Article By: Darryl SmartMarcus Hamilton made sure he and teammate Logan Varga would possibly go down as two of the most successful senior basketball players in Brantford high school in history. But more importantly he wanted to help guide he and his North Park Collegiate Trojans teammates to their third straight BCSSAA senior boys' basketball title.
Hamilton's three-point attack got the Trojans out of the gate quick and didn't look back, as they completed a two-game sweep of the St. John's Green Eagles with a convincing 50-36 win at Brantford Collegiate Institute.
"Wow," Hamilton said. "This is a great feeling."
Along with the three-straight titles, the Trojans have also been on a memorable 49 game winning streak in the city. It's a streak Hamilton and Varga have been apart of the entire time.
"Our coach (Todd Andrew) told us about it," Hamilton said. "To his knowledge there aren't any other players that can say they haven't lost a game in three years of playing senior ball in the city."
Hamilton said despite not wanting to focus on the personal record, it was still on he and Varga's mind.
"Varga and I have been talking about it a bit," Hamilton said. "It's a pretty special thing even though the goal is an OFSAA title. It's like they say about things meaning more with time. In 50 years we'll look back at this and be able to say what a great achievement this is."
Besides the personal record, Hamilton said the three year run has been a special one.
"'I've played with a lot of these guys since we were little kids," Hamilton said. "They're not only my teammates, they're my friends. Any time you win championships it's a great feeling, but when you're winning championships with your friends it makes it that much more special."
And to seal the third-straight city title, Hamilton brought his 'A' game.
In the first quarter, the Grade 12 student hit three from beyond the arc, added another three-pointer in the second quarter and one more in the fourth to lead the Trojans with 18 points.
"I had a terrible first game (Tuesday) so I went to the gym the next day and started shooting," Hamilton said.
"I missed my first shot tonight but it felt good so I kept shooting. It's always nice when you're feeling it."
Marcus Jones, with staples in his head thanks to a knee from Tuesday's game, added 14 points, while Nick Minutillo scored 13.
Tyler Van Leeuwen led the Green Eagles with 21 points, while J.P. Yurcich poured in nine.
"We really stepped up our defence and forced them into turnovers," Hamilton said. "They've got a great team and Tyler (VanLeeuwen) is an amazing player. We were able to shut him down and he's their engine."
Next up for the Trojans is the CWOSSA 'AAA' championships, which they host Feb. 24 and 25.
"We just have to keep playing tough defensively and take advantage of the scoring chances we're given. Our goal is to qualify for OFSAA and win it. We know it's a long road but it's something we want."
Though the Green Eagles lost it's third-straight city title, they will compete for the CWOSSA 'AAAA' title in Guelph the same two days.
"We can't hang our heads right now," Green Eagles' Tim Dawson said. "We had spurts that show we can beat them. We just didn't do the little things like they did. You can tell they wanted it more than us."
Next week at CWOSSA, Dawson said he and his teammates have to take the lesson in consistency with them to Guelph in order for them to make a run at the 'AAAA' championship.
"We need a good week of practice and remember what we've learned from these losses," Dawson said.
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