-2 FT, 16 Points.

Jon Warnholtz (GCVI) - 2-8 FG (0-1 3 PT), 1-2 FT, 5 Points.

Gavin McNamara (CWDHS) - 2-4 FG (1-2 3 PT), 2-2 FT, 7 Points.

Jay Francis (Centennial) - 4-15 FG (2-8 3 PT), 1-4 FT, 11 Points.

Kenny Hasson (St. James) - 0-1 FG, 0 Points.

Gordon Dewar (ODSS) - 4-5 FG (0-1 3 PT), 8 Points.

Patrick Clouthier (Bishop Mac) - 3-7 FG (0-1 3 PT), 6 Points.

Tim Francis (CWDHS) - 0-0 FG, 1-2 FT, 1 Point.

Junior Game

The D10 all-stars defeated the D8 all-stars by a 101-64 final in the early half of the doubleheader.

The D10ers used a quick 11-0 run (while doing a 1-3-1 press.....in an all star game?) to take control early and didn't look back.

"Our guys had fun," said D8 head coach Chris Aldworth (RCSS). "We met up once last night to shoot around and scrimmage a bit - it was definitely surprising that they decided to press us in an all-star game," he laughed. "That's not to take anything away from them (D10) as, top to bottom, there is some serious talent over there," he added.

Prior to the contest, Mitchell Wood (BMac) and Chris Watson (Lourdes) were named co-MVPs of the D10 league. Wood led the D10 all-stars with 17 points, while Chris Walser (St. Mary's) took control of the bulk of PG duties due to Rez guard Adam Schneider not playing due to injury. He led D8 with 15 points and was the D8's player of the game. Mike Friesen (JF Ross) took player of the game honours for D10.

D8 (64)

Chris Walser (SMHS) 15, Cory Kenning (RCSS) 11, Adam Voll (SMHS) 10, Matt Scanlon (SDCSS) 6, Tyler Bartley (RCSS) 5, Tevin Heath (SBCSS) 5, Jordan Fayez (RMC) 5, Jake Winter (SDCSS) 4, JC Reinosa (SMHS) 3.

D10 (101)

Mitchell Wood (BMac) 17, Michael Clouthier (BMac) 11, Chris Watson (OLOL) 11, Mike Friesen (JFR) 11, Landon McLaren (GCVI) 10, Alex Quintieri (BMac) 8, Emilio Pivato (STJ) 5, Zach McLenaghan (STJ) 5, Kyle Holmes (ODSS) 5, Jake Clark (CWDHS) 4, Ed Gray (CCVI) 4, Max Raab (OLOL) 4, Aleks Kaludjerovic (CCVI) 2.

Kotsopoulos' Career Comes to and End with Loss to Notre Dame

Former WCI star May Kotsopoulos' career at the University of Vermont has ended after her #10 Catamounts fell 84-66 to #2 Notre Dame in the second round of the NCAA tournament last night.

Kotsopoulos had 12 points (4/8 field goals, 2/3 from three, 2/2 FT) along with 4 assists and one rebound in her final collegiate contest.

For her career, she tallied 1,772 points (an impressive 13.7 PPG over 4 years), which ranks her 5th on Vermont's all-time scoring list.

Congratulations, May, on a stellar NCAA career!

cwossabasketball.com's Top 15 of the Last Decade (*): #2 - Craig Bauslaugh, KCI

KCI's Craig Bauslaugh was a lights out three-point shooter, great ball-handler and (it can be argued) was among a talented group of kids that during the mid 2000s really helped to put Kitchener-Waterloo basketball back on the map after a bit of a down-cycle during the 1990s......I recall my undefeated Bluevale Jr. Knights championship team being ranked #5 in the '97 CWOSSA championships that year, and generally that was the norm around the time period with the bulk of the talent being in Guelph and Brantford.

At any rate, you could measure his points and assists, but he also played with tremendous heart and ended up being one of the most decorated WCSSAA (and CWOSSA) players by the time he had finished his career.

He first played up to senior with fellow grade 10 Borko Popic in 2000-2001, and helped lead KCI to a victory over Grand River. A year later, they started to rise through the CWOSSA ranks, falling in the 2002 CWOSSA AAAA championship to Assumption but earning KCI their first ever trip to OFSAA in the process.

That would be the start of a tremendous Raider run that saw KCI advance to OFSAA five consecutive seasons.

Bauslaugh was named as a first-team Heinbuch all-star in 2003, after the Raiders demolished Oakville St. Thomas Aquinas 59-26 in the bronze division final (funny side note and history lesson: although he didn't play that game due to another commitment, it was an STA team that featured Ivan Chiariev, who declared for the NBA Draft that season as a high schooler-----and was at one point a projected lottery pick-----but was quickly exposed and ended up not being drafted. Here's a mock draft that showed him being projected ahead of guys like Ben Gordon, Anderson Varejao, Jameer Nelson and Al Jefferson among others).

In grade 12 & 13, the Raiders were ranked in the middle of the OFSAA pack and came away with victories both seasons. His career came to an end after a close loss to Brampton Notre Dame at the University of Guelph (where in the final minute, Rutgers football recruit Jerome Messam threw down one of the nastiest dunks I have seen in person on any level....).

Since high school, Bauslaugh has bounced around quite a bit. He started at Niagara College (teaming up with his brother, Chris) and had a successful rookie campaign. He then transferred to Laurentian University where injuries limited him a bit --- but he still averaged over 12 PPG. After that, he committed to the University of Waterloo but did not register at the school.

This season, he has resurfaced at the University of the Fraser Valley out in BC, where as a third-year guard he averaged about 8 points per contest in just 8 games (due to injury).

cwossabasketball.com's Top 15 of the Last Decade (*): #3 - Gavin Horne, Waterloo

Horne, who was a 6'8" forward by the time he finished growing, was an athletic wingman who presented some matchup problems for opponents.......and they already had some of those with 6'11" WCI teammate Jaan Montgomery patrolling the paint.

Horne was a high riser who had the ability to throw it down. In the 2004 WCSSAA championship game against KCI, the Vikings won the opening tip and promptly threw an alley-oop to Horne which he rammed down for the game's opening points. KCI was able to come back and win that contest, but Horne had the last laugh in 2005 when WCI won both the WCSSAA and CWOSSA championships and finished in the top-8 at the OFSAA championships.

In that 2005 WCSSAA playoffs, Horne converted one of the most memorable plays in WCSSAA semifinal history when his Vikings trailed Cameron Heights by 3 with only a handful of seconds on the clock. The Gaels elected to foul, but Anthony Barrios-Lopez accidentally fouled Horne as he began his shot attempt. The result? Three pressure free throws that he calmly converted to send the game to overtime (where WCI would prevail).

Gavin was invited to the 2005 all-Canada all-star game with some of Canada's top high schoolers, where he played well and also won the dunk contest.

After high school, he attended Santa Fe Community College in Florida for two years before landing a scholarship to Division I Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio. There, injuries limited his playing time to just 11 games in his junior year, while in his senior season he missed a few games due to injury as well.

That said, he did have some solid highlights. He had a vicious dunk against Arkansas Little-Rock that sealed a win, and knocked down a couple of three-pointers during a 66-53 loss to Wake Forest. His season high of 9 points last year was established against nationally ranked Butler. He averaged 2.8 PPG and 1.7 rebounds during his final campaign.

cwossabasketball.com's Top 15 of the Last Decade (*): #4 - Jon House, Centennial

A great shooter with incredible size, House was able to lead his Centennial Spartans to numerous D10 championships as well as a CWOSSA senior title in his final campaign (2007) --- a convincing win over eventual OFSAA antique bronze medalist SJAM.

He wasn't the flashiest player out there, but was fundamentally sound and was widely regarded as one of the top prospects among 2007 Ontario High School graduates.

House landed at Belmont University in the Atlantic Sun conference, where in his freshman year he made the NCAA tournament. His Bruins NEARLY upset #2 Duke but fell in a 71-70 thriller (Gerald Henderson scored the winning basket with :11 left). House played 12 minutes and contributed 4 points and 3 rebounds in that contest.

For his career (which has now spanned 3 seasons), House is averaging 5.6 PPG, 3.4 RPG, and 1.4 assists per contest. He had a career high 20 points against South Carolina Upstate last season.

Here's a recent clip from YouTube discussing his basketball career and decision to attend Belmont:

cwossabasketball.com's Top 15 of the Last Decade (*): #5 Imad Qahwash, Central Arkansas

Imad Qahwash (Grand River '06) was one of the fiercest competitors I've seen in the last few years on a CWOSSA basketball court.

He had a solid all-around game ---- great defender, nice passer, and he could also score the ball. He improved his shooting stroke tremendously over his career, even though he could get by you almost at will.

He helped lead Grand River to their first ever OFSAA appearance in 2006 (finishing 2nd to KCI in the CWOSSA AAAA championship), and along with Bobby Colorado almost helped lead the Rens to an upset win over #5 West Hill. In the second round against #2 Pickering, Qahwash had no fear in attacking a top-notch GTA program --- if I recall correctly, he had about half of the Rens' points in a low scoring affair (where Pickering held the ball for 1:30 - 2:00 at a time during the second half to try to bring GRCI out of their zone).

After high school, he initially signed with Jacksonville University out of the Atlantic Sun conference. However, as mentioned in a 2007 Record article, when he found out he was going to redshirt the first year, he decided to explore other opportunities.

He landed at Harmony Prep School in Cincinnati, and played alongside a bunch of other NCAA prospects (i.e. Alex Tyus - Florida). The team won a Prep School National Championship, and the experience enabled Qahwash to continue to raise his game and attract the attention of a variety of NCAA schools. Eventually, he accepted a D-1 scholarship to the University of Central Arkansas out of the Southland Conference.

Qahwash, who has dual citizenship with Jordan, was also able to play for the Jordanian National Team overseas during the last couple of summer breaks.

This year at UCA, Qahwash (now a junior) averaged 6.4 PPG and 4.9 rebounds per game --- surprising rebounding numbers for a 6'2" PG. He also dished out 2.5 assists and had 1.1 steals per contest.

Here's a highlight video from his efforts this season:

Guelph Mercury: Celtics, Crusaders Rule in Junior Girls Basketball

No, it's not a misprint ---- nor are we in Fall 2010 already. The Mercury's newest HS sports reporter, Brandon Dubs, will be offering weekly columns on the high school sports scene in Guelph on Tuesdays. This initial installment is his take on the junior girls hoops' scene over the past several years.

Retrieved From: http://news.guelphmercury.com/Sports/article/611496

Junior girls’ basketball has been a roller-coaster ride for teams in Guelph.

Bishop Macdonell, Our Lady of Lourdes, Guelph CVI and the St. James Lions have all had their share of success in the District 10 championships.

The Bishop Macdonell Celtics won it back in 2006 when they upset the then undefeated Centennial Spartans 48-47 in the finals. Lourdes won its championship the following year, while going 14-3 on the season. GCVI’s 2008 season saw the Gaels win 17 straight games on their way to the championship. The St. James Lions won three straight playoff games, after only winning nine times in the regular season, to win their lone championship, 49-46 over the Ross Royals in November.

The Lions were almost forgotten until this year’s come-from-behind season. They won a championship but never posted more than nine wins in the regular season in four years — a mark the other squads easily achived.

GCVI’s junior girls team is defined by their perfect season in 2008 when they built their strongest team in four years. The Gaels only won 28 games in that span, but with a perfect season to their name, GCVI only sits behind Lourdes and Bishop Mac for District 10’s most dominant basketball team.

In 66 games played, Lourdes won 51. The Crusaders showed that they could win; seven playoff victories and their average margin of victory being a league-high 17 points. Combined with the Celtics, these two teams have won 100 games in just four seasons. The Celtics have finished first in the regular season twice, with a league-best record 13-1 coming in 2009. Bishop Mac outscored their opponents on average 43-28 and won five of their eight playoff games.

These two teams played each other nine times over the course of four years, and the Celtics have been the victor in six of those match-ups. With similar records, and only a two-point difference in the average margin of victory, the Celtics have shown when they play the Crusaders that they are the better team.

With four teams each winning a championship, St. James and GCVI haven’t shown the same dominance as the Crusaders or Celtics. Lourdes is good, but when these two teams squared off, the Celtics showed up and made the best argument for most dominant program in District 10. With two championships and 100 wins between them, it has been proven that the road to the District 10 title goes through Bishop Mac and Our Lady of Lourdes.

Brandon Dubs is a recent Guelph high school graduate. He’ll offer weekly columns about the local high school sports scene on Tuesdays. He can be reached at dubsbrandon@gmail.com

2010 District 8 vs. District 10 All Star Game

A reminder about this.....have included cost information as well:

Cost: $4 Students, $6 Adults

Location: University of Guelph (WF Mitchell Athletics Centre)

Gametimes: 6pm Junior, 8pm Senior

AUS: Helsby Named to All-Rookie Team

As mentioned yesterday by Record Reporter Mark Bryson, former SJAM ('08) graduate Mike Helsby has been named to the AUS (Atlantic University Sport) all-rookie team for Men's Basketball.

Helsby, who plays for the Memorial University (Newfoundland) Seahawks, had a successful first season out east. He averaged 9.6 PPG (third on the team) and 1.6 steals (tops on the team), while starting 16 of 29 games and averaging a solid 29 minutes per contest.

Memorial University's women's team also has a couple CWOSSA products on its roster. Grace Fishbein (Bluevale) and Kim Devison (St. David) are second year Seahawks.

Fishbein scored 9.1 PPG while leading the 'Hawks in field goal percentage (.524). Devison was the team's leader in free-throw percentage (.857) while scoring 3.8 PPG.

Top 15 of the Last Decade (*): #6 - Taylor Allan & Justin Tomas (SJAM)

My list, my rules.

At least, that's my explanation for putting a "tie" for 6th place between two 2009 graduates of Waterloo SJAM, Taylor Allan and Justin Tomas.

Their careers were so intricately linked that it almost seemed that you wouldn't mention one without the other (or vice versa) over the last 4 years. Both won a CWOSSA (AAA) junior championship in grade nine, and then moved up to the senior ranks the following year.

Between them? A slew of WCSAA & CWOSSA championship and finalist medals and plaques, as well as an antique bronze medal from the 2007 OFSAA "AAAA" Championships -- the first AAAA medal in CWOSSA Senior Boys Basketball history.

They were a couple of the best pure shooters in recent memory, and a couple guys that were extremely hard workers. It was commonplace to see Allan & Tomas going full speed at halftime, putting up shots even when they were up 15-20 points.

Both settled on Wilfrid Laurier University, where they didn't suit up for the Hawks this season --- Allan has battled a nagging hip injury over the years, and took this season off. Tomas, meanwhile, took the year off to focus on his studies.

We might still see these guys suit up for the Hawks (or someone else) down the road, but even if we don't, they've provided CWOSSA fans with a bunch of memories over the past few years.

Current List:
#15 - Ian Harriette (SBCSS) & Bobby Colorado (GRCI)
#14 - Nate Samuel (ACS)
#13 - Dave Burnett (RMC)
#12 - Jordan Dixon (RCSS)
#11 - Jesse MacDonald (ACS)
#10 - Borko Popic (KCI)
#9 - Chyro Blackwood (RCSS)
#8 - Zach Nagtzaam (SSS)
#7 - Boyd Vassell (ECI)
#6 - Taylor Allan (SJAM) & Justin Tomas (SJAM)

NCAA: Kotsopoulos Helps Catamounts Advance to Round Two

WCI Alum May Kotsopoulos had 14 points and 4 rebounds as her #10 ranked Vermont Catamounts defeated the #7 Wisconsin Badgers in the first round of the Women's NCAA tournament last night in South Bend, Indiana.

After falling behind by 4 in the second half, Kotsopoulos tied the game with a three-pointer and then teammate Courtney Pilypaitis (a fellow Canadian from Ottawa) scored the next 3 baskets to give Vermont the lead for good.

“I think we were a little nervous about the lead,” Kotsopoulos told the Associated Press. “But once we calmed everything down we went back to what was making us successful.”

“It’s amazing for us,” Kotsopoulos said. “We’re very happy with it, but we want to keep going.”

Their next opponent will be the #2 seeded Notre Dame Fighting Irish --- in a game that will be played on the Irish's home floor. Notre Dame knocked out the other CWOSSA alum in the tourney by defeating Cleveland State 86-58. WCI alum and current CSU freshman Kaila Montgomery was able to get some NCAA tournament experience, getting on the court for one minute of action.

You can read more about Vermont's win in the Waterloo Region Record today.

Official D10 Junior & Senior All-Stars

These are the official all-star lists for the D10 league. These players will be participating in the all-star game (vs. D8) next Wednesday, March 24th - 6pm junior, 8pm senior. Games take place at the University of Guelph.

As for my predictions? More on that later.....but the D10 juniors look very strong top to bottom and I like them to win that game. I'm thinking the D8 seniors are the slight favourite in the senior game.

Junior Boys

Michael Clouthier (Bishop Mac)
Mitchell Wood (Bishop Mac
Alex Quintieri (Bishop Mac)
Max Raab (Lourdes)
Chris Watson (Lourdes)
Ben King (Lourdes)
Ed Gray (Centennial)
Aleks Kaludjerovic (Centennial)
Zach McLenaghan (St. James)
Emilio Pivato (St. James)
Landon McLaren (GCVI)
Mike Friesen (JF Ross)
Kyle Holmes (Orangeville)
Jake Clarke (Centre Wellington)

Senior Boys

Robert House (Centennial) - 5th Year
Jay Francis (Centennial) - 5th Year
Adrian Varilla (Centennial) - 5th Year
Ryan Higgins (St. James) - Grade 12
Kenny Hasson (St. James)
Ryan Cook (JF Ross) - 5th Year
Shamlo Saeed (JF Ross) - Grade 11
Brad Crnkovic (JF Ross) - 5th Year
Gavin McNamara (CWDHS) - Grade 11
Tim Francis (CWDHS)
Mike Finoro (Lourdes) - Grade 11
Jon Warnholtz (GCVI)
Patrick Clouthier (Bishop Mac) - Grade 11
Gordon Dewar (Orangeville)

CWOSSA Awards: CWOSSA All-Rookie Team - Senior

Here are my selections (emphasis on that) for the "All-CWOSSA Senior Rookie Team". Some tough decisions, and I went with who I saw as the best grade 11s out there, regardless of position --- hence why there are so many guards on the squad.

Senior ROY: Mike Finoro (G), Our Lady of Lourdes (Leading Scorer in the D10 League)

First Team (alongside Finoro):

Andrew Mwangi, Resurrection (F) - District 8 MVP

Alex Thompson, St. Mary's (G)

Brodi Verbiski, Grand River (G)

Ben Reyhani, SJAM (G)

Second Team:

Sharieff Peru, Our Lady of Lourdes (G/F)

Edem Ame, SJAM (G)

Tyler Schneider, Resurrection (G)

Isaac Lance, St. Mary's (G)
Shamlo Saeed, JF Ross (G)

Alumni: Kotsopoulos, Montgomery only CWOSSA Alums to Make NCAA Tourney

Vermont Senior guard May Kotsopoulos (WCI '06) will be ending her NCAA career in style by participating in this year's NCAA tournament.

The Catamounts broke #21 Hartford's twenty game win streak by holding off the Hawks 55-50 in the America East Conference championship on Friday night.

Vermont led 35-17 at halftime (with Kotsopoulos hitting a baseline buzzer-beating three-pointer to end the half) and held off a furious Hartford charge in the waning minutes.

Kotsopoulos played all 40 minutes, scoring 8 points, grabbing 4 rebounds and dishing out 1 assist. On the year, May was Vermont's leading scorer (17.3 PPG) while shooting almost 40% from three-point range and 80% from the free throw line. She also added 2.6 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.7 steals.

Meanwhile, Cleveland State qualified for the tourney out of the Horizon league which means that another former WCI Viking will be heading to the big dance. Kaila Montgomery (Jaan's sister) is a 6'1" freshman forward for the.....er, Vikings. She missed the entire 08-09 season as a redshirt due to a knee injury, but has seen action in 4 games this year (9 minutes, 0/1 FG, 1/2 FT, 2 Reb).

Thanks to a reader for pointing that out as I overlooked that earlier.

Interestingly enough, Cleveland State and Vermont have been seeded in the same part of the bracket and could meet in the second round ---- although it is a bit of a "long shot". Cleveland State is the #15 seed and would have to get past #2 seed Notre Dame in the first round. Vermont, meanwhile, is the #10 seed and plays #7 Wisconsin in their match up.

Good luck to both teams!

Men's NCAA

No CWOSSA alums will be participating in this year's NCAA tournament, which ends a two-year streak.

The best chances came from the teams of a couple of freshmen. However, both clubs made early and unexpected exits in their conference tournaments. Bryson Johnson's Bucknell Bison (2nd Patriot League RS, eliminated in conference quarterfinals) and Murphy Burnatowski's Maine Black Bears (3rd America East RS, eliminated in conference quarterfinals) were both the victims of upsets.

A couple of juniors will have one last crack at advancing to the big dance next year. Jon House and his Belmont club (the Bruins were a #15 seed that almost knocked off Duke 2 years ago) fell in the Atlantic Sun quarterfinals to Mercer 87-81. This will actually be the first year during his 3 years stateside that House won't be participating in the NCAA tourney.

Meanwhile, Imad Qahwash's Central Arkansas Bears finished with a 3-13 record in conference play (9-21 overall) and did not qualify for the Southland Conference tournament. The Bears are in the final year of a transition phase from NCAA Division II and were ineligible for postseason play this year anyways. They have since fired their head coach and inserted former NBAer Corliss Williamson as their new bench boss.

Zach Nagtzaam, whose career has ended at Ohio University after an injury last year, will be watching his Bobcats enter the NCAA tournament as a #14 seed (playing #3 Georgetown in the first round).

NCAA Pool

To join my 2010 NCAA Pool, please sign up here:

http://markyolkowski.mayhem.cbssports.com/e

Password: madness

$20 entry, and we'll figure out the distribution of prizes after determining the number of entries.

As for scoring, the system will be the "round factor" x the seed. First Round = 1, Second Round = 2, Sweet Sixteen = 4, and so on until the Championship Game (32 x Seed).

To pay, please click the "donate" button at right to do so via credit card/paypal. Otherwise, get in touch with me if you want to send $/check by mail.

And speaking of pools, congratulations to Darren Anderson who was the winner of our "WCSSAA Playoff Pool" and the prize there.

Cheers,
Mark

D8: Official Junior All-Star Selections

Alongside the senior selections mentioned below, the following individuals were selected to the D8 junior all-star team:

Resurrection (4)
Adam Schneider (PG, 5'10", Grade 9)
Tyler Bartley (SF, 6'1", Grade 10)
Cory Kenning (C, 6'4", Grade 10)
Adrian Russell (SG, 5'11", Grade 10)

St. Mary's (4)
Chris Walser (PG, 5'10", Grade 10)
Adam Voll (C, 6'5", Grade 10)
JC Reinosa (SG, 5'10", Grade 10)
Dylan Brubacher (SF, 6'0", Grade 10)

St. David (2)
Matt Scanlon (SG, 5'10", Grade 10)
Jake Winter (SF, 6'0", Grade 10)

St. Benedict (2)
Tevin Heath (G, 5'9")
Shakur Tag-El-Din (G, 5'8")

Rockway (1)
Jordan Fayez (F, 6'1", Grade 10)

Monsignor Doyle (1)
Ryan Clayton (F, 6'1", Grade 10)

The above players (there are a couple of injuries though) will play the D10 all-stars on March 24th at the University of Guelph (6pm).

D8: Official Senior All-Star Selections; Mwangi Named MVP

Grade 11 Andrew Mwangi (6'4"/G-F/Resurrection CSS) was named as the MVP of the D8 basketball league on Thursday.

Mwangi created all sorts of matchup problems in the D8 league, and saved his best performance for last with a 23 point outburst in the championship game. With a couple of years left at Resurrection, keep an eye out for this kid.

Meanwhile, other first team selections alongside Mwangi included 5th year forward Matt Stocco of Resurrection, grade 12 guard Josh Loehle of Monsignor Doyle, and grade 11 guards Isaac Lance and Alex Thompson from St. Mary's.

Here's a complete rundown of the selections. With regards to the grade 12s, I am not 100% on some of the grade 12s (i.e. if they are 5th years) so please comment as appropriate.

All six teams were required to have at least one selection on either the first or second team.

1st Team All-Stars
Andrew Mwangi, Resurrection (Grade 11, SF) - MVP
Matt Stocco, Resurrection (5th Year, PF)
Alex Thompson, St. Mary's (Grade 11, SG)
Isaac Lance, St. Mary's (Grade 11, PG)
Josh Loehle, Monsignor Doyle (Grade 12, PG)

2nd Team All-Stars
Tyler Schneider, Resurrection (Grade 11, PG)
Ben Bankazo, St. Mary's (Grade 12, SG)
Tyson Lavigne, St. David (Grade 12, PF)
Daniel Hummel, St. David (Grade 12, SG)
Shane Teet-Corriveau, Monsignor Doyle (5th Year, C)
Derrick Strickland, St. Benedict (Grade 12, SG)
Josh Klassen, Rockway (Grade 11, SG)

The D8 all-stars will play D10 on Wednesday, March 24th at the University of Guelph (8pm). One injury note: Matt Stocco is still feeling the effects of a concussion suffered against CCVI in CWOSSA (that kept him out of the Bluevale game) and may not play.

CWOSSA Junior All-Rookie Team

We'll start my "postseason awards" by handing out the junior all-rookie team honours.

The following Grade 9s are on my "All-CWOSSA Junior Rookie Team":

CWOSSA Rookie of the Year: Mitchell Wood, Bishop Macdonell (Guelph/D10 - SF)

Other All-CWOSSA Junior Rookie Team Honourees:

Adam Anagnostopoulos, Waterloo Collegiate (Waterloo/WCSSAA - PG/SG)

Juwan Miller, Forest Heights Collegiate (Kitchener/WCSSAA - PG)

Chuder Teny, Grand River CI (Kitchener/WCSSAA - G)

Adam Schneider, Resurrection CSS (Kitchener/D8 - PG)

JD West, Walkerton DSS (Walkerton/BAA - G)

Any surprise that 3 members of the team were from CWOSSA championship teams while another 2 others were from the CWOSSA AAAA finalist and semifinalist teams? I don't think so. Look for big things from the above players next year again in junior --- provided none move up to the senior ranks.

Brant News: Trojans Stopped at OFSAA

Retrieved From: http://www.brantnews.com/sports.cfm?page=sports§ion=read&articleId=7166

Article by: Tom Kennedy

The North Park Collegiate Trojans’ strong season has come to an end.

The senior boys’ basketball team was defeated 42-28 by the Jarvis Bulldogs of Toronto in the second round of the AAA Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations tournament in Kingston.

While their run has come to an end, the Trojans enjoyed success at several levels of competition in the 2010 season.

The senior boys remained undefeated to claim both the Brant County high school and AAA Central Western Ontario Secondary Schools Association championships with a record of 16-0. With OFSAA and tournament play included, their overall record finished at 29-6.

Trojans’ head coach Todd Andrew said his team had performed well throughout the season and was happy to close it with the school’s second-ever appearance at the provincial level in boys’ basketball.

“It’s been a great season,” he said. “The boys have been very dedicated. It’s always good to finish with a provincial tournament.”

Andrew was also happy his team was able to keep the fourth-seed Bulldogs to a low score.

“I think holding a Toronto team to 40-odd points speaks volumes of our guys’ defence,” he said.

On the first day of competition, the Trojans downed the St. Theresa’s Thunder 46-39, with Dave Eves leading his team with 13 points.

In their game against the Bulldogs, playing at Queen’s University, Trojans’ powerhouses Eves and Mike Dulmage were shut down significantly, kept to just four points each.

“(Bulldogs) did a very good job of containing our big guys,” Andrew said. “They took away that inside element and put some pressure on the perimeter, so they took away that offensive presence.”

The Bulldogs got off to a strong start, doubling the Trojans 12-6 in the first quarter and extending their lead to 19-14 by halftime.

The Trojans were down 26-19 at the end of the third quarter but managed to close the gap to 29-26 with three minutes left in the game.

However, as the clock wound down, the Trojans missed a couple of late scoring opportunities and were forced into fouling their opposition.

The Trojans were led in scoring by Cale McDonald (11), Mark Dickens (7), Tyler Johnston (3) and Marcus Hamilton (3).

For Dickens, Eves and Dulmage, the OFSAA tournament was the last appearance wearing the green and orange of the NPC Trojans as they are all fifth year players.

Owen Sound Sun Times: Home Crowd Too Much for Falcons

Retrieved From: http://www.owensoundsuntimes.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=2484437

WINDSOR -- The OSCVI Falcons got their first taste of what it's like playing in front of a packed gym full of fans rooting for the other team Tuesday.

The Falcons were overwhelmed by Windsor's Herman High School in dropping an 89-40 decision on their opponents' home court at the OFSAA AA senior boys basketball championships.

"I don't know how many people that gym could hold, but it was literally filled to the rafters with people taunting and calling them names," coach Lee Jacques said Tuesday.

"It was different than anything they'd ever experienced and it was a lot of fun. I can see why NCAA (American college) teams have such good records on home court."

Curtis Gibbons led the Falcons with 14 points while Matt Monk and Ben Singbeil both had 12.

"It was a great learning experience and it will really help the guys who are back next year," said Jacques, who could see as many as 10 players return.

"If we get (Ben Singbeil) back for a fifth year, we'll be right there as a contender. Otherwise we'll be a tweener team until we get some of the Grade 10's up to speed."

Waterloo Region Record: Knights Fall at Hoops Tourney

By: Mark Bryson, Record Staff
Retrieved From: http://news.therecord.com/Sports/article/682006

Another slow start was the beginning of the end for the Bluevale Knights.

Similar to their Day 1 performance at the Ontario quad-A boys basketball tournament in Oshawa, the 11th-ranked Knights fell behind early on Tuesday and were unable to completely close the gap against the No. 5 Vaughan Voyageurs of Thornhill.

Vaughan built a 16-7 lead after the first quarter and held off a late Bluevale rally to secure a 50-39 win. Bluevale had come within four points with just over two minutes remaining, but that was as close as the Knights would get

The result was similar Monday’s 68-43 loss to No. 2 Blessed Mother Teresa Scarborough when the Knights fell behind 19-9 in the first quarter.

Stefan Cvrkalj led the Knights with 16 points while Drew Ballak was named his team’s most valuable player for a strong defensive effort.

“I’m proud of them. Our guys played with a lot of heart today,” said Knights head coach Doros Theodosiou.

“They never gave up and kept fighting until the end.”

In a stunning development at OFSAA, the top-ranked Pickering Trojans of Ajax dropped their second straight game and were bounced from the 18-team tournament.

It was a memorable season for the Knights, who became the first Bluevale senior boys squad to reach OFSAA since the school opened its doors in 1972. The Knights went a perfect 12-0 in the regular season, won the Waterloo County title with a win over the Sir John A. Macdonald Highlanders and then claimed the Central Western Ontario plaque with a win over Guelph’s J.F. Royals.

“I don’t think the kids will realize until months from now what they accomplished this year, being the first team in school history to achieve all this,” said Theodosiou.

Key players Ballak and Andrew Beney will move on, while star guard Cvrkalj has yet to make up his mind on what he’ll do next year. Theodosiou said there is a strong possibility the local league’s best player could return.

With Cvrkalj back and Karsten Beney, Fraser Voll and Adam Zack returning for a fifth year, and six-foot-six Perrin Smith back for his Grade 12 season, the Knights should once again be one of the teams to beat in WCSSAA.

Simcoe Reformer: Wolves Knocked Out By Ridley

By: Jacob Robinson, Simcoe Reformer
Retrieved From: http://www.simcoereformer.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=2484670

The Waterford Wolves were two wins away from a guaranteed medal at the OFSAA single-A basketball championships -- until their dreams were dashed by the second-ranked Ridley College Tigers.

Following a win on Day 1, the Wolves booked themselves a spot in the quarter-finals by taking down Algonquin (North Bay) 72-60 in Round 2 Tuesday morning.

That set up an afternoon match with Ridley College from St. Catharines, the very team the Wolves wanted to face with a spot in the semifinal hanging in the balance.

The Tigers jumped out to an early 14-point lead before the Wolves responded, cutting the deficit to four before the half. Ridley jumped out to another 12-point advantage, only to see the resilient Wolves battle back once again. But when the Tigers went on another run late in the fourth, the clock had struck midnight on Waterford.

"To start the second we were down 12 and closed it to six but from there it got away from us," said Wolves coach Dan Avey. "They played our game against us, they were the first team to really press us."

Mike Couperus and Paul Malcolm each scored 20 points in a game that Waterford just couldn't seem to grab control of.

"We just took it as just another game, but were a bit more serious. Playing Ridley, you really want to beat them. It was just another game, but we knew if we won two more we were in the gold medal game, and we did want it a bit more," said Wolves guard Aaron Hall.

"We just ran out of time in the end. We couldn't get enough stops, hit enough of our baskets and they made some key free throws."

Sporting a near perfect record, having been at OFSAA last year and armed with a ranking of seventh, the Wolves had a very realistic shot of winning a medal, especially when a win over Ridley would've seen them face the eleventh-ranked King's Christian (Oakville) squad in the semis.

"All season we were talking about OFSAA and our goal was to win CWOSSA and get back," said Hall. "In the end, we gave ourselves a chance to win a medal, we just didn't come through."

Avey had yet to address his troops following the loss to Ridley, but said his message to the team would be straightforward.

"I'm proud of their accomplishments," he said. "We made it to the quarter-finals, we're one of the top-five single-A teams in the province -- you can't knock it. These guys have every right to hold their heads high."

In the Game 2 win against Algonquin, Couperus scored 26, Gary Hill-Stone had 20 and Malcolm added 19 in what was the final victory of the tournament for WDHS.

"We had a slow start, but managed to get the lead. They were able to hit a couple shots to put them back in the game. There was a lot of good spirit from our team," explained Hall.

"It was back and fourth in the second half and in the fourth, we were able to play really good D, create turnovers and hit the shots that we needed to."

Waterford Gives #2 Ridley a Run, But Fall Short in QFs

#7 Waterford fell short in the OFSAA "A" Quarterfinals today, dropping a 64-54 decision to #2 Ridley College of St. Catharines.

The game appears to have been relatively close throughout, as Ridley held a slim 30-26 lead at the break.

The loss eliminates Waterford, who were the last remaining CWOSSA team still alive at the provincial championships.

More to follow later.

OFSAA Update

A at Sturgeon Falls

#7 Waterford ensured one CWOSSA school will play in the OFSAA quarterfinals. They defeated #10 ES Algonquin 72-60 to advance to the quarterfinal round. Standing between WDHS and an OFSAA medal? A tough game with #2 Ridley College.

Update: Waterford is the only CWOSSA team (in all divisions) to have qualified for the OFSAA quarterfinals.

AA at Windsor

#13 OSCVI is done after two games after being blown out 89-40 by Windsor's Herman HS (albeit on Herman's home floor with a raucous crowd behind them). Herman raced to a 47-18 halftime lead and never looked back.

AAA at Kingston

#7 North Park from Brantford has been eliminated after a 42-28 loss to #4 Jarvis Collegiate.

AAAA at Oshawa

The #11 Knights trail #5 Vaughan 37-27 entering the fourth quarter. They were within 33-27 but a drive with under 10 seconds left for 2, following by a turnover on the inbounds and a layup off the ensuing out-of-bounds play gave Vaughan 4 quick points in 10 seconds. The TSN "turning point" perhaps?

***Update: Vaughan 39, Bluevale 29 with 5:00 left***
***Update: Vaughan 39, Bluevale 32 with 4:12 left***
***Update: Vaughan 39, Bluevale 34 with 4:00 left***
(Bluevale's Karsten Beney misses a 3, but Drew Ballak has just drawn a charge on the other end...)
(Vaughan fouled in the act --- made 1/2).
***Update: Vaughan 40, Bluevale 34 with 2:47 left***
(Cvrkalj fouled with 2:44 left - makes both)
***Update: Vaughan 40, Bluevale 36 with 2:43 left***
2:11 left, Vaughan ball, timeout.
How big is that inbounds turnover in the dying seconds of the third quarter looming now?
BCI gets burned on a similar inbounds to the one that beat them in the 3rd. Easy layup for Vaughan.
Turnover by Cvrkalj. Layup by Vaughan - 44-36, now a charge on Bluevale. Just over a minute to play now....
***Update: Vaughan 46, Bluevale 39 with 1:07 to go***
Vaughan ball.
Bluevale will now play the fouling game....
***Update: Vaughan 47, Bluevale 39 with 31 seconds left, Vaughan to the line***
***Update: Vaughan 49, Bluevale 39 with 15 seconds left....*** ...it's beginning to sink in for BCI.

FINAL SCORE: #5 Vaughan 50, #11 Bluevale 39

Meanwhile, #1 Pickering has gone "2 and out" after losing to #6 Oakwood.

Waterloo Region Record: Bluevale Knights Lose Opener at Hoops Championship

Article By: Mark Bryson, Record Staff
Retrieved From: http://news.therecord.com/Sports/article/681180

The Bluevale Knights stumbled out of the gate on Monday at the Ontario quad-A boys basketball championship in Oshawa.

The 11th-ranked Knights suffered a 62-43 loss to second-ranked Blessed Mother Teresa of Scarborough in their opening game of the 18-team, double-knockout tournament. Bluevale is now in a must-win situation when it faces fifth-ranked Thornhill Vaughan at 1 p.m. on Tuesday. The Knights would stay alive and play an evening game with a victory and are finished with a loss.

Stefan Cvrkalj scored a game-high 24 points for the Knights, who got off to a slow start and trailed 32-21 at halftime.

Nerves played a factor, said Knights head coach Doros Theodosiou.

“We came out scared but we got the jitters over with and we can get back at it tomorrow,” said Theodosiou.

“You get out of CWOSSA and you have to play at a different level. Playing Guelph and Kitchener-Waterloo teams is a bit different than playing Toronto teams.”

Vaughan easily won its opener against Guelph’s J.F. Ross, rolling to a 74-42 win.

Knights centre Andrew Beney, a key figure in Central Western Ontario and Waterloo County championship victories, fouled out early in the fourth quarter.

Brant News: Trojans win First OFSAA Tilt

Article By Tom Kennedy
Retrieved From: http://www.brantnews.com/sports.cfm?page=sports§ion=read&articleId=7153

The North Park Collegiate Trojans senior boys’ basketball team has got off to a good start at the provincial level.

Playing in the AAA Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations tournament at Queen’s University in Kingston, the Trojans opened the tournament with a 46-39 win over the St. Theresa’s Thunder.

Trojans' coach Todd Andrew was happy to start the tournament with a win but said his team had some difficulties when Dave Eves and Mike Dulmage tallied three fouls each in the second quarter.

"We got off to a good start but we got into some foul trouble," he said. "We had to weather the storm for a while. We had to put (Eves and Dulmage) on the bench and preserve them for the fourth quarter."

The Trojans attendance at the OFSAA tournament is historic, as it is only the second time a boys’ basketball team from NPC has made it to the provincial tournament.

The Trojans led for the entire game but it was a close affair, with the Thunder bringing it within one point, 29-28, at the end of the third quarter.

By the fourth, the Trojans were able to seal the game with consistent free-throws, sinking 16 from 21.

"We got rid of the early jitters and we played really well in the fourth quarter," he said. "That totally iced the game and forced them to foul us."

The Trojans were led in scoring by Eves (13), Cale McDonald (13) and Mark Dickens (11).

The North Park boys will resume play tomorrow with an elimination game against the fourth-seeded Jarvis Bulldogs at noon. The winner of that game will advance to the tournament quarter finals.

"It'll obviously be a tougher game," Andrew said. "But I think the boys are ready."

Simcoe Reformer: Wolves Win Opener at OFSAA

By: Jacob Robinson, Simcoe Reformer
Retrieved From: http://www.simcoereformer.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=2482856

Though the stage was as big as it gets for the Waterford Wolves senior boys basketball team, the story remained the same.

The Wolves have become accustomed to slow starts, only to pull away at the mid-way point of games to win -- which is exactly what they did in their opener at the OFSAA single-A Championships in Sturgeon Falls Monday.

The Wolves (ranked 7th) defeated Cornwall's Holy Trinity (13) 54-45 in a game that played out like many others this season.

"We started with a slow first quarter, but then got it together in the second, got a seven-point lead and held it from there. It was a typical win," said Wolves head coach Dan Avey.

"They played awesome. There were a lot of nerves and trying to do too much, but it was a matter of pulling it out at the right time."

Mike Couperus led the way with 19 points, Paul Malcolm had 17 and Gary Hill-Stone chipped in with nine. In the opening round last season, the Wolves won an overtime thriller against E.S. Etienne- Brule from Toronto. Hill- Stone said the team's demeanor was much different this time.

"It was a little different because I think we got cocky," he said. "Last year in our first game, we weren't expecting to do much and it went to overtime and we won. This year we started a bit shaky."

The Wolves will take on E.S. Algonquin (10) at 11 a.m. this morning. A win there could produce another tough opponent in Ridley College, with a trip to the semis on the line.

"We're going to need to step up," said Hill-Stone. "We've got our first win and the morale on the team is pretty good right now. We want to win the next three and get to the finals."

All scores are being posted after games at ofsaa.on.ca/boysabasketball.

Owen Sound Sun Times: Falcons Drop First Game at OFSAA

Retrieved From: http://www.owensoundsuntimes.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=2482587

The OSCVI Falcons had a cold shooting hand and first-time OFSAA jitters in dropping a 72-60 decision to Timmins Monday in the OFSAA AA senior boys basketball championships.

"We came out a little sluggish and a little nervous, which is what I kind of expected from a first-time OFSAA team," said coach Lee Jacques.

"It just wasn't a very good shooting day for us."

Kevin Bunn had 22 points while Matt Monk chipped in with 14 for the Falcons. Ben Singbeil and Ben Ewasko both had 11 points for OSCVI, which is back in action at 12:30 p.m. today against Windsor's Herman High School.

Fourth-ranked Herman beat Orillia's Patrick Fogerty Monday in their opening game.

A win would put OSCVI into the quarterfinals tonight. A loss would end the tournament for the Falcons.

"(Timmins) is a very good shooting team and a very well coached team and they did some things that gave us some problems all game," said Jacques.

"We got it down to one (point) early in the fourth (quarter) but they would hit a three or a deuce and all of a sudden it was back to eight points again. We had to foul them late to try and extend the game and that's why it ended up as a 12-point loss."

OFSAA Results & Update: Day 1

"A" OFSAA
(7) Waterford --- won first round game vs. (13) Holy Trinity, 54-45. Play today 11am vs. (10) ES Algonquin.

"AA" OFSAA
(13) Owen Sound --- lost first round game vs. (7) Timmins, 72-60. Play today at 12:30pm vs. (4) Windsor Herman, a game being played at Herman.

"AAA" OFSAA
(7) North Park --- won first round game vs. (13) St. Theresa's (Midland), 46-39. Play today at Noon vs. (4) Jarvis CI.

"AAAA" OFSAA
(11) Bluevale --- lost first round game vs. (2) Mother Terersa, 68-43. Play today at 1:00pm vs. (5) Vaughan.

(17) JF Ross --- lost first round game vs. (5) Vaughan, 74-42. Lost qualification game to (15) Pope John Paul II of Scarborough 64-47. Failed to advance to round of 16.