(12) Galt (4-8) at (5) Grand River (8-4)
Regular Season: Did Not Play
Mark's Pick: GRCI by 14
This game has the potential to be closer than people might expect; Galt has played "competitively" with some of the better teams in the league. For example, they lost by 11 points to Cameron Heights, and took Forest Heights to overtime earlier this year where they lost by 5. That being said, they stumbled against Cambridge rivals Preston late last week, falling 47-28 and as a result they fell from (a possible) #10 seed down to #12.
The Ghosts are going to need a huge effort on the part of Nic Bradford and Jack Simmons in order to pull off what would still have to be considered a huge upset.
Grand River, meanwhile, can't be caught looking ahead to a potential quarterfinal meeting with the defending WCSSAA champion Bluevale Knights. The Rens have a major edge in guard play, which is always a key come playoff time. I look for them to advance through in this one.
(11) Huron Heights (4-8) at (6) KCI (8-4)
Regular Season: KCI 67, Huron Heights 63 (Dec. 9th)
Mark's Pick: KCI by 5
I'll probably be checking this one out tonight (it's a 5pm start), so, at the risk of making some people upset at my alma mater (KCI) I'll go with the homecourt Raiders even though I feel that the Huskies have a great chance of pulling off the upset here.
Although basketball is indeed a team game, it is fair to say that the Huskies can only go as far (in the playoffs) as their star guard Sean Samuel will take them. I say this because his performance seems to be intricately linked to HHHS' success in games. Samuel averaged 23.4 PPG during league play this season, but that average shoots up to 30.3 PPG in games that Huron Heights won. He averaged 20.0 on the nose in games that the Huskies lost.
For KCI to be successful, they'll have to get off to a much better start than they did the last time I saw them, last week against Preston. They need to get their key player, forward Alex Galea, some early touches and scores today. They seemed to have a bit more success when they were running their offense through him; however, some early foul trouble only allowed him to score a couple of points in the first half of the PHS game.
The Raiders have the edge in depth here, so if they can limit Samuel on the offensive end, they should advance through to the quarterfinals for a rematch against #3 SJAM.
(10) Preston (4-8) at (7) WCI (7-5)
Regular Season: WCI 54, Preston 53 (Jan. 18th)
Mark's Pick: WCI by 6
Another 5pm start in this one, and like the KCI-HHHS game, this should also be a hard-fought affair. Although the talent edge goes to the Vikings on paper, nobody is playing better basketball at this point in the season than the Preston Panthers.
If you're interested in seeing the future of WCSSAA basketball over the next couple of years, this would be a great game to check out. Wes Meertens (PHS - G) and Jacob Ranton (WCI - G/F) are two of the top rookies in the WCSSAA league this season. They actually led their respective squads in scoring the last time these clubs hooked up (Meertens - 20, Ranton - 15).
Although the Vikes aren't necessarily built to be a "run and gun" team, I think they can have success if they keep the tempo of this one up, especially with their depth at the guard spots. If PHS can keep this in the 40s or even the low 50s, then they have a shot.
(9) Eastwood (5-7) at (8) WODSS (6-6)
Regular Season: Eastwood 59, WODSS 44
Mark's Pick: Eastwood by 7
Well, I have to go with at least one "lower seeded" team to win today, and I'll take the easy way out by picking the "upset" in the 8-9 game.
The Eastwood Rebels are one of the most interesting teams in the WCSSAA senior circuit this season. They have a ton of youth, which has (at times) been their downfall, but it has also allowed them to remain competitive with some of the "top tier" teams in the league. Keep in mind that this club was 2-10 a year ago, and missed the playoffs entirely. So definitely this year has been a big step back in the right direction for the Rebs.
These teams met right before the exam break, with ECI pulling out the win. I expect a closer game this time around, but I'll still take the Rebs to win.
As a sidenote, the WODSS Crusaders currently hold the #2 "AAA" spot in the WCSSAA standings, so as long as Preston, Huron Heights or Galt don't pull out a win today, they will represent WCSSAA at CWOSSA "AAA" next week.
Junior
Today's junior matchups will have a major bearing on the CWOSSA "AAA" qualifying picture. In fact, of the 4 games, three of them are "all AAA" matchups, with the remaining game an "all AAAA affair" between Eastwood and WCI. Here are the previews:
(12) Preston at (5) Glenview Park
Regular Season: Glenview Park 48, Preston 47
Mark's Pick: Glenview Park by 10
Hmmmm. Based upon the regular season result, this one has the potential to be interesting, as it's a relatively favourable matchup for Preston. Furthermore, these "intra-Cambridge" rivalry games always seem to be hard-fought battles, especially in the playoffs.
The only difference this time around compared to their regular season outing? It will be played on the "friendlier rims" (from GPSS' perspective) of their home floor.
I think that the (Preston) Panthers can help their cause if they can limit the points scored by Sean Davidson, who had 26 the last time these clubs met. Of course, as other teams in WCSSAA have found out, that's a lot easier said than done.
One other thing is for sure: the GPSS Panthers won't be guilty of overlooking Preston today, despite the difference in league ranking.
(11) Jacob Hespeler at (6) Galt
Regular Season: Galt 58, Jacob Hespeler 42
Mark's Pick: Galt by 12
The Ghosts stumble into the playoffs after losing to Preston, a game that prevented Galt from (possibly) obtaining a first-round bye.
Galt's key to their success has been scoring balance --- led by their "big three", Scott Holton, TJ Lall and Faizan Fayyaz. To get back to their "old self", the Ghosts will need solid efforts from those players in particular today.
The Hawks, meanwhile, have generally been pretty competitive. They've only lost one game by 20+, and that was to first place Cameron Heights. If they can hang around in this one, it could get interesting but I'll take the Ghosts here.
(10) Elmira at (7) KCI
Regular Season: Did Not Play
Mark's Pick: KCI by 8
KCI comes into this one on a bit of a roll, and with homecourt advantage at the "comfortable" KCI gym, they have to be considered favourites in this one.
The key for the Raiders will be continuing to get strong efforts from Matt McKinnon (32 points last time out) while limiting the damage caused by Walker Stuart and Lucas Nosal.
I'm picking KCI, but again, it's far from a "sure thing".
(9) WCI at (8) Eastwood
Regular Season: Eastwood 47, WCI 42
Mark's Pick: ECI by 2
Like the senior game, I'm taking the "slight underdog" #9 seed ECI Rebels here in junior as well. In my opinion, they have the ability to be one of the "top ten" CWOSSA teams but have been inconsistent.
Still, with a 3 point win over GRCI, 2 point loss to CHCI and a 6 point loss to FHCI this regular season, they can definitely be considered the darkhorse in this year's playoffs.
WCI is no slouch themselves, especially if they can get things rolling on the offensive end. They put up 61 on GRCI earlier this year, and 63 on Forest Heights (in a one point loss).
Close one here --- coin flip says Eastwood.
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