CIS Recruiting: Memorial's CWOSSA Pipeline Continues

Several post-secondary commitments were announced over the weekend, including the commitment of two of Waterloo Region's top senior girls to Memorial University (St. John's, NF).

Lindsay Taylor (5'6" G/ WCI) and Brooklyn Wright (6'2" F/JHSS) were both mentioned as incoming recruits for next year's class in a post on Memorial University's Athletics Website.  It looks like southern Ontario has been a recruiting focus for the Seahawks, with 4 of 7 incoming recruits hailing from that part of the country.

With fifth-year CWOSSA alums Grace Fishbein (Bluevale) and Kim Devison (St. David) set to graduate this year, the addition of Taylor and Wright will mean that Memorial will continue to have at least 3 former CWOSSA players on the roster (former Rez PG Megan Robinson, having finished up her second year out east, is the other).

Friesen Heading to McGill
Meanwhile, JF Ross 6'4" G/F Mike Friesen is heading east as well --- but not quite as far as the duo mentioned above.

Friesen took care of his decision by announcing his commitment to McGill University (Montreal, QC) last night:

Excited to say that I'm officially committed to the McGill University Redmen!!! #RedmenBasketball
— Mike Friesen (@MikeFriesen7) March 25, 2013

Congrats to all three, and all the best in the future!

Cvrkalj, Lehigh Ousted on Buzzer Beater

The Madness has officially started, as a few NCAA games in postseason tournaments (NCAA, NIT, CBI and CIT) came down to the wire.

Bluevale grad Stefan Cvrkalj's Lehigh Mountain Hawks came up on the short end of the first "buzzer beater" of the postseason, dropping a 67-66 game to Wyoming.

The 'Hawks took a 66-64 lead with only 5.8 seconds to go, only to see Wyoming race the length of the floor and knock home a three-pointer as time expired:



The next "CWOSSA alum" in action is Bucknell's Bryson Johnson in tomorrow's NCAA "second round"; the Bison (#11 seed) play #6 Butler at 12:40pm.

On tap for today in the NCAA are some intriguing play-in games, including Boise State vs. La Salle and Long Island vs. James Madison.

Personally, I'm looking forward to the LIU game myself as I've been a follower of the Blackbirds since their great (relatively speaking) teams in the late 90s.  How could you not (as a high-schooler) like a team that put up a ton of points, played at an up-tempo pace, and didn't play defense?

They still hold the NCAA record for margin of victory in a single game --- 117 points in a 179-62 win over Medgar Evers College. 

Charles Jones (who scored 30+ PPG that year) had a cup of coffee in the NBA with the Chicago Bulls and LA Clippers.  Here's a look at their 1997 NEC Championship team.....how about that gym they played in back then?  Almost reminds me of Bluevale CI the way there's no room on the endlines!  (Just kidding...):



Their team this year is certainly similar.  Out of the 347 NCAA teams, they rank 29th nationally in pace, 51st nationally in offensive efficiency, and 319th in defensive efficiency!

D8/D10 All-Star Game Goes Tonight

A little late notice, but the annual D8 vs. D10 all-star game is scheduled for this evening at St. Mary's HS in Kitchener.

The junior game will go at 6pm, while the senior game follows at 8pm.

Admission is $2.

Predictions?  I like the D8 to take the junior game while I think the depth of the D10 should handle the D8 on the senior side.

NCAA Postseason Post: CWOSSA Edition

As you probably know by now, the NCAA postseason, including "March Madness", tips off this week.

There will be three former CWOSSA players participating in some form of postseason play, including Bryson Johnson (Bucknell), Stefan Cvrkalj (Lehigh), and, on the women's side, Natalie Achonwa (Notre Dame).

Cvrkalj and his Mountain Hawks are in the 16-team CBI Tournament (College Basketball Invitational), which gets underway this evening.  Lehigh will travel to play Wyoming (today, 9:00pm), with the winner moving on to play either Western Michigan or North Dakota State in the quarterfinals next Monday, March 25th.

Johnson's Bucknell Bison are one of the first teams on tap in the NCAA Tournament, as the #11 Bison battle #6 Butler at 12:40pm on Thursday in Lexington, KY.  The winner of that game would move on to the "third round" against either #3 Marquette or #14 Davidson.

The Big East-winning Notre Dame women and Natalie Achonwa are a #1 seed in the women's bracket, which has first round action scheduled for Saturday and Sunday.  The Irish will be taking on #16 Tennessee-Martin in the round of 64.

2 CWOSSA Players Announce Postsecondary Intentions

Two of the top forwards in this year's CWOSSA-area graduating class, Adam Voll (SJK via St. Mary's) and Vlad Matovic (Cameron Heights), have announced their post-secondary playing intentions.

Voll, a 6'7" F who was a key member of St. Mary's CWOSSA championship team in 2012 before playing his final year at St. John-Kilmarnock in Breslau, committed to Ryerson University in Toronto.

Matovic, a 6'6" F, will be even closer to home after announcing that he will be suiting up for the Wilfird Laurier University Golden Hawks.

Congratulations to both!

Johnson, Bison Advance to NCAA Tournament

Not a bad way to wind down your NCAA career.

Bryson Johnson (St. David '09) and the Bucknell Bison will be heading back to the NCAA tournament after defeating Lafayette College (PA) 64-56 in the Patriot League championship game on Wednesday evening.

The Leopards' defense did a great job closing out on Johnson, the Patriot League's all-time leader in three-point field goals made.  He was able to attempt just two on the evening (0-2), and finished with 2 points and 3 assists.

Patriot League Player of the Year Mike Muscala notched 20 points and 11 rebounds in the win.

This will mark the second time in three years that Johnson and Bucknell have advanced to the NCAA tournament.  They were a #14 seed in 2011, where they lost 81-52 to #3 UConn --- who eventually went on to win the national championship that year.

Most "experts" are projecting the Bison in the "#13" seed range, although that will certainly hinge on the results of some of the other conference tournaments, which are still ongoing.

Guelph's Achonwa Lifts Notre Dame to Big East Title

(Associated Press)

HARTFORD, CONN. — Natalie Achonwa’s layup with 1.8 seconds left lifted No. 2 Notre Dame to its first Big East tournament championship with a 61-59 victory over third-ranked Connecticut on Tuesday night.

Skylar Diggins stole an errant pass from Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis with 8 seconds left, and after dribbling through a few defenders, found Guelph’s Achonwa for the uncontested lay-in.

Kelly Faris then heaved a desperation attempt from 65 feet that fell harmlessly off the backboard, setting off a wild celebration for the Irish, who have won 26 straight games.

The Fighting Irish players, wearing championship hats and T-shirts, set up a dance line to celebrate and did an Irish jig in front of the school band.

Notre Dame (31-1) had been in the title game six previous times, including the last two, and lost to the Huskies in each one.

A former Centennial CVI student, Achonwa joined the Fighting Irish in 2010. Now a junior, she was promoted to the starting lineup this season after spending her first two year’s as the Irish’s first person off the bench. Achonwa also represented Team Canada in the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, as the second-youngest player to play in an Olympic women’s basketball tournament, at 19.
Achonwa scored 11 to go with nine rebounds to help Notre Dame beat Louisville 83-59 on Monday night in the semifinals. Achonwa shot 3-for-6 for six points in the final.

The Irish weren’t going to be denied in their final chance to win an elusive Big East championship. Earlier in the day, Notre Dame announced it would be joining the ACC starting next season — a year earlier than expected.

Kayla McBride, named the tournament’s most outstanding player, scored 23 points to lead the Irish. Jewell Loyd finished with 16 and Diggins had 12.

Stefanie Dolson scored 18 points and Breanna Stewart had 16 for UConn (29-4), which had won the last five Big East tournament titles but fell to Notre Dame for the third time this season.
The Huskies trailed 59-53 with 2:55 left before tying it at 59.

They had a chance to take the lead but Faris missed a layup. She got her own rebound and after calling a timeout, the Huskies had a chance before Mosqueda-Lewis got caught in the corner and threw the ball away to Diggins, setting up the finish.

The Irish have dominated the series recently with seven victories in the last eight meetings. No team has ever dominated the Huskies like that since UConn won its first national championship in 1995.
The only UConn victory came in the conference title game last season, but the Huskies couldn’t pull off a third straight win over Notre Dame in the tournament championship.
The loss ended a run of 19 straight seasons that Connecticut had won either the regular season or post-season conference title.

These two teams could potentially meet for a fourth time in the NCAA tournament. It would be the third straight season that they would meet four times in one year.
They met eight days earlier and the Irish came away with a triple-overtime victory that clinched them their second straight conference regular-season title.

This one — while it didn’t go three overtimes — was thrilling nonetheless. A fitting finale for a conference that has been arguably the best in women’s basketball over the past decade. This was the last game under its current configuration as the basketball schools will break away from the football schools next season. That new basketball conference will keep the Big East name.

“It was a great partnership that produced some memorable moments in a lot of sports. We are very sorry to see the Big East that we knew and grew up in not exist anymore,” Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick said before the game.

Notre Dame appeared to put this game away early. McBride keyed Notre Dame on a 20-4 run for a 20-8 lead. She had nine points during the burst, barely moving the net on some of her jumpers. The Huskies tried to rally in front of a friendly crowd of 9,000 who were clearly backing UConn despite the team wearing its blue road uniforms.

UConn pulled to 24-22 on a putback by Dolson with 4:52 left in the half. Then it was Loyd’s time to shine. The conference’s freshman of the year scored seven points during an 11-0 run as the Irish opened up a 35-22 advantage. They led 35-26 at the half.

Notre Dame expanded its lead to 39-28 before UConn finally got going. Stewart scored the final four points of an 11-0 run to tie it midway through the second half. The teams traded baskets over the next 6 minutes with neither able to build any sort of lead.

Diggins, the two-time reigning Big East player of the year, finally gave Notre Dame a four-point lead with a floater in the lane with 5:22 left to set up the frantic finish.

UConn coach Geno Auriemma had inserted Stewart into the lineup for the first time since the middle of December. Stewart had averaged just 7.5 points against the Irish this season in the two previous meetings, making just six of her 24 shots.

She had played very well in the first two games of the Big East tournament, and continued it against the Irish.

Retrieved From:  http://www.therecord.com/sports/article/901860--guelph-s-achonwa-lifts-notre-dame-to-title

TheScore Features Bryson Johnson & Murphy Burnatowski

The Score TV Network recently featured to CWOSSA alumni in their "Up Next" segment --- Colgate's Murphy Burnatowski (NEDA via SJAM) and Bucknell's Bryson Johnson (St. David CSS '09).

Click Here for the Bryson Johnson Video.

Click Here for the Murphy Burnatowski Video.

D8: Simon, Eagles Headline Senior All-Star Selections

The St. Mary's Eagles dominated not only D8 competition this past senior boys' basketball season, but also the all-star selections that were announced on Thursday.

In fact, all 5 Eagle starters were named to either the first or second all-star teams, led by Grade 11 G/F Tesloth Simon, who was named as league MVP.

His backcourt partner, Grade 11 G Tyrick Thompson, was the other Eagle on the first team while Tyler Hergott (Gr. 12 F), Jermaine Lyle (Gr. 11 G) and Nathan Riley (Gr. 11 G/F) were second-team selections.

Rounding out the 6-player first-team were Patric McGlynn (Gr. 12 G / Resurrection); Tyler Moulton (Gr. 12 F / St. Benedict), Jake Winter (Gr. 12 G / St. David) and Uzair Khan (Gr. 12 G / Mons. Doyle).

The entire list is as follows:

First Team
Tesloth Simon, St. Mary's (MVP)
Tyrick Thompson, St. Mary's
Patric McGlynn, Resurrection
Tyler Moulton, St. Benedict
Jake Winter, St. David
Uzair Khan, Mons. Doyle

Second Team
Nathan Riley, St. Mary's
Tyler Hergott, St. Mary's
Jermaine Lyle, St. Mary's
Tyler Bartley, Resurrection
Jacob Gilbert, Resurrection
Brenden Flannigan, St. Benedict
Ben Hoekstra, Woodland
Jacob Reusser, Rockway

D8: Junior All-Stars Announced; Eleeda named MVP

Adham Eleeda (Gr. 9 / Guard / St. Mary's) was named as the MVP of the District 8 Junior Boys' basketball league on Thursday evening.

Eleeda was the leading scorer for the D8 champion Eagles (including eight 15+ performances) and the second-leading scorer in the D8 junior league, behind Monsingor Doyle's Ryan Stafford.

Stafford (Gr. 10 / Guard) was also named as a first-team all-star, alongside Ali Rashid (Gr. 9 / Guard / Resurrection), George Dumitru (Gr. 10 / Guard / St. David), and Zubair Seyed (Gr. 9 / Guard / St. Benedict).

The complete list is as follows:

First Team
Adham Eleeda, St. Mary's (MVP)
Ryan Stafford, Mons. Doyle
Ali Rashid, Resurrection
George Dumitru, St. David
Zubair Seyed, St. Benedict

Second Team
Jake Rush, Resurrection
Alec Scheffler, St. David
Shane Clarke, Woodland
Henoak Abara, St. Mary's
Alex Douglas, St. Benedict

Third Team
James McBride, St. David
Barnaba Niel, St. Mary's
Khiem Tran, St. Benedict
Connor Huxman, Rockway
Sohrob Sultani, Mons. Doyle

OFSAA Medal Rundown

Here's the results from yesterday's medal games at the four OFSAA championships:

A (Host: North Bay)

Bronze:  #7 Msgr. De Charbonnel (North York) 50, #4 Ashbury College (Rockcliffe) 42

Gold:  #1 St. Patrick (Sarnia) 59, #6 Kings Christian (Oakville) 44

AA (Host:  Richmond Hill)

Bronze:  #4 Bishop Macdonell (Guelph) 60, #2 St. Basil (SSM) 48

Gold:  #2 Mother Teresa (Scarborough) 52, #1 ACMT (Hamilton) 51

AAA (Host:  Windsor)

Bronze:  #4 Notre Dame (Burlington) 67, #2 Jean Vanier (Scarborough) 46

Gold:  #1 Catholic Central (Windsor) 75, #3 St. Patrick (Ottawa) 51

AAAA (Host:  Windsor)

Bronze:  #5 Cardinal Newman (Stoney Creek) 55, #3 Holy Trinity (Oakville) 32

Gold:  #1 St. Michael's (Toronto) 47, #2 Henry Carr (Toronto) 38 - In OVERTIME

OFSAA: Celtics End CWOSSA Drought; Flames Drop Consolation Championship

Photo From @OFSAABBALL2013

The Bishop Macdonell Celtics ended CWOSSA's medal drought at boys' OFSAA basketball championships by securing a bronze medal at the "AA" tournament last night in a 60-48 win over St. Basil SS (Sault Ste. Marie).

The last year that a medal was won by a CWOSSA team was 2007, when both Southwood (AAA Gold) and SJAM (AAAA Antique Bronze) came home with hardware.

The Celts controlled the game from the outset, building a 15-5 lead after one and extending that lead after the 2nd (14 points) and 3rd (16 points) quarters.

Jesse Kendall had a game-high 21 points for Bishop Macdonell while Michael Ganson added 10.

Earlier in the day, the Celtics dropped a heart-breaking 64-61 semifinal game to the #1 seed, ACMT of Hamilton.  Jean Victor Mukama hit seven first half three-pointers for the Jaguars as they led 26-12 after one and 41-30 at halftime.

However, Bishop Mac was able to battle back and forced a turnover with under :20 on the clock that allowed them a shot to tie it up.  Unfortunately, it didn't go down.

The Celtics end their season as D10 and CWOSSA champions, and OFSAA bronze medalists.

Congratulations!

A
In North Bay, the Rockway Flames (#12 seed) won a 43-39 morning consolation semifinal game against Rideau DHS, but dropped the consolation final to #11 North Dundas DHS in a free-wheeling 70-63 game.

Connor Huxman led the Flames in both games, with 15 points against Rideau and 22 points against North Dundas.  Michael Born had 7 against Rideau, while Tyler Schwartzentruber netted 12 against NDDHS.

CWOSSA Alums Pick Up OUA West Awards

Three CWOSSA alums were recognized in the annual OUA West Women's Basketball Awards, which were made public yesterday.

Erica McFadden (Guelph via Centre Wellington '12) and Kaitlyn Schenck (Laurier via St. Mary's '12) were both named to the OUA West All-Rookie team.

Schenck averaged 7.4 PPG and 1.5 RPG during league play for the Hawks, while McFadden notched 11.9 PPG, 3.4 RPG and 1.9 APG during her 21 OUA games as a Gryphon.

Meanwhile, Kayla Santilli, who was a member of the All-Rookie team a season ago, was named as a Second Team OUA West All-Star.  Santilli had 12.6 PPG, 4.2 RPG, and 2.1 APG in 21 league appearances this season.

Lastly, Hailey Milligan (Assumption '09), a 4th year forward for McMaster University, was a first-team all-star selection after her breakout season for the Marauders where she averaged a double-double (16.3 PPG and 11.5 RPG).  Her 11.5 RPG were tops in not only the OUA, but also the CIS.

Congrats to all!

AA: Celtics Continue Roll Into Medal Round

CWOSSA will be coming home with one medal (for the first time since 2007) this basketball season, thanks to the Bishop Macdonell Celtics.

The Celtics assured themselves of a "top 4" finish at the "AA" basketball championships in Richmond Hill by defeated the host team, the Jean Vanier Jaguars, in a 63-44 game on Tuesday evening.

BMAC jumped to a 32-14 lead at half, and didn't look back en route to clinching their semifinal berth.  Mitchell Wood (17) and Jesse Kendall (12) led the way for the Celtics.

Earlier in the day, Bishop Mac won their second round game by a 60-47 score over the #13 seed, Timmins CVI.  Kendall knocked home 22 in that one, while Wood added 14 more.

Bishop Macdonell will be tipping off shortly (10:00am) in their semifinal game against the #1 seed, ACMT out of Hamilton.

You may recall that Bishop Mac stunned ACMT at the buzzer in the Silver Fox tournament back in December.  It will certainly be interesting to see how things play out this time around.

Recent CWOSSA Medalists at OFSAA (Boys)
2007:  Southwood (AAA Gold)
2007:  SJAM (AAAA Antique Bronze)
2005:  Assumption (AAA Bronze)
2005:  Rockway (A Gold)

A OFSAA: Rockway Advances on Consolation Side

The Rockway Flames were eliminated from medal contention on Tuesday afternoon at the OFSAA "A" championship in North Bay; the 12th-seeded Kitchener school dropped a 73-39 decision to the #5 seed, the Elliot Lake Atoms.

Michael Born had 9 to lead Rockway, while Jacob Reusser and Bill Russell (no relation to the former Celtics great) had 6 each.

With the second-round loss, Rockway was moved to the consolation bracket where they were able to pick up an evening win against #13 ES-Algonquin by a 60-58 final. 

Born again led the way, with 18 points, while Tyler Schwartzentruber netted 11.

Rockway is currently playing a consolation bracket semifinal (9am) against #9 seed, Rideau DHS.

Brantford Expositor: Trojans Ousted by #2 Seed

Article By:  Darryl G. Smart

The North Park Collegiate Trojans were three minutes away from pulling off the big upset.

Unfortunately for the No. 10 seed, the Trojans run at the Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations AAA boys basketball championships is over.

After defeating Windsor's W.F. Herman Secondary School 48-38 Monday evening, the Trojans dropped a 55-43 decision to the No. 2 ranked Jean Vanier from Scarborough in the quarter-final.
The Trojans kept things close, leading 8-7 after one quarter. Both teams went basket for basket in the second quarter, resulting in a 26-26 score at the half.

In the third quarter both teams kept exchanging blows, with Jean Vanier grabbing a 37-35 lead.
With just over three minutes to go in the fourth quarter, a Dan Howell layup tied the score at 38-38. But that was as close as the Trojans got.

"Our kids gave everything thing they had but the wear and tear of playing back-to-back games against teams that full-court pressed the whole game finally took its toll," Trojans coach Todd Andrew said."

Jean Vanier went on a quick 8-0 run that put the game away. Jon Dulmage led the Trojans offensively with 17 points, while Nick Minutillo scored eight, and Matt Minutillo added seven.
"It was a great gutsy effort by my boys," Andrew said.

"I'm very proud how they represented our team, school, community and region. These were some of the most exciting and hard fought basketball games I have ever coached in which is a tribute to the never quit attitude our players displayed throughout the OFSAA championship, especially at the defensive end."

Andrew said this was the second time in school history, the Trojans made it to the OFSAA quarter-finals.

Retrieved From:  http://www.brantfordexpositor.ca/2013/03/05/trojans-ousted-by-no-2-seed

OFSAA Day 1: Three Teams Still Alive as CWOSSA Goes .500 on Day 1

CWOSSA representatives went 3-3 on the opening day of OFSAA basketball championships around the province on Monday.

Starting in "A", the Rockway Flames (#12 seed) dropped a 75-44 decision to (#2) Trinity College in a game that was probably closer than the final score would indicate.  The Flames trailed 44-30 after three quarters, but were outscored 31-14 in the last frame.

Michael Born (12) and Tyler Schwartzentruber (10) were the top point-getters for Rockway.

Rockway will take on #5 Elliot Lake in their second-round game today at 2:00pm.

In "AA", the Bishop Macdonell Celtics (#4 seed) survived some nervous moments against #15 St. Michael's CSS of Niagara Falls in a 54-46 win.  Bishop Mac led by only three points after three, but survived the upset bid thanks in part to a 19-point effort from Mitchell Wood.

Bishop Macdonell is currently playing a 10:00am game against the #13 seed, Timmins CVI, in the second round.

North Park advanced through to the "AAA" quarterfinals on Monday, despite losing their first-round game.

In their opener, North Park trailed Burlington Notre Dame 22-18 at half, but the Irish held the Trojans to just 10 second half points in a 49-28 final.  Matt Minutillo had 10 for NPC in that one.

However, a first-round upset by Windsor Herman (#13) over Sacred Heart of Newmarket (#7) meant that the Trojans would be the "higher seed" in their second round game.  They locked down defensively to the tune of 21 points against through three quaters (32-21 NPC), and held on in the fourth for a 53-48 final.  Minutillo again led the way for NPC with a 12-point effort.

North Park will have a challenging quarterfinal today at 11:40am against #2 Jean Vanier (Scarborough).  The Trojans are actually the lowest-seeded team remaining; today's quarterfinal play features:

(1) Windsor Catholic Central vs. (8) SSM Korah
(4) Burl. Notre Dame vs. (5) Holy Cross - Kingston
(3) Ottawa St. Patrick's vs. (6) St. Theresa Midland
(2) Scarb. Jean Vanier vs. (10) North Park

Over in AAAA, both CWOSSA teams were eliminated after the first day of competition.

Kitchener St. Mary's (the #8 seed) demolished #14 Joan of Arc (Maple, ON) in a 74-53 final.  The Eagles actually led by 29-points after three quarters in that one, and were led by the 16-point effort from Nathan Riley.

In their second-round game against one of the "home teams", #9 Holy Names, the Eagles raced to an 8-point first-quarter advantage but were outscored 46-30 the rest of the way in a 58-50 defeat.  Tesloth Simon (12) and Nathan Riley (11) led the way for the Eagles.

Despite the loss, you have to figure St. Mary's will be in the mix for a third consecutive OFSAA appearance next year with the bulk of their scoring offense only in grade 11.

Meanwhile, it was "heartbreak city" for CWOSSA's other representative, #13 Waterloo Collegiate, in their OFSAA opener on Monday.

In a finish that was something like you might see in a couple weeks come March Madness, Davion Parnsalu helped #7 Notre Dame (Ajax) snatch victory from the jaws of defeat by scoring 5 points in the game's final :23.

With Notre Dame down 2 and under :30 to play, Parnsalu hit a go-ahead three-pointer to put Notre Dame up 54-53.  On the subsequent WCI possession, Dani Elgadi finished inside with under :10 to play, giving the Vikes a 55-54 lead.

However, Parnsalu drove the lane and was fouled --- making both free-throws --- and thus giving Notre Dame the 56-55 win.

Elgadi led WCI with 17 points.

The Vikings didn't have much time to dwell on that loss, as they played #4 D'Youville (Brampton) in their second-round game later on Monday.  D'Youville raced to a 37-14 halftime lead, which was all they would need in a 58-36 victory.  Despite the large halftime deficit, the Vikings kept fighting and were able to outscore D'Youville in the second half, thanks to strong play from Adam Anagnostopoulos and Dani Elgadi.

The two combined for 33 of WCI's 36 points, with Anagnostopoulos knocking in 21 points and Elgadi contributing 12.

Today's quarterfinals at "AAAA" feature:
(1) St. Michael's - Toronto vs. (9) Holy Names
(4) D'Youville vs. (5) Cardinal Newman

(2) Henry Carr vs. (7) Notre Dame Ajax
(3) Holy Trinity vs. (6) Campion

OFSAA Updates

I'll try to keep this updated throughout the day for you.....

A
#2 Ridley College 75, #12 Rockway 44 - FINAL

AA
#4 Bishop Mac 54, #15 St. Michael (NF) 46 - FINAL
BMAC:  Mitchell Wood, 19

....Bishop Mac will play #14 Timmins tomorrow in Round 2.

AAA
#4 Burlington Notre Dame 49, #10 North Park 28 - FINAL

....interestingly enough for NPC fans, an upset in the #7 vs. #13 game means that NPC will play #13 Windsor Herman for a QF berth later today.

#10 North Park 53, #13 Herman 48
NPC:  Matt Minutillo 13

.....NPC will play #2 Jean Vanier in a QF game tomorrow.

AAAA
#8 St. Mary's 74, #14 Joan of Arc (Maple) 53 - FINAL

....Nathan Riley led the way with 16 points.  St. Mary's will play #9 Holy Names (Windsor) in the second-round for a quarterfinal berth.

#7 Notre Dame (Ajax) 56, #13 Waterloo CI 55  - FINAL

....WCI trailed by 8 points after three and ended up coming up just a bit short in their upset bid.  Dani Elgadi led the way with 17 points.

SECOND ROUND:  #9 Holy Names 58, #8 St. Mary's 50 - FINAL

SECOND ROUND:  #4 D'Youville 58, #13 WCI 36 - FINAL

WCI F Ranton Commits To Memorial

On Friday, Barry Hayes (HoopStarsCanada.com) announced that 6'7" WCI forward Jacob Ranton has officially committed to Memorial University in St. John's, Newfoundland:

6'7" forward Jacob Ranton (Waterloo, ON/WCI) has committed to Memorial in St. John's, Newfoundland. #CIS
— Barry Hayes (@hoopstarscanada) March 1, 2013

The commitment certainly keeps up the recent "CWOSSA pipeline" out east to the Newfoundland-based school, as several CWOSSA alums (Mike Helsby, Will Bradbury, Grace Fishbein, Kim Devison, Megan Robinson) have made their way out there in the past few years.

Ranton recently had ACL surgery, but there should be an opportunity for him to see minutes right away when he does return.  The Seahawk men went just 1-19 in conference play this season.

Mark's OFSAA Memories

Here's a few moments that stand out to me over the past few years at OFSAA championships.  Hopefully, we'll have more to add this year!

2012:  In a thrilling opening round game at AAAA OFSAA in Ottawa last year, the St. Mary's Eagles (#10) defeated the Hamilton Westmount Wildcats (#9) by a 60-59 final, thanks to an Alex Thompson buzzer-beater.

The game saw three lead-changes in the final :30 of play, and alongside Thompson's buzzer beater, Henry Bankazo is also worth mentioning as he provided a couple key baskets and took a charge with about 1:30 to play.

2011:  The Cameron Heights Gaels went 0-2 in their OFSAA apperance, but their record certainly doesn't tell the story.  The Gaels went toe-to-toe with perennial powerhouse Eastern Commerce (and current Ryerson star Aaron Best); it was a 2-point game with 3:30 to go.  Here's my commentary (play-by-play) from that one. 

In their second game against #3 Oakville Loyola (who would go on to medal), the Gaels put up 30 first-quarter points to lead 30-17.  Loyola would eventually rebound to win the game, but the tournament certainly helped put Cameron Heights back on the basketball map.

2010:  It was a tough year for CWOSSA in 2010 at OFSAA, but Waterford DHS ("A")'s performance was pretty solid.  The lone CWOSSA team to pick up a win that year, the #7-ranked Wolves took #2 Ridley College to the wire in a 64-54 decision (4-point game at half).

2009:  The last OFSAA apperance for the SJAM Highlanders; they were able to gut out an opening round win over Ajax Notre Dame.  SJAM would come up short against the host school, Windsor Catholic Central in what I believe was one of the highest scoring (regulation) games ever at an OFSAA championship --- 106-83 was the final in that one.

And, I'll go back to 2006 for two of my personal favourites; 2006 was the year that Kitchener-Waterloo hosted the "AAAA" championship:

In 2006, the 35-3 KCI Raiders (seeded #6 - the highest ever seed by a CWOSSA team at "AAAA" OFSAA) won their first two games at OFSAA "AAAA" to advance to the quarterfinals against Mother Teresa of Scarborough. The Titans would win by 4 (KCI did hold the lead at numerous points in the game) and go on to take the OFSAA gold medal that year. The interesting thing that many don't remember is that (potentially) the Raiders' roster could have been more stacked than it was; starting centre Ronnie Sweeney left KCI in January to take a baseball scholarship in Iowa. Meanwhile, another former Heinbuch All-Star, Jake Kindl, suffered a knee injury during football season and didn't suit up for the Raiders.

Also that year, the Grand River Renegades were the #15 seed in the 16-team tournament, and went up against powerhouse Toronto West Hill CI (#5) in the first round.  Grand River was led all season by PG Imad Qahwash; however, in the first-round OFSAA game, it was SG Bobby Colorado who was "unconscious", as then Record HS Sports Reporter Josh Brown described it in a comment on his blog.  Colorado pumped home 37 points and kept the Rens in it all the way through (including some late-game leads).  However, despite the local crowd in an ABSOLUTE FRENZY, the athletic Warriors were able to survive in a 61-55 final.  What a game that was.

Brantford Expositor: Senior Trojans Earn Unexpected Trip To OFSAA

Article By:  Darryl G. Smart

It may not have been the conventional way, but it's how Nick Minutillo, Vishal Brar and Eric Hamilton wanted to finish off their high school basketball careers.

After a two-month break left them with little hope of suiting up in the orange, white and green again, the trio and their North Park Collegiate Trojan teammates are looking for provincial glory when the Ontario Federation of Schools Athletic Association AAA boys basketball championships begins in Windsor Monday.

"It's obviously great that we were able to come back and have the opportunity to play basketball again," Minutillo said. "That credit goes to Mr. Andrew. I mean, we wouldn't even have had this chance if it weren't for him."

While the rest of the public school teams in Brant shut things down for good when teachers began a job action as a result of the battle between its union and the government, coach Todd Andrew and the Trojans held out hope.

That hope turned to reality when the Trojans rose from the political ashes and suited up at the Central Western Ontario Secondary Schools Association Classic last weekend, where the team won to punch its ticket to OFSAA.

"It's been a bit of a rollercoaster ride and the kids realized what was going on," Andrew said. "They're really excited to be on the floor again and I couldn't be happier for them. Now they're excited to be able to fulfill a goal we set out as a team at the beginning of the season. It was an unconventional way but we're going to OFSAA and I am happy for our kids, especially our graduating players, who will get to be the leaders of this team."

For Minutillo and Hamilton, it's not the first trip to the big dance. After missing out last year, the two were a big part of the Trojans team that competed at OFSAA two years ago.

This is the third time in four years a Trojans team has made it to the tournament.

"Representing our school at OFSAA is special," Minutillo said. "We're feeling good going into the tournament. We played well at CWOSSA and everyone is comfortable with where we are as a team. We're hoping to go there and compete like we can."

For Andrew, that's always the goal for his teams at this level.

"I always stress to just compete," Andrew said. "We've built our program around defence, and hope we get our fair share of looks at the other end. At this level there's nowhere to hide. Everyone at this tournament is talented and could bury you if you take a quarter off."

As for the two-month layoff, Andrew isn't worried.

"When you're off for two months there aren't many positives," Andrew said. "If anything, they're fresh. Usually teams are banged up this time of year. With the exception of Jon (Dulmage) injuring his ankle last weekend, we're looking good."

He said there is an excitement on the team that's much different than past squads because of the layoff.

"We don't have many rah-rah kind of guys," Andrew said. "But there is a real excitement about them right now because they're excited to be back."

First up for the No. 10 seeded Trojans is No. 4 Notre Dame, from Burlington.

"They were silver medalists last year. And we lost by about a dozen to them early in the year," Andrew said. "It'll be a challenge, but we know them and know what to expect."

Retrieved From:  http://www.brantfordexpositor.ca/2013/03/03/senior-trojans-earn-unexpected-trip-to-ofsaa

OFSAA Tips Off Today!

Good luck to our five CWOSSA teams --- Rockway (A), Bishop Macdonell (AA), North Park (AAA), St .Mary's (AAAA), and WCI (AAAA) as play tips off today around the province.

And I literally mean around the province, with "A" OFSAA taking place in North Bay all the way down to "AAA" and "AAAA" in Windsor.  The "AA" championship is in Richmond Hill.

Here's the schedule for today:

"A" - Rockway (#12 Seed)
3pm - First Round Game vs. #2 Trinity College

"AA" - Bishop Macdonell (#4 Seed)
9:30am - First Round Game vs. #15 St. Mike's (Niag. Falls)

"AAA" - North Park (#10 Seed)
10:00am - First Round Game vs. #10 Burlington Notre Dame

"AAAA" - St. Mary's (#8 Seed)
11:45am - First Round Game vs. #14 St. Joan of Arc (Maple, ON)

"AAAA" - WCI (#13 Seed)
1:30pm - First Round Game vs. #7 Notre Dame (Ajax)