WCSSAA Preview On Tap!

Tomorrow is the first day of WCSSAA basketball play for the boys' 2011-12 season.  

I'll be putting together a preview with information on the teams and players to keep an eye out for this year!

Stay tuned as it will likely be released tomorrow morning!

BAA: Monday & Tuesday Results

We'll combine the BAA South and North results into one major post here ---- results from the last two nights were as follows:

Senior

Sacred Heart (Walk.) 52, John Diefenbaker 30

SHHS:  Brennan Senra 16

JDSS:  Alex Grierson 15

Walkerton DSS 38, Kincardine 33

WDSS:  JD West 23

KDSS:  Jacob Siekerski 14

Owen Sound 72, West Hill 60

OSCVI:  Kevin Bunn 22, Tyler Douglas 18

WHSS:  Curtis McLeod 20

St. Mary's (OS) 73, Peninsula Shores 43

SMHS:  Adam McArthur 20, Nick Murphy 20

PSDS:  Cody Givens 15 

Junior

Kincardine 37, Walkerton DSS 33

KDSS:  Logan Shewfelt 21

WDSS:  Greg Simpson 10

Sacred Heart 45, John Diefenbaker 33

JDSS:  Jesse Jacobs 12

Owen Sound 45, West Hill 32

OSCVI:  Matt Wardrop 11, Connor Cunningham 11

WHSS:  Bryce Robbins 6, Jonathan Beaton 6, Ryan Baerg 6

St. Mary's (OS) 42, Peninsula Shores 34

SMHS:  Lucas Rintoul 22

PSDS:  Steven Nadjiwon 16

Georgian Bay 42, Grey Highlands 38

GHSS:  Ryley Colville 18

D4: Junior Royals Take Opener

There was one game on Monday to tell you about in the D4 junior league (with the rest of action getting underway today) ---- the Centre Dufferin Royals picked up a win by getting past Erin DHS 43-35.

Silas Sales (16) and Noah Sterling (14) took care of the majority of scoring for CDDHS, while Andrew McEwen netted 15 for the Raiders.

Play continues in D4 today with two games in junior and one in senior ---- Norwell and CDDHS will play a junior-senior doubleheader, while Erin will host College Heights from Guelph (a new entry in the D4 league) in the other matchup.

D8: Tuesday Games & Picks

YTD:  2-0

Two games on the slate for tonight in the D8 league, including the opportunity for the Rockway Flames or MDCSS Mustangs to pick up an (important) early win.

St. Mary's (0-0) at St. David (0-1) - 3:30pm

My Pick:  SMHS

The Eagles shouldn't have too much trouble with the overmatched Celtics in this one; look for them to come out strong and put away any thought of a SDCSS upset early.

Rockway (0-1) at Monsignor Doyle (0-0) - 3:30pm

My Pick:  MDCSS

Should be a close one in Cambridge --- I'll give the (very) slight edge to the homecourt 'Stangs.

Junior

Junior portions of the doubleheaders all go at 5pm, with the exception of St. Benedict at Woodland (4:30pm).

D10: Tuesday Results

Tuesday marked the first day in D10 play, and things went "generally" as expected.  I gave the Centennial Spartans the home edge in a game against Lourdes, but the Crusaders pulled out the win (can't really call that an upset).

Here's a rundown below.  We'll update this post with some more information as it trickles in.

Senior

JF Ross 75, St. James 43

My Pick:  JFR

The Royals received 21 from Mike Friesen and 14 from Shamlo Saeed as they cruised to a 1-0 start.  Zack McClenaghan (11) and Ryan Morales (7) were tops for St. James.

Bishop Mac 61, Orangeville 45

My Pick:  BMAC

A couple of big performances in this one --- Owen Brombal had 35 for Bishop Mac while Justin Levesque netted 30 for ODSS.  Both rookies were expected to make a big impact, and got off to great starts here.

Centre Wellington 73, Guelph CVI 45

My Pick:  CWDHS

The Falcons could be a bit of a darkhorse this year, and handled the Gaels with ease in this one.  Reid Goindi (22) and Tim Francis (18) topped the Falcon scoring, while Todd Jaspers-Fayer had 16 and Andrew Hood 11 for the Gaels.

Lourdes over Centennial

(will update post with details)

Junior

Centre Wellington 63, GCVI 35

The Falcons are on the upswing in junior and took care of business on the road on Tuesday.  Two returning starters from last year's squad, Josh McEachern (22) and Sam Goindi (15) led the way.  Spencer Swan, Slobodan Glibo, and Raymond Su all had 8 for the Gaels.

JF Ross 60, St. James 36

The Royals, who many consider one of the top teams potentially in CWOSSA, got off to a great start on Tuesday.  Greg Schwann and Mobin Binawa had 10 each in the win; the Lions received 11 from Alex Mackeigan and 7 from Griffin Rice.

Centennial 65, Lourdes 60

Scoring details were unavailable from source.

Bishop Mac 64, Orangeville 47

Scoring details were unavailable from source.

Resurrection CSS:Senior Boys' Tournament

The draw for this weekend's RCSS Phoenix Invitational senior tournament at Resurrection CSS has been released (and is posted below).  

6 of 8 participating teams are from the CWOSSA region, with all four school categories (A, AA, AAA, and AAAA) represented.

First and second round games are Friday (semifinals at 1:00pm and 5:30pm).  The championship final goes Saturday at 2:30pm.

Friday, December 2nd - 1st Round Games

Resurrection vs. WODSS - 8:30am

Centre Dufferin vs. Walkerton DSS - 10:00am

Essex vs. Eastwood - 11:30am

Lourdes (Guelph) vs. Bishop Reding (Milton) - 2:30pm

The Record: Don't Write off St. Benedict in High School Basketball

Article by:  Mark Bryson

CAMBRIDGE — It’s a foregone conclusion, right?

The Resurrection Phoenix and St. Mary’s Eagles will be playing for the District 8 senior boys basketball championship on Feb. 17, 2012, in a rematch of last year’s thriller, which the Phoenix won 68-64 in overtime.

The D8 league’s four other teams — St. Benedict Saints, Monsignor Doyle Mustangs, St. David Celtics and 

Rockway Flames — are simply along for the ride, correct?

St. Benedict guard Santo Dak has heard the talk, but the talented speedster isn’t buying it. It would be a mistake, he said, to take the Saints for granted.

“Yeah, we’re hearing all the talk and we know some of the guys on those teams and they’re saying the same thing, but I think we are going to surprise a lot of people,” said Dak.

“The pressure is on those two teams because nobody expects us to win, but our goal is to get to the championship game.”

Dak scored a game-high 19 points on Monday as the Saints cruised to a 67-31 win over the visiting St. David Celtics in the opening game of the District 8 season for both teams. Tyler Moulton and Josh Edwards both chipped in with 14 points. Jake Winter replied with 15 points for St. David, while Francis Samson added eight.

Resurrection blasted Rockway 72-25 in the league’s only other game as Stephen Cordle had 18 and Jacob Gilbert added 15 for the Phoenix. Jordan Fayez had 10 for the Flames.

St. Benedict coach John Malnerich and St. David’s Derek Mohaupt made frequent changes in the game that was decided early. The Saints exploded to a 21-2 lead in the first quarter and were comfortably ahead 42-16 at the half.

They don’t stack up well against St. Mary’s or Rez in the size department, so the Saints will need to rely on speed and a strong passing game to stay in the hunt.

“Our chemistry is good now and it will continue to improve. We will have to play as a team to beat those teams because we can’t count on just one guy to do it all,” said Dak.

“We’ll have to outrun their big guys to beat them.”

The Celtics, meanwhile, will compete with the Mustangs for a berth into the Central Western Ontario triple-A championship.

The Flames get a free pass into the CWOSSA single-A championship.

The Waterloo County league tips off on Thursday with a seven-game schedule.

Saints 67, Celtics 31

St. Benedict: Santo Dak 19, Tyler Moulton 14, Josh Edwards 14

St. David: Jake Winter 15, Francis Samson 8

A quick look at the six teams competing in the District 8 senior boys basketball league:

MONSIGNOR DOYLE MUSTANGS

Coach: Stan Kamzol

Starting five: Roberto Artwell (G), Mike Danielz (F), Uzair Khan (G), Tyler Saris (G), Manveer Singh (F)

Sixth man: Jordan Cooke

Last season: Played exhibition schedule

Coach’s comment: “After a year away from senior D8 league play the Doyle Mustangs this year offer a quick and energetic group. I’m is optimistic that the Stangs will be competitive and look to secure a D8 playoff position.”

RESURRECTION PHOENIX

Coach: Tom Schneider

Starting five: Tyler Schneider (G), Mike Pereira (F), Cory Kenning (F), Cam Gibbs (F), John Moi (G)

Sixth man: Adam Schneider

Last season: District 8 champion

Coach’s comment: “We should be as strong as we were last year.”

ROCKWAY FLAMES

Coach: Bernie Burnett

Starting five: Nathanial Kara (G), Jordan Fayez (C), Stephen Veltri (F), Alex Sheedy (F), Nick Read (F)

Sixth man: Jason Wu

Last season: Failed to make playoffs

Coach’s comment: “We hope to use the experience against the bigger schools to be competitive at the CWOSSA level.”

ST. BENEDICT SAINTS

Coach: John Malnerich

Starting five: Brendan Flannigan (G), Santo Dak (G), Kueth Geng (F), Josh Edwards (F), Tyler Moulton (F)

Sixth man: Shakur Tag-El-Din

Last season: Lost in semifinals

Coach’s comment: “Our hope this season is that we can continue to work hard and grow as a team in order to return to the playoffs and get past the semifinals to the District 8 Championship game.”

ST. DAVID CELTICS

Coach: Derek Mohaupt

Starting five: Jake Winter (G), Matt Scanlon (G), Matt Murawski (F), Francis Samson (F), Rob Dietrich (G)

Sixth men: Zach Enriquz and Phil Ciomplik

Last season: Lost in semifinals

Coach’s comment: “I’m looking to improve my players from beginning of the season to the end.”

ST. MARY’S EAGLES

Coach: Jason Hergott

Starting five: Isaac Lance (G), Alex Thompson (G), Tyler Hergott (G), Henry Bankazo (G/F), Adam Voll (C)

Sixth man: Telloy Simon

Last season: Lost in D8 championship game

Coach’s comment: “Our focus is only on the next opponent.”

Retrieved From:  http://www.therecord.com/sports/highschool/article/631718--don-t-write-off-st-benedict-in-high-school-basketball

Brantford Expositor: High Hopes Ahead of Hoops Season

By EXPOSITOR STAFF

"There are no bad teams in our league."

That comment, overhead during the weekend Brantford Expositor Ed O'Leary Tip-Off Tournament, is bang on.

Although the St John's College Green Eagles and North Park Collegiate Trojans look as if they are the front-runners for the senior basketball title, there will be no days off for any team this season.

Whether it is depth, great outside shooting or a ton of athleticism, each team brings something different to the league, which should make for an interesting season.

"Any team can beat anyone on any day," Paris District High School Panthers coach Mike Wittchen said.

"Of course, North Park and St. John's will be there but I really think it'll be a great season and I don't think any team will be able to take a night off."

The Trojans captured their second-consecutive city championship in a two-game sweep of the Green Eagles last season. And the defending champs look dangerous in their quest to make it three in a row.

Nearly every local team was in action on the weekend during the tip-off tourney. The real season gets under way Dec. 1, when Pauline Johnson Collegiate visits North Park for an 8 p.m. showdown, while St. John's is at Brantford Collegiate Institute at 8:30 p.m., and Paris hosts Assumption College at 6:30 p.m.

Here's a brief look at the teams:

Assumption College Lions

After finishing fourth last season and losing in the opening round of the playoffs, the Lions are rebuilding.

"We're definitely a young team," head coach Paul Petrella said.

"This year, we're going to be focusing on the basics and getting used to the fundamentals of the game."

The Lions have only four returning players, one of whom is in Grade 10.

"It's obviously a building year but we do have some talent on our team," Petrella said.

Unfortunately, time has not been on the side of the Lions.

With Assumption football teams on another long run, the senior boys basketball team hasn't had a full roster out to practice until this week.

"I'm hoping we get our full team out finally," Petrella said. "We've been doing a lot of conditioning, but now it's time to implement a couple of things."

He said that the Lions must eliminate mistakes to be successful.

"In this league, if you can limit the other teams to one chance to score, you have a chance to win the game," Petrella said.

"Our goal is to make sure the opposition doesn't get second and third chances.

Brantford Collegiate Institute Mustangs

Bob Boos said he hopes youthful exuberance will propel the Mustangs to a competitive season.

Eight of the Mustangs' 12 players are in their first year of senior basketball.

"Everyone on the team is fighting for a position and playing time," Boos said. "Last year, we were competitive and this year will really be a war of attrition."

As for experience, Ben Candy and Brandon Moxley will be the ones Boos hopes will lead by example.

"The offence is run through Ben and we're relying on him to lead the others," Boos said.

MacKenzie Mark is another player the Mustangs will rely on for offence.

"We have some size and I think they discovered they can get some boards," Boos said. "We'll need those boards and solid defence, which we've showed glimpses of to be competitive."

North Park Collegiate Trojans

Despite winning two-consecutive Brant County titles and OFSAA appearances, Trojans head coach Todd Andrews said he may have the most complete group of athletes he's ever had at North Park.

"Its a very athletic, well-rounded group," Andrew said.

"The guys can really run up and down the floor. We also have guys that can take the ball off the bounce, which is always a good thing."

He said that the focus will be finetuning their systems.

"We had some good individual offensive efforts, " Andrew said after the final of the tip-off tourney.

"Now we just have to work on the team concept. Although a lot of these guys have played together, it's another year and their skills have all developed more. Now it's a matter of putting it all together."

The backbone of the Trojans attack will be led by fifth-year players Marcus Hamilton and Logan Varga, who will be helped by a strong mix of youth and experience.

"Having the mix is great for practices," Andrew said.

"The young guys compete hard to try and prove themselves. It pushes the older guys, which makes for very intense practices."

Paris District High School Panthers

Last season the Panthers season ended with a loss to the Brantford Collegiate Mustangs in the playoffs to see who would play in the CWOSSA 'AAA' qualifier.

This season, head coach Mike Wittchen said he sees lots of potential in his team -and quiet confidence among his players.

"This year, we have the experience," Wittchen said. "Seven of our 13 players are returning and I think that'll be a big thing for us this season."

Size also is a factor for the Panthers.

"We're not huge, but we have some good size." Wittchen said. "As long as we can take advantage of that at both ends of the court we should be all right."

And Taylor Shipp is one of the big players the Panthers are hoping will lead the way. His combination of size, good footwork and scoring touch is something Wittchen hopes to lean on.

At the guard position is the one position the Panthers lost players and Wittchen is hoping one of the returners will step up. During the tip-off tourney, Jake Kelley was a standout, showing great ball handling skills and an eye for the clutch three-point shot.

Wittchen said he realizes it will be tough for the Panthers to contend for top spot.

"It's always hard to say where we'll end up," Wittchen said.

"We're going in with the attitude that we can finish first. But the main thing is that we compete hard every game because we know every game is a tough one."

Pauline Johnson Collegiate Vocational School Thunderbirds

With only one win last season, the Thunderbirds are heading into the season with a clean slate, including new head coach Rob Innes.

For the last 2 1/2 weeks, Innes has been assessing his talent.

"The one thing we don't have that a lot of the other teams have is experience," Innes said.

But Thunderbirds do have depth.

"I took 14 guys," Innes said. "We have plenty of athleticism and height, which is something we can really build on."

Innes said he feels his top dozen or so players can run with any team in the league.

"I think it's something we can do because the guys we have are athletes," Innes said. "They may not have that basketball experience but if they stay committed to it, they'll get the experience and learn the fundamentals in practice."

Innes said the team's goal is to be competitive.

"They only won one game last year, so there's only one way to go, and that's up. I've come in with a clean slate and that's the attitude we're going into the season with."

St. John's College Green Eagles

As always, there are great expectations at St. John's College.

After dropping the last two city finals to the Trojans, Green Eagles head coach Nick Esposito said that this season's goal is to win the county title, compete at CWOSSA and qualify for OFSAA.

"I think we're a better team than we were last year," Esposito said. "We've got some height, which we really haven't had and we really have a nice mix of players."

With the likes of Tyler Van Leeuwen and J.P. Yurcich returning, Esposito is most impressed with the mix of first-and second-year players he has, two things he didn't have last season.

And, as a result, leadership and offence will be spread around the court and just not on one person.

"Last year, we were young and we leaned on Tyler (VanLeeuwen) heavily," Esposito said. "If he was having a hard time scoring, we'd be in trouble. That won't be the case this year. We have guys all over the court that can do the job."

One of those players Esposito is looking to for leadership is Yurcich.

"If J.P. puts his mind to it, he could be the best player on our team," Esposito said.

Among the first-year players Esposito said will be a factor is Tim Dawson.

"He's a very athletic, well-conditioned kid," Esposito said. "He compliments what we already had very well."

- - -

Key players

Assumption

Andre Toic -Point guard will be the floor general.

Justin Robinson -Athletic and quick, he plays small forward, or power forward.

Mike Thomlison -Fifth-year point guard provides experience and defence.

SJC

Tim Dawson -Athletic.

Tyler VanLeeuwen -Expected to have a great year.

Arthur Kogat -Defensive leadership.

Eric Drescher -Big guy in the middle.

J.P. Yurcich -Expected to be a leader.

BCI

MacKenzie Mark -Scoring and athleticism.

Brandon Moxley -Leadership.

Ben Candy -Size and leadership.

Liam MacNeil and Chris Gorski also will be key.

NPC

Marcus Hamilton -Fifth-year players brings experience.

Logan Varga -Also brings experience.

Marcus Jones -A point guard that has improved over the summer

Nick Minutillo -Hard worker who brings lots of intensity to the court

PJC

Tyler Campbell -Scoring and leadership.

Dakota Brush -Big, athletic. Jordan Lewis - Physical Tyler Power -Point guard with good ball-handling skills Dakotta Robinson also will be key.

Retrieved From:  http://www.brantfordexpositor.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=3386238

Junior Boys: Highlander Hoopla Junior Tournament

The annual SJAM "Highlander Hoopla" tournament --- in my view, the best early-season measuring stick for CWOSSA junior boys basketball --- is set to go this coming weekend in Kitchener-Waterloo.

This year, instead of the usual 8-team format, the tournament had expanded to 16-teams, and will be co-hosted by Forest Heights CI.

The tournament generally provides players, fans, and casual observers with a solid idea of who might be the "teams to beat" in CWOSSA.  In fact, 2 of the last three champions of the tournament have made their respective CWOSSA final, while the 2007 final (North Park / JF Ross) actually featured both the eventual "AAA" and "AAAA" CWOSSA champions!

With regards to the format, the tournament is an "OFSAA-style" modified double-elimination.  That is, first round winners play first round losers in the second round ---- and any losses after the opening round would eliminate a team from championship contention.

Here's a look at the draw:

SJAM Bracket

9:00am - SJAM vs. Centre Wellington

10:30am - St. David vs. North Park

Noon - Resurrection vs. Assumption

1:30pm - Grand River vs. St. James

(Second round games at 3, 4:30, 6, and 7:30).

Forest Heights Bracket

9:00am - Forest Heights vs. Centennial

10:30am - Huron Heights vs. St. John's

Noon - St. Mary's (Kit) vs. Brantford CI

1:30pm - Bluevale vs. JF Ross

Early favourites?  The JF Ross Royals and St. Mary's Eagles look like the teams to beat in the bottom (FHCI) bracket, while the Grand River Renegades would have to be considered among the contenders in the top (SJAM) bracket.  Of course, teams will have to win 5 games (technically could be 4 if they lose in the first round....) in 2 days to capture the tournament title, so we'll see how that plays into things!

D10: Schedule Tips-Off Tonight!

Are we headed for another JF Ross - Centennial D10 senior boys basketball final?

Well, if you ask basketball fans around Guelph, that seems to be the general consensus heading into the season, but we'll see what a couple of other teams (the Lourdes Crusaders in particular) have to say about that.

The JF Ross Royals are the favourites (or at least my preseason favourites) to capture their 3rd consecutive D10 crown.  The Royals return virtually their entire roster from a season ago, led by dynamic PG Shamlo Saeed, PF Evan Karl and SG/SF Mike Friesen.  JF Ross is arguably the deepest team in CWOSSA, which can play huge dividends for them at a tournament like CWOSSA "AAAA" where you play 4 games in 30 hours.

Fresh off of a finals appearance at the Cameron Heights tournament, the Centennial Spartans don't have a ton of size, but feature speed and scoring capabilities with Serge Khayipangi, Erik Sterne, Aleks Kaludjerovic, and Edward Gray.  They also add guard Jeremy Seed from the junior ranks to bolster the backcourt.

The team that took the Ross Royals to the wire in last year's D10 semifinals, the Lourdes Crusaders, also has a ton of talent returning from their "AA" CWOSSA championship roster.  Guard Mike Finoro, one of the best scorers in CWOSSA, will be joined by Sharieff Peru, Jordan Trimble and Chris Watson (returning from injury).  Ben King will be a key frontcourt option for Lourdes.

An intriguing squad that may be able to challenge the teams above is the Centre Wellington Falcons, who captured their home tournament this past weekend over a field that included Bishop Mac, Centre Dufferin and D8 school St. Benedict.  The Falcons will be led by Reid Goindi, and also bring up a solid group from a CWOSSA-qualifying junior team.

The St. James Lions will lose D10 all-stars Ryan Higgins, Konrad Babol and Alex Campagnolo, but still have some talent --- especially in the frontcourt with 6'6" F Nick Pelizzari.  Look for the Lions to drop a bit in the standings, but still remain competitive with a decent amount of returnees.

As for the other D10 teams, this may be the year that the Bishop Mac Celtics can start to make some noise after having very strong junior teams over the past few years (54 consecutive wins!).  Granted, a couple of key members of those teams, Mitchell and Connor Wood, have since gone to the REDA program but look for the Celts to certainly improve upon last year's 2-12 mark.

To round out the D10 field, the GCVI Gaels return Bryan Smith (D10 all-star) and are seeking to improve upon last year's 3-11 mark and possibly snag a berth to a CWOSSA "AAA" qualifier.  The ODSS Bears, like the Gaels, also have a key all-star returnee (Kyle Holmes) and are seeking to improve upon a 1-win season.

Here's a look at my projected order of finish in the D10 Senior Circuit:

1.  JF Ross

2.  Centennial

3.  Lourdes

4.  Centre Wellington

5.  St. James

6.  Bishop Mac

7.  GCVI

8.  Orangeville

And now, today's games and picks:

St. James at JF Ross (4:00pm)

My Pick:  JFR

The deep Royals will be too much for the Lions to handle in this affair; look for an easy win for JF Ross although they have been recently dealing with some injury issues.

Bishop Mac at Orangeville (5:15pm)

My Pick:  BMAC

Having won three game combined last year, this is a big first game for both of these squads.  I'll go with the visiting Celtics to get past the Bears here.

Lourdes at Centennial (5:30pm) **Game of the Day**

My Pick:  CCVI

Right off the hopper we have what amounts to a heavyweight bout between two of my projected "top three" teams in the D10, Lourdes and CCVI.  I'll roll with the homecourt Spartans in a single-digit contest.

Centre Wellington at GCVI (5:30pm)

My Pick:  CWDHS

I think the Falcons will be a bit too much for the Gaels to handle, but I think that GCVI might be able to keep this one closer than some might think.

D8: Monday Results

Monday marked the first day of regular season competition in the D8 junior and senior boys' leagues.  Here's the rundown of how opening day played out:

Senior

Resurrection 72, Rockway 25

My Pick:  RCSS

The starters didn't see much action in this one for Rez; leading the way were reserve forwards Stephen Cordle (18) and rookie Jacob Gilbert (15).  Jordan Fayez (10) and Alex Sheedy (7) led the way for the Flames.

St. Benedict 67, St. David 31

My Pick:  SBCSS 

Solid start for the Saints at home as they were backed by three players in double-figures on Monday ---- Santo Dak (19), Tyler Moulton (14) and Josh Edwards (14).  Jake Winter had 15 of the Celts' 31 points.

Junior

Resurrection 56, Rockway 26

The Flames actually won the second half of this one, and didn't give up a point to Rez in the fourth quarter.  Unfortunately for them, the halftime deficit of 43-9 was insurmountable.   Kirolos Milio had 8 and Ryan Vyrostko 6 for Rez, while three other Phoenix had 5.  Simon Dudwell had a game-high 11 for Rockway, with Connor Huxman adding 6 and Nathan Martin netting 5.

St. Mary's 87, Woodland 10

Nothing like having to play last year's defending D8 champs when you are making your return to the league ---- and the Woodland Cavaliers were rudely welcomed by the homecourt Eagles.  Jermaine Lyle poured in 18 and forward Bronson Botelho had 14 for St. Mary's; Drew Carrick scored 5 for Woodland.  

St. David 51, St. Benedict 44

James McBride had 14 and Dashaun Lalor 13 as the youthful Celtics got an important road win on Monday to start the season.  Aaron Zammit and Omar Comanto scored 14 each for the Saints.

D8 vs. D10 All-Star Game: Wednesday in Guelph

The D10 vs. D8 all-star game will be taking place Wednesday evening in Guelph.  Just awaiting the finalized details (I assume at the U of G).

In the meantime, here are your 2011 D10 & D8 all-stars:

Senior Girls 2011 D10 All-Stars

Brenann Francis (CWDHS) 

Erica McFadden (CWDHS)

Jaime Janssen (CWDHS)

Rebecca Keil (BMAC)

Andrea Priamo (BMAC)

Tesha Kraszkiewicz (BMAC)

Julia Robertson (Ross)

Sydney Resch (Ross)

Erica Zen (St. James)

Jade McGarr (St. James)

Hannah Pearsall (OLOL)

Odessa Grant-Esco (CCVI)

Claire Fenton (ODSS)

Hanna Chidwick (GCVI)

Junior Girls 2011 D10 All-Stars

Charlotte Case (OLOL)

Erin Gerstenkorn (OLOL)

Monica Trimble (OLOL)

Chelsey Gazzola (St. James)

Nastassja Herriot (St. James)

Camilla Diamante (St. James)

Mackenzie Bernhardt (BMAC)

Jessica Morris (BMAC)

Madison Fennell (CWDHS)

Chloe Trapp (CWDHS)

Hannah Newman (CCVI)

Sydney Wilson (GCVI)

Teddi Taran (Ross)

Rachel Adams (ODSS)

D8 - Senior First Team
Kaitlyn Schenck, St. Mary's (MVP)
Laura Boterman, St. Mary's
Shelby Dixon, St. Mary's
Janelle Santi, Resurrection
Jacqui Rodrigues, Resurrection
Dana Milani, St. Benedict


D8 - Senior Second Team
Janelle Case, St. Benedict
Meghan Mason, St. Benedict
Natasha Stoyakovich, St. Mary's
Emma Jada, St. Mary's
Danielle Duncan, Resurrection
Marley Gray, Monsignor Doyle


D8 Junior - First Team
Sarah Schultz, Resurrection (MVP)
Laura Kay, St. Mary's
Lindsay Geffros, St. David
Amber Baetson, St. Benedict
Sydney Greulich, St. Mary's
Celia McGlynn, Resurrection


D8 Junior - Second Team
Heather Sandall, St. David
Ellen McGowan, Resurrection
Taylor Fitzpatrick, Mons. Doyle
Angela Mercurio, St. Mary's
Kayla Leusink, St. Benedict
Samantha Veltri, Rockway

D8: Regular Season Tips Off Tonight (and D8 Preview)

Play tips off this evening in the D8 junior and senior leagues, with 3 games (junior) and 2 in the senior circuit.

I'll make my senior picks here, to start that off:

Resurrection over Rockway

St. Benedict over St. David

A couple of teams will make their return to the junior league, as Woodland Christian is back in the D8 for the first time in about six years (having played in the D4 most recently) while Monsignor Doyle is back after a one-year hiatus.

D8 Senior

Predicted Order of Finish:

1.  St. Mary's / Kitchener

2.  Resurrection / Kitchener

3.  St. Benedict / Cambridge

4.  St. David / Waterloo

5.  Rockway / Kitchener

6.  Monsignor Doyle / Cambridge

Projected First Team All-Stars

Alex Thompson, SMHS (5th Year - SG, 6'1")

Isaac Lance, SMHS (5th Year - PG, 5'11")

Adam Voll, SMHS (4th Year - PF, 6'6")

Mike Pereira, RCSS (5th Year - SF/PF, 6'5")

Tyler Schneider, RCSS (5th Year - SG, 6'2")

The St. Mary's Eagles and the Resurrection Phoenix should, yet again, be the two teams competing for the D8 championship final in February.

Both teams will have to overcome a couple of key losses from last year's teams, most notably former D8 all-stars Ben Bankazo (St. Mary's) and Andrew Mwangi (Resurrection).

The Eagles are the slight favourite, and are backed by arguably the best backcourt in CWOSSA, with SG Alex Thompson (6'1") and PG Isaac Lance (5'11").  Other key players for the Eagles include PF Adam Voll (6'6"), and Henry Bankazo (6'1" G).  They are an athletic bunch, and their depth will be aided by a strong contingent of players from last year's AAAA junior CWOSSA silver medalist squad, such as guards Chris Cloutier and Tyler Hergott.

The strength of Resurrection, meanwhile, is on the interior.  Grade 12 forward Cory Kenning (6'7") and 5th year SF/PF Mike Pereira (6'5") were Rez's top scorers in this past weekend's Heinbuch tournament.  Sharpshooting guard Tyler Schneider (5th Year/6'2") and athletic swingman Cam Gibbs (6'4") can stretch the defense.

Rez's PG spot will be handling by grade eleven rookie Adam Schneider (5'11") and 5th year veteran John Moi (5'9").  Schneider is a steady "pass first" PG, while Moi is more of an energy guy and scoring threat.

St. Benedict has had a ton of transfers come into their program over the past few years, and they will likely be the 3rd place team this coming season.  Kueth Geng (5th year) and fourth year Andrew Squires (ex-Glenview Park) are likely to lead the way this year, while guard Santo Dak returns for his second season with the Saints.  Bolstering the starting lineup is another 5th year player, Josh Edwards, who started at Monsingor Doyle two years ago before transferring over to SBCSS.

The St. David Celtics, meanwhile, are in rebuilding mode with only a couple of returning players this year.  Jake Winter (SF) and Matt Scanlon (PG) are the two players of note for the Celtics.

Monsignor Doyle and Rockway will round out the 6-team league.  The Mustangs were essentially a junior team playing in senior last year, with the bulk of their team being in either grade 9 or 10.  Roberto Atwell and Manny Singh are the key returnees for the 'Stangs.

D8 Junior

Predicted Order of Finish:

1.  St. Mary's / Kitchener

2.  Resurrection / Kitchener

3.  St. David / Waterloo

4.  St. Benedict / Cambridge

5.  Monsignor Doyle / Cambridge

6.  Rockway / Kitchener

7.  Woodland CHS / Breslau

Yes, it will be a 7-team D8 junior league this year for the first time in at least five years.  

The early favourites are last year's D8 champs, the St. Mary's Eagles.  The Eagles return one of the top players in CWOSSA, Mike Blumel (6'3" F) and should again find themselves at the top of the D8 standings ---- although they won't be as dominant as they were a season ago.

The Resurrection Phoenix and St. David Celtics will battle for 2nd spot in the D8 standings, and the accompanying home playoff game.  Both squads are relatively inexperienced but have decent depth; they actually played this past weekend at Resurrection with the game ending in a 55-55 tie (no OT to keep the round-robin tournament on schedule).

Rez will be led by SG Mark Wylie, PG Thomas Hunter and 6'5" C Andrew Pickett, who is a beast on the boards.  The Celtics, who have a ton of grade 9 talent, will be led by one of them --- guard/forward Deshaun Lalor.  6'5" Kwame Adam, who has exceptional length, will be a force on the defensive end, while George Dumitro and Wesley Naus are also players to keep an eye on.

The St. Benedict Saints, who advanced to last year's D8 championship final, will have a bunch of holes to fill but don't be surprised to see them pull out an upset or two and slide into 3rd ---- or even 2nd place.  

Monsignor Doyle, Rockway, and Woodland Christian will likely find themselves on the outside looking in come playoff time, but the Cavaliers and Flames will get some valuable experience as they look to make some noise in "A" CWOSSA.