Article By: Rob MasseyGUELPH – With thoughts of their previous meeting with the Centennial Spartans going through their minds, the Bishop Macdonell Celtics hung on Tuesday to claim top spot in the District 10 high school senior boys’ basketball league.
The Celtics saw a 15-point halftime lead evaporate as the Spartans did what the Spartans do – rally in the fourth quarter. In the end, they came up just a tad short as the host Celtics won 59-58.
“We knew they were going to make a run at us and they did,” Bishop Mac coach Marty Kendall said.
“We were able to weather the storm and pull it out.”
“They made a good run,” Bishop Mac guard Jesse Kendall said.
The Spartans led 10-9 at the end of the first quarter before Bishop Mac turned it on in the second quarter to lead 34-19 at the half. The Celtics carried a 50-36 lead into the fourth quarter, but Centennial whittled the gap down to a single point with four minutes to go, but the hosts held on.
“They beat us in overtime last time, and we’re always going to play close,” coach Kendall said.
“We’ve got our games cut out for us when we’re against them.”
“Rebounding, for sure—we’ve got to get on the boards,” Jesse Kendall answered when asked what the Celtics had to do to keep the Spartans from going on a late rally should the teams meet in the playoffs. “That’s kind of our weakness. We’ve got to box out more.”
Jesse Kendall led Bishop Mac with 25 points while Mitchell Wood had 19.
Tarang Sharma had 20 points for Centennial while Erik Sterne netted 16.
The teams are tied for top spot in the seven-team league, but Bishop Mac has a game in hand. The Celtics lead at 8-1 and are followed by the Spartans at 8-2, Ross Royals 6-3, St. James Lions 6-4, Lourdes Crusaders 2-6, Orangeville Bears 2-7 and Centre Wellington Falcons 0-9.
“We’re learning and we’re getting better as we go,” coach Kendall said. “We’re learning to play together as a team and that’s tough. We’ve got a lot of good, individual talent and it’s bringing them together to play as a team that’s a challenge. We’re getting better with every game – we’re learning and we’re adapting as we go.”
“We always had high expectations for our team,” Jesse Kendall said. “We like to push ourselves. We want to further our goals and be the best team that we can be.”
Ross 57 St. James 37
Mike Friesen led Ross with 28 points while Kristian VandeKemp followed with 20. Ryan Morales had 13 for St. James while Joey Hasson, Liam McCormack and Zack McClenaghan each netted five.
St. James 61 Centre Wellington 38
Joey Hasson struck for 18 points for St. James while Zack McClenaghan had 16. Ian Newman had nine and James Scott eight for Centre Wellington.
D10 Jr. Boys Basketball
St. James 62 Ross 36
Nick Marquis netted 17 points for St. James while Iziah Perrel added seven. Curtis Gordon led Ross with nine while Eton Merrit had five.
Centennial 65 Bishop Macdonell 56
Harmon Goyal connected for 18 points for Centennial while Mark Shinouda had 16 and Jack Zhu 12. Lucas Wood had a game-high 23 for Bishop Mac while Evan Hosker and Jake Chaput each had 14.
St. James 54 Centre Wellington 37
Keegan Feeney collected a game-high 15 points for St. James while Alex Mckegan added nine. Nick McKeller had 11 for Centre Wellington while Justice Abbot gathered seven.
D4 Sr. Boys Basketball
Norwell 32 Wellington Heights 23
Tyler Pronk netted nine for Norwell while Drew Cowan had seven. Luke Hogg and Avery Bilton each had six for Wellington Heights.
Centre Dufferin 74 Emmanuel Christian 26
Doug Costanzo’s 16 points led Centre Dufferin while Dan Craig added 13. Casey Vanleeuwen had 17 for Emmanuel Christian.
D4 Jr. Boys Basketball
Norwell 51 Wellington Heights 38
Travis Souhnan led Norwell with 17 points while Tory Langille followed with 15. Josh Feletto had nine for Wellington Heights while Kevin Hutchinson chipped in with seven.
Centre Dufferin 50 Emmanuel Christian 16
Blair St. Amour had nine points for Centre Dufferin while Brendan Lyver and Brandon Richardson each had seven. Marty Westrik had five for Emmanuel Christian.
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