Semifinals are set for this afternoon in both Junior & Senior D10 leagues.In the junior division, top-seeded Centennial will play host to #5 Our Lady of Lourdes. However, I'd say that Lourdes is actually the favourite in that one --- they defeated Centennial twice during the regular season and Centennial's star PG, Chris Poloniato, transferred to Bishop Macdonell at the end of the first semester. Obviously, this has significantly impacted the Spartan backcourt. Add to the fact that Lourdes has the top player on the court in Craig Valeriote, and I see a single-digit Lourdes win here.
The other game between JF Ross (#3) at Bishop Macdonell (#2) could be interesting as well. The squads split their season series, with both teams winning by double-digit margins. With guards Mengis Hiyabu and Curtis Gordon back at full strength to bolster an offensive attack led by Jake Grant and Daniel Street, Ross has looked strong as of late.
Bishop Mac had a bit of a letdown game against Orangeville the other day, but still got the win they needed. They looked impressive last weekend at the Luke Santi Invitational and may be peaking at the right time.
One thing's for sure --- I wouldn't be surprised to see any of these four teams hosting the D10 championship trophy in what has been a wild season over in the Guelph area.
My Picks
Lourdes 54, Centennial 49
Bishop Mac 55, JF Ross 47
Senior
#1-seeded Bishop Macdonell will play their first playoff game today after receiving a quarterfinal bye when they take on #4 St. James.
The Lions came within 5 points of the Celtics about a month ago at Bishop Mac (56-51), but they had also lost to the Celtics by a 65-39 score earlier in the year. It'll be interesting to see which St. James (and Bishop Mac teams) show up here today.
Last year was the first year that the D10 final was contested in quite some time between two teams not named "JF Ross" or "Centennial". Those two rivals will renew their playoff hostilities today at Centennial, and if their regular season results are any indication (Ross won by 1 back in December; Centennial by 2 last week), it should be a thriller!
I'm excited to see the offensive prowess of Mike Friesen (JFR) and Erik Sterne (CCVI) as they respectively try to help lead their teams to yet another D10 finals appearance. Definitely a "coin flip" game that I can see going etiher way.
My Picks
Bishop Mac 61, St. James 49
JF Ross 57, Centennial 55
