Naples News: Resurrection Catholic Nips Boca Ciega

NAPLES — Who says teams playing a 9 a.m. consolation-bracket basketball game can’t get motivated?

In an early, down-to-the-wire scrap Thursday in the Winged Foot Scholarship Foundation Gulfshore Shootout at Golden Gate High, Resurrection Catholic of Kitchener, Ontario, Canada outlasted Gulfport-Boca Ciega 62-59.

The win gives the Canadian squad another game Friday at 12:30 p.m. against either Community School or South Fort Myers. Boca Ciega is done.

Down 11, Boca Ciega rallied back to knot the score at 47 and then again at 49 with 3:59 to go.

Resurrection’s John Moi drove in for a two-pointer, and then hit a bomb from the top of the key. Cory Kenning’s three-point play made it 58-52 with 1:27 remaining. He made two free throws with 48.6 left that ended up being enough.

The Pirates had a chance to go ahead with two seconds left, but sophomore Michael Clark’s close-in shot from the left side of the iron bounced off the backboard no good.

For the Phoenix, Moi topped the scoring with 15 points. Mike Pereira added 11.

“Right before the last quarter started, I told our guys this is just what we needed,” Phoenix coach Tom Schneider said. “We needed to have a grind-it-out game and win it, and that’s what we did.”

Schneider talked about his team’s savvy and being able to stave off Boca Ciega’s comeback bid.

“In Canada, you’re allowed five years of eligibility and most of our guys are in their fifth year," Schneider said.

"They’ve played AAU ball and all. So they have a wealth of experience and didn’t get rattled.”

Boca Ciega’s Dallas Moore, a junior, led all scorers in the game with 27 points. His three-game total for the tournament was 80; he had 30 against Naples and 23 against Strawberry Crest. Teammate Clark ended up with 14 against Resurrection Catholic.

RESURRECTION CATHOLIC 62, BOCA CIEGA 59

RESURRECTION CATHOLIC (62)

Ramierz 0 1-2 1, Moi 4 4-4 15, A. Schneider 0 0-0 0, Keil 2 0-2 6, Gibbs 1 3-3 6, Pereira 5 0-1 11, Bartley 0 0-0 0, Radcliffe 1 0-0 3, T. Schneider 2 2-2 7, Cordle 1 2-2 4, Kenning 3 3-3 9; Totals: 19 15-19 62.

BOCA CIEGA (59)

Clark 4 6-8 14, Nattiel 0 0-0 0, Lattimore 0 0-0 0, Rogers 3 0-0 6, McKellar 2 0-0 5, Moore 11 2-3 27, Jones 1 1-2 4, Yullie 0 0-0 0, Gray 0 1-1 1, McCullough 0 0-0 0, Webb 1 0-0 2, Young 0 0-0 0; Totals: 22 10-14 59.

RC 6 28 10 18 -- 62

BC 9 18 12 20 -- 59

Three-pointers: RC-Moi 3, Keil 2, Pereira 1, Gibbs 1, Radcliffe 1, T. Schneider 1, BC-McKellar 1, Moore 3, Jones 1; Team fouls: RC 14, BC 18; Fouled out: Jones (BC); Technicals: none.

Retrieved From:  http://www.naplesnews.com/news/2011/dec/29/gulfshore-shootout-resurrection-catholic-nips-boca/?prepzone=1

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Have to say, this is a pretty solid win for the Phoenix.  Dallas Moore of Boca Ciega is a nice talent who has been receiving a bunch of D1 interest from schools including Appalachian State, UCF, and South Florida.  

Meanwhile, here's a video look at Boca Ciega's 6'6" sophomore Michael Clark - pretty impressive play here for a guy who is only in the 10th grade:

UWO Purple and White: Wins By Trojans, Vikings Ensure CWOSSA Representation in Consolation Final

The WCI Vikings and North Park Trojans travelled to London as the two CWOSSA representatives in the annual UWO "Purple and White" tournament and, as fate would have it, the two squads will end up facing off at noon today in one of the consolation semifinals.

After both teams suffered single digit losses earlier in the day, both were able to rebound nicely and grab victories later in the afternoon hours.

North Park took out one of the top local squads, the Banting Broncos, by a 44-42 score in overtime.  Marcus Jones led the way with 15 (he also had 16 in NPC's 62-57 loss to Sarnia St. Christopher earlier in the day).

Meanwhile, Jacob Ranton poured in 21 as the WCI Vikings routed a Dyshawn Pierre-less Anderson CVI squad by a 64-42 final.  The Vikes just missed out on winning their first game, a 41-39 loss to St. Theresa of Midland --- even though they were without the services of PG Adam Anagnostopoulos.

The winner of the WCI-North Park game will play the winner of London Westminster and St. Catharines Governor Simcoe this evening.

Early Results: UWO Purple & White Tournament (Senior)

Brantford North Park and Waterloo Collegiate are the two local teams participating at this week's "Purple and White" tournament hosted by the University of Western Ontario.

North Park had an early morning timeslot today, and dropped a 62-57 decision to Sarnia St. Christopher.  NPC will now play the loser of Hamilton Cathedral and London Banting this afternoon at Alumni Hall (4:30pm).

Meanwhile, WCI will battle St. Theresa of Midland at Noon, and then either Whitby Anderson or London Catholic Central in their second game later today.

Naples News: Resurrection Catholic, Back at Full Strength, Handles Palmetto Ridge

NAPLES — With his full roster available, coach Tom Schneider of Resurrection Catholic knew his team would be in a better position to win Wednesday’s consolation bracket outing in the Winged Foot Scholarship Foundation Gulfshore Shootout at Golden Gate High. The tournament is presented by the Naples Daily News.

Four players were benched for disciplinary reasons in Tuesday’s loss to Oldsmar Christian. But in the consolation bracket Wednesday, the Phoenix rose up to a 69-42 victory over Palmetto Ridge.

“Having the four guys back today made a big difference,” Schneider said. “We were cookin’ on all cylinders today. It was more up-tempo today, and that suits our style. Palmetto Ridge played some zone against us, and that plays to our strength, too. We’re not afraid to fire it up from outside.”

A cold-shooting Bears team was outscored 17-4 in the final period to account for the wide final margin.

For the Phoenix, Mike Pereria led the way with 16 points, and Tyler Schneider added 10. Javion Morgan was the only play in double figures for Palmetto Ridge (5-10) with 10 points.

Resurrection Catholic (14-6), from Kitchener, Ontario, Canada, will play at 9 a.m. Thursday against either Boca Ciega. Palmetto Ridge’s next game will be Friday at 9 a.m.

“On this side of the draw, we have a good chance now to get in four games down here. That’s a good thing,” Schneider said.

RESURRECTION CATHOLIC 69, PALMETTO RIDGE 42

PALMETTO RIDGE (42)

Gustave 1 1-2 3, Wood 0 0-0 0, Corrales 0 0-0 0, Rivera 0 0-0 0, Williams 3 2-4 9, Brooks 0 2-2 2, Terrell 2 0-0 4, Anderson 1 2-2 4, Davis 0 0-2 0, Morgan 4 1-3 10, Brown-Thrasher 0 2-2 2, Sparkman 2 4-6 8; Totals: 13 14-23 42.

RESURRECTION CATHOLIC (69)

Ramirez 2 1-1 5, Moi 3 0-0 7, A. Schneider 0 0-0 0, McGlynn 0 0-0 0, Keil 2 0-0 6, Gibbs 4 2-3 10, Pereira 7 0-0 16, Gilbert 1 0-0 2, Bartley 0 0-0 0, Radcliffe 0 2-2 2, T. Schneider 4 0-0 10, Cordle 3 1-2 7, Kenning 2 0-0 4; Totals: 28 6-8 69.

PR 10 14 14 4 -- 42

RC 21 14 17 17 -- 69

Three-pointers: PR-Williams 1, Morgan 1, RC- Moi 1, Keil 2, Pereira 2, T Schneider 2; Team fouls: PR 8, RC 15; Fouled out: none; Technicals: none.

Article By Tom Rife.  Retrieved From:  http://www.naplesnews.com/news/2011/dec/28/gulfshore-shootout-resurrection-catholic-back-full/

Gulfshore Shootout: Oldsmar Christian 63, Resurrection 59

Despite playing without four players due to a team rules violation (including two starters), Rez had the "W" in their sights against Oldsmar Christian out of Florida at the Gulfshore Shootout in Naples, FL.  However, despite leading by 5 with 2:45 to go, the Phoenix could not hold on.

Rez will be back at full strength for their consolation round game today against Palmetto Ridge of Naples, which is currently underway.  The Naples Daily News is "live blogging" the proceedings so we can tell you that Rez leads 35-24 at halftime.

Here's the report from the Naples Daily News:

NAPLES — In a game that was nip and tuck all the way, the Oldsmar Christian Eagles dug out from a five-point, fourth-quarter deficit to prevail 63-59 over Resurrection Catholic of Kitchener, Ontario, Canada in a first-round game of the Winged Foot Scholarship Foundation Gulfshore Shootout at Golden Gate High on Tuesday.

The tournament is presented by the Naples Daily News.

On Wednesday, Oldsmar Christian will play at 7:30 p.m. against the winner of the Golden Gate vs. Southwestern (Somerset, Ky.) first-round encounter. Resurrection Catholic, in the consolation bracket, will play Wednesday at 9 a.m. against the loser of the Palmetto Ridge-Nashville Ensworth first-rounder.

With 2:54 to go in the game, the Phoenix of Ressurection Catholic led it 54-49 on a putback by Tyler Bartley. Then Resurrection’s center, Cory Kenning, picked up his fifth personal foul with 2:30 remaining. Oldsmar Christian seized the momentum.

A three-pointer by Tommy Bianchi tied it at 54 with 1:56 left. Down the stretch, the Eagles sank 7 of 10 free throws to close out the victory.

“Some of my guys didn’t play up to their potential, but when they went to the free-throw line, they stood up,” said winning coach Rick Coia. “Sometimes, when things are not going well, that hole up there starts to look pretty small. But we hit the free throws when it counted.”

Bianchi ended up Oldsmar Christian’s leading scorer with 20 points, including four three-pointers. Warren Hall added 16 points in the win.

For Resurrection Catholic, Kenning was tops with 16 points. He was the only Phoenix player in double figures.

OLDSMAR CHRISTIAN 63, RESURRECTION CATHOLIC 59

RESURRECTION CATHOLIC (Kitchener, Ontario, Canada) (59)
A. Schneider 2 0-1 4, McGlynn 0 0-0 0, Kell 3 0-0 8, Gibbs 4 1-3 9, Gilbert 3 1-1 7, Bartley 3 1-3 7, Radcliffe 0 0-0 0, T. Schneider 3 1-3 8, Kenning 7 2-2 16; Totals: 25 6-13 59.

OLDSMAR CHRISTIAN (Oldsmar, Fla.) (63)
Bianchi 7 2-2 20, Martinez 2 4-4 8, Sandifer 3 0-0 6, Ferrell 2 3-6 7, Hall 6 3-4 16, Ayala 0 0-0 0, Blyden 2 2-5 6, Rich 0 0-0 0, Totals: 22 13-21 63

R. Catholic 15 10 18 16 -- 59
O. Christian 15 16 13 19 -- 63

Three-pointers: R - Keil 2, T. Schneider 1, O - Bianchi 4, Hall 1; Team fouls: R 16, O 16; Fouled out: Kenning (R); Technicals: None.

WCSSAA Senior: Trojans Top Vikes; Stay Unbeaten

The guard play of the Forest Heights Trojans has yet to be stopped.

The Trojans moved to 7-0 and continue to hold down 1st place in the WCSSAA Senior Boys' standings after taking out the WCI Vikings (who are no slouch at 5-2) by a 70-55 final yesterday afternoon.

Juwan Miller had 20 and Javon Masters 18 in the win for the Trojans, while Dani Elgadi continued his strong season for WCI with 21 and Jacob Ranton added 18.

Standing in the way of the perfect regular season are after-Christmas games with Elmira, SJAM, Bluevale, Preston and Eastwood.  Looks like they have a good shot, but a couple of those games should at least be competitive.

Here's a look at everything else that went down on Thursday:

WODSS 38, Bluevale 31

My Pick:  BCI by 4

When I'm wrong, I say I'm wrong.  Crusaders win the battle of these teams that are pretty close on paper.  Jesse Dodgson had 11 and Patrick Connors 7 for W-O; Perrin Smith and Garrett Large both had 10 for the Knights.

SJAM 47, Cameron Heights 43 (2OT)

My Pick:  CHCI by 5

Again, another near toss-up that I put the wrong way.  A surprisingly low-scoring game, especially considering that two overtimes were needed to sort this one out.  CHCI star guard Vedran Dmitrovic fouled out midway through the first overtime, and SJAM was able to capitalize on their chances during the 2nd OT for the win.  Ben Reyhani, playing through injury, poured in 24 of SJAM's 47 points, while Sam Woods added 6.  Dmitrovic netted 12 for Cameron and Jason Thompson added 10.

Grand River 74, Eastwood 69

My Pick:  GRCI by 25

I mentioned the fact that this is a rivarly game in my picks post, and it certainly ended up being closer than I anticipated (it was actually tied at halftime).  Nonetheless, a win is a win in the standings.  Filip Cvrkalj (21) and Daniel Harun (19) paced the Rens, while Sayyad Yeganehnia (23) and Rik Lam (19) stepped up for Eastwood on Thursday with solid outings.

Glenview Park 68, Southwood 32

My Pick:  GPSS by 10

The Panthers pulled away from the Sabres in this all-Cambridge battle; Devin Vinandy had 18 to lead the way for GPSS while Sean Davidson added 14.  Zack Sauer had a game-high 19 for Southwood, with Riley Clipper adding 7.

Jacob Hespeler 57, Preston 45

My Pick:  JHSS by 8

Jason Quiring (18 points) paced a trio of Hawks in double-figures --- the others being Brendan Vandyken (13) and Lucas Marsden (13) as they move ahead of all the other "AAA" schools in the WCSSAA standings.  Wes Meertens had 21 and Dan Parreira 15 for Preston.

Galt 59, KCI 36

My Pick:  GCI by 8

Jack Simmons had his way on the interior, putting home 19 points while backcourt teammate Owais Khairi added 16 as the Ghosts rolled KCI at home.  Julian Greer had 9 and Matt McKinnon 8 for the Raiders.

Huron Heights 55, Elmira 16

My Pick:  HHHS by 27

The Lancers' offensive struggles continued on Thursday, with only 16 total points.  Aaron Turpin (10) and Tyler Kozub (10) led Huron, while Lucas Nosal had 5 and Brian Gruneberg 4 for EDSS.

WCSSAA Standings

1.  Forest Heights 7-0

2.  Grand River 6-1

3.  Jacob Hespeler 5-1

T4.  Preston 5-2

T4.  WCI 5-2

T6.  Huron Heights 4-3

T6.  Galt 4-3

T8.  WODSS 3-3

T8.  Bluevale 3-3

T10.  Cameron Heights 3-4

T10.  SJAM 3-4

12.  Glenview Park 2-4

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13.  KCI 2-5

T14.  Eastwood 1-6

T14.  Southwood 1-6

16.  Elmira 0-7

Friday Report

A tad busy this morning, but will have everything up this afternoon for sure, as we recap a busy day across CWOSSA.

In WCSSAA senior action yesterday, SJAM topped Cameron Heights in double OT, while Forest Heights handled WCI in a big game between two teams at the top of the standings.  WODSS also defeated Bluevale in another interesting matchup.

Meanwhile, over in the D10 league, JF Ross assumed top place in the senior standings with their win and a loss by the Lourdes Crusaders.

.....full recaps, and of course our weekly power rankings, to follow!

D10: Thursday Picks

YTD:  18-4 (.818)

Orangeville (1-6) at Bishop Mac (3-4)

My Pick:  BMAC

Provided they don't have a let-down effort after a big win over Centennial on Tuesday, I like the Bishop Mac Celtics to head into the Christmas break with a .500 record.

Guelph CVI (0-7) at CWDHS (5-2)

My Pick:  CWDHS

The Falcons will likely head into the break with solid possession of the critical 2nd spot among "AAAA" schools in the D10 standings.  Expect a big win here today.

Centennial (4-3) at Lourdes (7-1)

My Pick:  OLOL

The Spartans could surprise, but the Crusaders are playing some good basketball at this juncture - so I'll ride with them here at home.

JF Ross (6-1) at St. James (3-5)

My Pick:  JFR

The Royals shouldn't have too much difficulty with the Lions, though I do expect this to potentially be a bit closer than the first time they met.

WCSSAA: Thursday Picks

YTD:  27-10 (.730)

Christmas has come early to WCSSAA basketball fans.

This may be the most intriguing set of games so far in the WCSSAA schedule, so let's get started with one that I think could be very interesting:

(All are 3:30pm starts)

WCI (5-1) at Forest Heights (6-0)

My Pick:  FHCI by 5

This is a great game because the teams are (essentially) polar opposites.  Forest Heights' strength is its backcourt, while WCI has the size advantage with three starters going 6'6"+.  The difference in this one might come down to which squad can get production from its bench.  WCI might have that edge, but will it be enough to overcome FHCI at home?  I'll stick with the Trojans here.

Preston (5-1) at Jacob Hespeler (4-1)

My Pick:  JHSS by 8

Another great matchup that might get overlooked with the WCI-FHCI showdown, but this one should be just as competitive.  These squads are currently the top two teams in AAA, and the intra-Cambridge rivalry should only add fuel to the fire.  I'll take Jason Quiring and the Hawks to soar to victory at home.

SJAM (2-4) at Cameron Heights (3-3)

My Pick:  CHCI by 5

Two teams that have failed to meet expectations to this point in the season ---- but they are both coming off of key wins, CHCI over BCI and SJAM over WODSS on Tuesday.  I'll give the edge to the home Gaels in this one, although Vedran Dmitrovic has been battling a finger injury so we'll see how that affects things here.

WODSS (2-3) at Bluevale (3-2)

My Pick:  BCI by 4

The Knights will be without bench boss Doros Theodosiou for this one, but they should be able to hold off the Crusaders at home in another potential barn-burner.

Eastwood (1-5) at Grand River (5-1)

My Pick:  GRCI by 25

It's a rivalry game, so you know what can happen in these sorts of situations --- but I still think the Rens have too much firepower for ECI to handle here. 

Huron Heights (3-3) at Elmira (0-6)

My Pick:  HHHS by 27

After a 1-3 start, the Huskies will get themselves over the .500 mark today with a win at Elmira.  With a decent schedule after the break, I expect them to be competing for one of the three "AAA" CWOSSA berths.

KCI (2-4) at Galt (3-3)

My Pick:  Galt by 8

The Ghosts are an under the radar team that may be able to make some noise later on this season; for starters, I'll take them to win another one at home against KCI in a competitive matchup.

Glenview Park (1-4) at Southwood (1-5)

My Pick:  GPSS by 10

Provided they play to their capabilities this afternoon, the Panthers should get the win in West Galt.

D4: Wednesday Results

Senior

Woodland 50, Norwell 25

WC:  Joel Sypkes 12, David Nightingale 9

ND:  Drew Cowai 12

Junior

Erin DHS 62, Wellington Hts 36

ED:  A. McEwen 13, M. Napier 12, J. Smith 12

WH:  R. Pennings 17

Norwell 48, College Heights 14

ND:  Jeremiah Wiedemann 14, Travis Soehner 12

CH:  Jordan Mazurkewich 8

D8: Wednesday Results

As expected, there were no surprises in D8 play on Wednesday, with the favourites in the D8 senior league posting comfortable victories.

That doesn't mean that there wasn't an interesting story, however.

For a variety of reasons, the Resurrection Phoenix only had 7 available players for yesterday's game against Rockway, with 2 of them having to leave at halftime for a separate commitment.

As a result, the remaining five players --- Adam Schneider, Tyler Schneider, Patric McGlynn, Mark Radcliffe and Cory Kenning --- were forced to play the entire second half.  Kenning ended up posting 25 points in the 82-29 Resurrection victory, while Steve Veltri led the Flames with 8.

The other senior game on Wednesday saw St. Benedict handle St. David 51-20.

In junior, the lone "close" game was a 46-35 St. David victory over St. Benedict.  Dashaun Lalor poured in 16 points in that win.

Other action saw Resurrection handle Rockway 58-16, with Anu Onasayna from Rez topping all scorers with 11; and St. Mary's defeated Woodland 78-28.  Mike Blumel (SMHS) and Nathan Timmerman (WCHS) had 10 each for their respective clubs.

D8: Wednesday Picks

I'm not expecting any surprises, but I guess I'll make it official in the last picks post before the break.

I'll take Resurrection (4-1) over Rockway (1-4), and St. Benedict (3-2) over St. David (1-4).

We've passed the "halfway point" of the schedule, so these match-ups are a repeat of the November 28th schedule, albeit at the opposite home site.  

Rez defeated Rockway 72-25, while SBCSS coasted to a 67-31 win over St. David about three weeks ago.

The lone game that might be close will be in the junior ranks, where the St. David Celtics host the St. Benedict Saints (51-44 St. David in the league opener for those teams).

Resurrection will take on Rockway in junior as well, while the third game on the junior schedule sees St. Mary's travel to Woodland.

BAA: Symons Leads Lions

Just one quick score to report from Tuesday (thus far) in BAA Senior Play:

Grey Highlands 69, Georgian Bay 44

GH:  Sam Symons 27

GB:  Adam Cullen 16

D10: Tuesday Results

Senior

JF Ross 52, Centre Wellington 45

My Pick:  JFR

The Royals get past CW on the road, keeping the Royals in top spot (currently) among "AAAA" schools in the race for CWOSSA berths.  Evan Karl had 14 and Mike Friesen 9 in the win; Jacob Hewitt-Smith had 11 and Reid Goindi 10 for the Falcons.

St. James 70, Orangeville 59

My Pick:  STJ

Another high-scoring affair involving the Bears on Tuesday.  Ryan Morales paced the Lions with 22, while Justin Levesque had a game-high 27 for Orangeville.

Lourdes 59, Guelph CVI 31

My Pick:  OLOL

Mike Finoro (20) and Sharieff Peru (11) again led the Crusaders on this night; Jonah Hopkins had 17 and Tyler Beaton 5 for the Gaels.

Bishop Mac 72, Centennial 65

My Pick:  CCVI

The Celtics have already passed last year's win total with a key home win over CCVI.  Jesse Kendall (17), Sean Young (17) and Ben Morris (13) topped the Celtic scoresheet, while Erik Sterne (game high 27), Aleks Kaludjerovic (16) and Ed Gray (15) led Centennial. 

D10 Senior Standings

1.  Our Lady of Lourdes 7-1

2.  JF Ross 6-1

3.  CWDHS 5-2

4.  Centennial 4-3

5.  Bishop Mac 3-4

6.  St. James 3-5

7.  Orangeville 1-6

8.  GCVI 0-7

Junior

St. James 62, Orangeville 29

STJ:  Quinn Feeney 13, Jake Hasson 12

ODSS:  D. Neal 11, M. Speer 11

Centennial 59, Bishop Mac 50

CCVI:  Kai Wigston 17, Harnoor Samra 17

BMAC:  Michael Ganson 32, Aiden Fraser 8

Lourdes 56, Guelph CVI 50

OLOL:  David Khayipangi 18, John Kusinski 13

GCVI:  Rylee Whitaker 13, Spencer Swan 11

JF Ross 55, Centre Wellington 44

JFR:  Vlad Vamanu 14, Mo Hussien 12

CW:  Ashlar Young Evans 8, Jameson Drimmie 8

D10 Junior Standings

1.  JF Ross 7-0

2.  St. James 7-1

3.  CWDHS 5-2

4.  Centennial 4-3

T5.  Bishop Mac 2-5

T5.  GCVI 2-5

7.  Lourdes 2-6

8.  Orangeville 0-7

Brantford Expositor: Dawson Leads Eagles' Youth Movement

Article By:  Darryl Smart

As a first-year player, Tim Dawson knew heading into the senior boys' basketball season that he had to somehow fit into the St. John's College Green Eagles' mix.

Tuesday night at home, the Grade 11 point guard flourished when given the opportunity, leading the Green Eagles (5-1) to a 61-42 victory over the Brantford Collegiate Mustangs (2-4).

"We came out hard tonight and were able to press them, forcing them into a bunch of turnovers," Dawson, who led all scorers with 24 points said. "We usually come out slow, but we brought a lot of energy tonight for a change and had a really dominant performance."

Dawson was especially dominant, being the recipient of a patient offence that first started outside and then stretched the Mustangs inside. And with a couple key players out of the lineup, Green Eagles coach Nick Esposito was able to use more of his young lineup.

"The first year guys played well, they all did," Esposito said. "We put some new things in during practice yesterday and they got it tonight."

As for Dawson's dominance, Esposito knew the potential was there.

"Tim really stepped up for us tonight and did an excellent job," Esposito said. "I know he has it in him to play like this every game."

Dawson said as the season has gone on, he and the other younger players have felt more comfortable with playing senior basketball.

"There's a big difference between junior and senior," Dawson said. "You have to play a full game no matter who you're playing. The level is so much higher and if a team catches you sleeping they'll make you pay for it."

As for his role with the team, that's something he's had to grow into.

"It's one of those things that you have to just find for yourself and do the best you can to make it work," 

Dawson said. "You have to find your role and then work hard to excel at it. You really just have to play within your game and play with confidence."

And confidence is something the Green Eagles have been gaining.

"We've been improving every game," Dawson said. "The transition from junior to senior is tough and as a group we're all working hard to get better. We're gaining more confidence as we go along. We're looking for great things in the second half of the season."

Also scoring for the Green Eagles was J.P. Yurcich, who scored nine points, while Cam Post netted seven.

Mackenzie Mark led the Mustangs with 12 points, Ben Candy scored 11 and Chris Gorski added 10.

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Other Results:

SENIOR

NPC (6-0) 72, PJC (2-4) 16. NPC: Marcus Hamilton 21, Logan Varga 12, Luke Ciere 9. PJC: Dylan Williams 6, Dakotta Robinson 3, Zach Benin 3

ACS 58 (1-5), Paris (2-4) 34. ACS: Andre Toic 17, Nolan Drong 16, Nick Burdett 16. Paris: Jake Kelley 13, Parker McIntyre 10, Harji Gill 2.

JUNIOR

SJC (6-0) 58, BCI (2-4) 29. SJC: Steve Szasz 15, Connor Kuzmich 13, Adrian Mendoza 9, David Smith 6, Dylan Ryan 5, Dalton Mark 4, Zach Dawson and Lukas Hager 2. BCI: Tristan Almas 9, Noel Bomberry, Austin Leschuk 6, Conner Loder 4, Adam Bakker 3, Robin Hylands 2.

ACS (4-2) 74, Paris (0-6) 38. Scores were not submited.

NPC (4-1) vs PJC (1-4). Score and scorers were not submitted.

Retrieved From:  http://www.brantfordexpositor.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=3411733

WCSSAA Junior: Vikes top Rebels in Battle of Top-10 Teams

In a game that was up for the taking (tied 17-17 at half), the WCI Vikings seized an opportunity to pick up an important victory by coming away with a 50-44 win over the Eastwood Rebels at home yesterday afternoon.

The win moves WCI (1 loss) ahead of Eastwood (2 losses) for the time being, but the win could be more important for potential tiebreak purposes down the road --- time will tell.

Nick Johnny (14) led three Vikes in double figures, the others being Adam Carter (10) and Bojan Vincic (10).  Ousmane Kromah had a game-high 15 with Tre Nicholson adding 10 for Eastwood.

Meanwhile, in other action:

Cameron Heights 67, Bluevale 33

The Gaels continue their strong play with a dominating performance at BCI.  Gordon Erkic (16) and Sasha Simic (13) led the way, while Griffin Large (6) and Ray Lin (5) were Bluevale's high scorers.

SJAM 52, WODSS 30

Chris Ilitshishin put in 14 points, while teammate Jan Willen Scheele added 10 for the 'Landers in Tuesday's win.  Garner Matthews (12) and Paul Schroeder (10) were tops for W-O.

Grand River 52, Forest Heights 38

The Trojans put up a valiant effort in this one, but the top-ranked Renegades were too much at home.  Murtada Khamis had 20 points, with Jamal Murray adding 9; Ryan Hagey led the Trojans with 13.

Galt 52, Glenview Park 19

The Ghosts took this intra-Cambridge rivalry game with Lazar Stevanovic (15) and TJ Lall (11) leading the way.  Tyrell Wolf had 8 and Neil Singh 4 for the Panthers.

Preston 42, Elmira 23

Another key win for Preston at home, with Nathan Gonzalez (14) and Ryan Maksymyk (9) leading the way.  Scott Carere (8), Eric Devos (4) and Alex Weber (4) led the Lancers.

KCI 41, Southwood 30

The Raiders picked up their first win on the season at the expense of the SSS Sabres.  Stefan Simic had 18 and Jelani McLean 10 for KCI; Garrett Jewell netted 8 and Colton Quigley 6 for Southwood.

Huron Heights 52, Jacob Hespeler 28

The Huskies powered past one of their "AAA" rivals with a big home win.  Ahmed Radi had 15 and Alex Pantea 9 in the win; Matt Quiring had 8 and Ethan Rudd 6 for Hespeler.

Junior WCSSAA Standings

T1.  Grand River 6-0

T1.  Cameron Hts 6-0

T3.  SJAM 5-1

T3.  WCI 5-1

T5.  Preston 4-2

T5.  Eastwood 4-2

T5.  Forest Hts 4-2

T5.  Huron Hts 4-2

9.  Galt 3-3

10.  Elmira 2-4

11.  Jacob Hespeler 1-4

T12.  Southwood 1-5

T12.  KCI 1-5

T12.  WODSS 1-5

15.  Bluevale 0-5

16.  Glenview Park 0-6

WCSSAA Senior: Trojans Stay Unbeaten, Get Past Renegades

The Forest Heights Trojans got past the Grand River Renegades in a battle of unbeatens on Tuesday afternoon, winning the contest by a 59-49 final.

The "usual suspects" were up to their ways in leading their respective teams in scoring --- Juwan Miller had 22 and Javon Masters 20 for Forest Heights, while Filip Cvrkalj netted 17 and Chuder Teny 12 for Grand River.

As for my pick selections, I came away with a 6-2 record, with the culprits being the two games that I thought could go either way.  Here's a review:

Cameron Heights 39, Bluevale 36

My Pick:  BCI by 3

The Gaels get past the Knights on the road here in a tight, low-scoring affair.  The Knights held Vedran Dmitrovic (10) in relative check; Ahmed Sheikhali added 5 for CHCI.  Perrin Smith (11) and Ian Farquaharson (9) led the way for Bluevale.

WCI 63, Eastwood 44

My Pick:  WCI by 15

With Jacob Ranton back in the lineup, the Vikes cruised past Eastwood at home.  Ranton scored 16 points, while teammate Dani Elgadi led the way with 18.  Patric Pintea (15) and Djordje Govedarica (10) were the high scorers for the Rebels.

SJAM 60, WODSS 55

My Pick:  WODSS by 4

Another close-call that flipped the other way; Ben Reyhani netted 20 to lead the 'Landers while Quinn Turner (12) and Connor Bradley (12) were also in double figures.  Kyle Weber (16), Patrick Connors (13) and Tyler Bowman (11) topped the Crusader scoresheet.

Galt 61, Glenview Park 54

My Pick:  GCI by 7

Jack Simmons had a tremendous outing on Tuesday, posting a season-high 30 points for the Ghosts as they pick up an important win at Glenview.  Scott Holton added 11 for GCI, while Chris Thompson (15) and Devin Vinandy (14) led the Panthers.

Preston 56, Elmira 28

My Pick:  PHS by 33

The Panthers doubled-up the winless Lancers at home, thanks to 13 from Wes Meertens and 9 by Nathan Walsh.  Walker Stuart had 12 for Elmira, with Brian Gruneberg netting 7.

KCI 58, Southwood 24

My Pick:  KCI by 9

The Raiders had no problems at all with Southwood on Tuesday, posting an impressive home win.  Matt McKinnon had 14 and Stefan Malivuk 10 in the win; Zach Sauer scored 14 and Riley Clipper had 6 for the Sabres.

Jacob Hespeler 61, Huron Heights 52

My Pick:  JHSS by 9

The Hawks showed no rust after a week-long league layoff (although they were playing tournament games south of the border).  Jason Quiring posted 24 and Saajan Arora 17 in the win; Sean Samuel (22), Aaron Turpin (11) and Alex Deadman (9) led Huron. 

Senior WCSSAA Standings

1.  Forest Heights 6-0

T2.  WCI 5-1

T2.  Grand River 5-1

T2.  Preston 5-1

5.  Jacob Hespeler 4-1

6.  Bluevale 3-2

T7.  Huron Heights 3-3

T7.  Cameron Heights 3-3

T7.  Galt 3-3

10.  WODSS 2-3

T11.  KCI 2-4

T11.  SJAM 2-4

--------------------

13.  Glenview Park 1-4

T14.  Eastwood 1-5

T14.  Southwood 1-5

16.  Elmira 0-6 

D8: Midget League Update

Updated scores from last week's midget (grade 9 league) games and standings:

St. Mary's 38, St. David 34

St. Benedict 24, St. Mary's 20

St. Benedict 45, St. David 18

Current Standings

T1.  St. Benedict 2-0 

T1.  Resurrection 2-0

3.  St. Mary's 2-2

4.  St. David 0-4 

Former CWOSSA Stars Playing on Big-Time Stages This Week

A couple of former CWOSSA talents will be appearing on ESPN networks this week, as their schools are taking on a couple of well-known ranked opponents.

The games can be seen here in Canada for those subscribers of the Sports Pack (Rogers or Bell), or online via your streaming method of choice.

Starting off, junior guard (St. David '09) Bryson Johnson and Bucknell will be travelling north to take on #1 Syracuse this evening (7:00pm).  The 'Cuse took 53 of 64 first place votes in the most recent AP top 25 poll.

Johnson is averaging 10.3 PPG and poured in 18 points (5-8 from beyond the arc) in Sunday's 79-65 home win against Richmond. The Bison are currently 7-4 on the season.

Meanwhile, Freshman guard (Bluevale '11) Stefan Cvrkalj and Lehigh will head to Lansing, Michigan, to take on Tom Izzo's Michigan State Spartans, who are ranked 19th in the latest AP poll.

The Mountain Hawks will be seeking to reverse an intimidating statistic --- Patriot League teams are currently 1-43 all-time against the Big Ten (since 1980).  However, that win came earlier this year when Lafayette beat Penn State by a 61-57 final.

Lehigh has already played a couple of teams from "power conferences" tough this season, losing by 5 at St. John's and 9 at Iowa State.  The Mountain Hawks can certainly be competitive in this one if they can get to the foul line (they are currently ranked 4th in the NCAA, shooting almost 80% from the line as a team).

Cvrkalj, a scorer off the bench, is averaging 4.9 PPG in 10.3 minutes of floor time per contest. 

D10: Monday Result & Tuesday Picks

YTD:  15-3 (.833)

In D10 senior action on Monday, the Lourdes Crusaders got 17 from Mike Finoro and 10 from Sharieff Peru as they handled the St. James Lions by a 55-39 count, a win which (for the time being) moves Lourdes into sole possession of first place in the D10 senior league.

Nick Pelizzari had 9 and Zach McClenaghan 7 for the Lions in the loss.

The juniors played as well, with St. James flipping the script in a 78-61 win.  Ryan Willock poured in 30 while Joey Hasson added 22 for the victors; John Kusinski had 18 and Craig Valeriote 11 for the Crusaders.

And now, today's full slate of games:

St. James (2-5) at Orangeville (1-5)

My Pick:  STJ

The Lions should prevail in this road contest, although I do expect the Bears to put up a fight and keep things interesting.

Centennial (4-2) at Bishop Mac (2-4)

My Pick:  CCVI

I'll go with the experience of the CCVI Spartans over the youth of the Bishop Mac Celtics in this one.  Centennial to win by around double digits.

JF Ross (5-1) at Centre Wellington (5-1)

My Pick:  JFR

Game of the day in the D10 league here, and I'll go with the Royals who are among the deepest teams in CWOSSA.  After a slow start, they are coming on and should pick up the "W" here today.

Lourdes (6-1) at Guelph CVI (0-6)
My Pick:  OLOL

Despite being close to one another in proximity (900 metres separates the two), they are on complete opposite ends of the basketball standings spectrum.  I'll go with the "visiting" Crusaders here.  

WCSSAA Tuesday Picks: Rens, Trojans Square off in Battle of Unbeatens!

YTD:  22-8 (.733)

Time to get back on track after a pedestrian 4-3 picking effort last Thursday.  A full slate of games, and I'll start the picks column with the biggest of them all:

Forest Heights (5-0) at Grand River (5-0)

My Pick:  FHCI by 6

I was curious as to Javon Masters' status (eye injury against KCI) but it looks as though he'll be good to go in this one.  The Rens are very tough in their home gym, but in "toss up" games like these I have to stick to my rankings so I'll go with the Trojans in a close one.  Both teams love to get out in transition, so I expect a ton of points here.

Southwood (1-4) at KCI (1-4)

My Pick:  KCI by 9

Two "AAA" schools looking to get back in the playoff chase, and I'll go with the homecourt Raiders who are likely a bit better than their record would indicate.

Cameron Heights (2-3) at Bluevale (3-1)

My Pick:  BCI by 3

Again, going by my rankings on this one.  The Gaels can play with anybody, so the Knights mustn't get caught looking at their sub-par record to start the season.  

Jacob Hespeler (3-1) at Huron Heights (3-2)

My Pick:  JHSS by 9

Two schools in the running for "upstart" team of the year in the WCSSAA league.  I'll stick with the Hawks in this one, provided they aren't too tired after their return from a Florida tournament.

Galt (2-3) at Glenview Park (1-3)

My Pick:  Galt by 7

Always a tough Cambridge rivalry here, dating back to the days when I played (these teams were at the top
of the league back then....).  I'll go with the Ghosts, who have a bit more firepower than the youthful Panthers.  Should be interesting though.

Eastwood (1-4) at WCI (4-1)

My Pick:  WCI by 15

Eastwood has had a pretty tough schedule to start the year, and it doesn't get any easier this week with WCI and Grand River on the agenda.  I'll go with the homecourt Vikes in this one.

Elmira (0-5) at Preston (4-1)

My Pick:  PHS by 33

The Panthers should roll past the Lancers at home here today.

SJAM (1-4) at WODSS (2-2)

My Pick:  WODSS by 4

I'll go with the homecourt Crusaders in this one, but we all know that SJAM can shoot their way past any opponent.  Another game that should be a fun one to watch.