It started in a back-and-forth semifinal, where the Celtics rescued victory from the jaws of defeat (or at least overtime) in a stunning 46-43 win over Brantford St. John's.
After a back-and-forth fourth quarter that had the Celtics up 43-41 and :49 to go, Adrian Mendoza was able to weave his way inside for a lay-in that tied the game at 43 apiece.
St. David got a decent look on their next possession, but committed a rebounding foul with :17 left, sending St. John's to the line. Although the FT was missed, the Eagles were able to regain possession with :13 on the clock.
Following a timeout, a controversial 5-second call was levied on Mendoza out above the three-point line (and just :04 to go).
Cue the dramatic.
After receiving the inbounds pass, SDCSS guard James McBride took a dribble and hurled up a desperation attempt from just beyond halfcourt --- which banked in --- sending the Resurrection gym into a frenzy, and giving the Celtics a spot in the championship final.
There, St. David was matched up with D8 rivals Resurrection -- who took out Assumption 74-54 in the other semifinal -- in what was (already) their 5th meeting of the season. It was a low-scoring affair (20-16 Resurrection at the half) but St. David was able to pull through in the second half and escape with a 39-36 victory.
George Dumitru led St. David with 18 points in that one, while Alec Scheffler (7), James McBride (6), Mitchell Lavigne (5) and Wesley Naus (4) were the other Celtics on the scoresheet.
Sean Begy (8) and Nick Snider (8) led a very balanced Resurrection attack, with Ali Rashid, Jake Rush, Mac Smith and Prince Dang contributing 6 each.
Surprisingly, the three final games of the tournament (championship final, bronze game, and consolation final) were decided by a combined 7 points.
St. Thomas Aquinas (London) took the consolation final in a 46-44 thriller over Guelph JF Ross.
St. John's won a "battle of Brantford" in a 50-48 game against Assumption. The Green Eagles trailed by double-digits (29-18) at half but whittled the lead in the second thanks to another strong effort from Adrian Mendoza.
Mendoza led St. John's with 24 points, while Dan Weagle (6), Matt Knight (5), Zach Dawson (2), Austin Lombardi (2), Jordus Nichols (2), Lucas Hagar (2) and Mo Harrir (2) also contributed.
For Assumption, Mike King had 19 while Mike Heron (9), Eric Cayaban (6), Josh Turner (5), James Jewell (5) and Marc Paderon (2) were also on the scoresheet.
Of note: CWDHS (1 game Friday) and JF Ross (2 games Friday) had to default due to a board rule that they cannot travel when board school buses are cancelled.
Full Results
Round 1
Resurrection default over CWDHS
St. John's 53, St. Basil (SSM) 33
SJC: Adrian Mendoza 20
Assumption default over JF Ross
St. David 46, St. Thomas Aquinas (London) 32
SDCSS: George Dumitru 13
Round 2 (Winners vs. Losers - OFSAA Format)
Resurrection 53, St. Basil (SSM) 23
RCSS: Joe Hunter 16
St. John's 55, Centre Wellington 33
SJC: Adrian Mendoza 36
Assumption 59, St. Thomas Aquinas 53
ACS: Mike King 36
St. David default over JF Ross
Consolation Side
JF Ross 48, Centre Wellington 31
St. Thomas Aquinas over St. Basil (SSM)
Final: St. Thomas Aquinas 46, JF Ross 44 (OT)
Championship Semifinals
St. David 46, St. John's 43
SDCSS: George Dumitru 19
SJC: Adrian Mendoza 24
Resurrection 74, Assumption 54
RCSS: Ali Rashid 14
ACS: Josh Turner 19
Final: St. David 39, Resurrection 36
Bronze: St. John's 50, Assumption 48
Tournament All-Stars
George Dumitru, St. David (Gr. 10 G) - MVP
James McBride, St. David (Gr. 10 G)
Joseph Hunter, Resurrection (Gr. 9 G)
Ali Rashid, Resurrection (Gr. 9 G)
Adrian Mendoza, St. John's (Gr. 10 G)
Mike King, Assumption (Gr. 10 F)
Defensive All-Star: Sean Begy, Resurrection (Gr. 10 F)
Tournament Leading Scorers
1. Adrian Mendoza, St. John's - 26.0 PPG
2. Mike King, Assumption - 20.8 PPG
3. George Dumitru, St. David - 16.7 PPG
4. Josh Turner, Assumption - 14.0 PPG
5. Daniel Street, JF Ross - 10.5 PPG
6. James McBride, St. David - 9.7 PPG
7. Matt MacFarlane, St. Thomas Aq. - 9.3 PPG
8. Ali Rashid, Resurrection - 9.0 PPG
9. Jake Rush, Resurrection - 8.3 PPG
10. Mengis Hiyabu, JF Ross - 7.5 PPG
