Guelph CYO Knights U16's Take Amateur Basketball Syndicate Championship

This past weekend, the Guelph CYO Knights took the title of the Amateur Basketball Syndicate Championship (absbasketball.ca) by defeating the Etobicoke Thunder 64-44.  The win was made more impressive when you consider their "regular season" records in the league --- Guelph went 8-3 while Etobicoke posted a perfect 11-0 mark.

Here's a release that was passed my way regarding the game; you'll note many familiar "CWOSSA names" particularly from Bishop Mac and Guelph Centennial:

The Guelph CYO Major Midget Boys Basketball U16 squad are the Amateur Basketball Syndicate champions.  The Knights claimed the title with an impressive 64-44 win over Ontario Basketball Association Division 1 champions Etobicoke Thunder.  Guelph entered the game as underdogs but quickly established that they were focused and prepared to compete with the taller Thunder.  After a close first quarter the Knights use of a variety of zone defenses began to limit the Thunder’s inside game and Guelph held the edge at halftime, 31-27.  Guelph’s defense stepped up the intensity in the second half and the Knight’s got out in transition, using their team speed and passing to convert Etobicoke turnovers into fast break points.  The fourth quarter saw Guelph navigate through the Thunder’s pressure defense to build a 20 point lead and secure the championship.  Guelph was led by the scoring of Jake Chaput who netted 19 and was later named game MVP.  Chris Poloniato capped off an impressive season by scoring 19 of his own.  Poloniato was recognized for his efforts throughout the season, earning ABS League MVP.  Also scoring for Guelph were,  Evan Hosker 11, Jasmer Brar 10, Mark Shinouda 3 and Simon Chamberlain 2.  Contributing on the defensive end were Marcus Penaloza-Abankwah and Andy Ly.

The league featured several other CWOSSA teams and talents.  The Cambridge Centaurs finished with an 8-3 mark, while the KW Vipers posted a 4-7 mark during the campaign in the 12-team league.

Here's a link to the league stats page; Chris Poloniato was the league's leading scorer with an 18.3 PPG clip, while a couple other CWOSSA players were also in the top 5 --- Zubair Seyed (St. Benedict, 16.2); Justin Hardy (SJAM, 14.4) & Alex Douglas (SBCSS, 13.7).

CWOSSA Alums: Burnatowski Works Out For Raptors

(Via @MBurnatowski Instagram)

Former SJAM Highlander Murphy Burnatowski was among those who participated in pre-draft workouts for the Toronto Raptors today, continuing the strong presence of Canadians involved in the process.

While the start to his pro career is likely overseas, it shows the strong strides Burnatowski has made since his grade nine year at SJAM --- a feature on him in the recent Ontario Cup Program mentioned that he went from "riding the bench on his OBA club team to the Canadian National Senior Men's team through hard work and determination."

Burnatowski averaged 14.2 PPG this past season at Colgate University (NCAA D1), while adding 4.2 RPG and 1.6 APG.  He's a solid shooter from the outside, connecting on 37.9% of his attempts.

He averaged 17+ PPG in the 2012-13 campaign, which was accented by two noticeable scoring efforts against quality opposition in non-conference play --- 24 points & 12 rebounds against Marquette, and 23 points against Illinois.

Burnatowski was also named as Colgate's 2013-14 Male Athlete of the Year.

Here's a look at his video highlights from his time as a Colgate Raider: