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| Darryl G. Smart / Brantford Expositor Photo |
Throwing down a one-handed dunk in the first quarter Wednesday night wasn't the only thing that had Jake Brennan and his St. John's Green Eagles teammates smiling.
"It just felt great to be out there," teammate Tim Dawson said after the Green Eagles bettered Simcoe's Holy Trinity Titans 69-36 in a senior boys basketball exhibition game.
"It's great to be home and playing in front of a crowd."
While their public school counterparts are locked out of the gym and unable to play because of the ongoing game of one-on-one between the teacher's union and the government that has almost every high school sports league in peril, local Catholic school teams are trying to stay sharp in case of a buzzer beater that saves the season.
"We really are hoping for a miracle for some kind of season," Dawson said.
"It's not looking that way right now but we're still hoping. Even if we'd have to squeeze it all in and play it all in one week, I could care less."
Meantime, Dawson and his teammates are playing exhibition games against the Titans and Assumption College Lions, as well as tournaments.
"I was so excited to get on the floor tonight. You can only go up against your own teammates so much," Brennan said. "This whole season has been tough, especially when it comes to staying focused. At the beginning of the season we all filled out sheets to tell the coaches what our goals were. Every one of us wanted to win BCSSAA and knock off North Park. So, to not have the chance has been disappointing."
Dawson said his teammates have shown a commitment despite the circumstances.
"Sometimes it is difficult to stay motivated because it's not the same as a practice where you're preparing for a big game," he said.
"But we all have a passion for the game and that's why we're here playing."
Green Eagles coach Mike Doherty said that players have been urged to focus on individual goals for now.
Wednesday night's goal was simple.
"It was all about going out there and playing with a smile on our faces," Dawson said. "They wanted us to enjoy being out there."
The exhibition games are also about preparing for what could happen.
Doherty said that the Eagles hope that the Brant high school basketball season will return.
He noted that the Central Western Ontario Secondary Schools Association met early this week to figure out if they will go on with its championships. And, while CWOSSA is trying to decide what to do, Ontario Federation of Schools Athletic Association executive director Doug Gellatly hopes its championships will go as usual.
"As of right now, our plan is to move ahead with championships," Gellatly said to QMI Agency.
He said conveners have been found for every sport outside of Nordic skiing, but officials won't know which sports will continue for sure until they can gauge participation next week.
"I don't expect there will be many problems as far as that goes," he said.
Retrieved From: http://www.brantfordexpositor.ca/2013/01/17/hoping-for-a-miracle-to-save-season
