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.”
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