Will the biggest stumbling block to St. Mary's 4th consecutive CWOSSA championship & OFSAA berth be hiding in the backyard of their District 8 league?The answer to that question is what we'll find out today as the upstart St. Benedict Saints look to pull an upset as they head into the Eagles' Nest for an 8pm tip-off in the D8 senior final.
Season Series: 3-0 SMHS
For a team that doesn't see too many competitive games in league play, the Saints stuck with the Eagles for the majority of their league games. I say "majority of" as the Eagles turned a 1-point game (after three quarters) into an 85-55 blowout in their most recent affair.
The Eagles were victorious by 15 & 8 points in their other two meetings, but St. Benedict may be peaking at the right time, having performed very well in a recent tournament in London (wins over Sarnia St. Pat's and HB Beal) and were lights-out shooting-wise against Rez in their semifinal.
Projected Starters:
You may see a pattern for both teams here:
St. Mary's
Nathan Riley, F (5th Year)
Tesloth Simon, G (5th Year)
Tyrick Thompson, G (5th Year)
Jermaine Lyle, G (5th Year)
Jamari Stephenson, F (5th Year)
St. Benedict
Zubair Seyed, G (3rd Year)
Justin Malnerich, G (3rd Year)
Evan Rodenberg, C (3rd Year)
Lucas Cardoso, G (3rd Year)
Alex Douglas, F (3rd Year)
History Lesson
The Eagles are making their 10th consecutive D8 finals appearance, and have won the last three titles.
St. Benedict, meanwhile, is making their first finals appearance since they were upset in the 2003 finals by Resurrection (but rebounded to make St. Benedict's only OFSAA "AAAA" appearance by finishing second as a 6-seed at CWOSSA). Their last D8 title was 14 years ago, in 2001.
Preview
Although they're favoured, Tesloth Simon knows that his veteran St. Mary's club isn't going to have the championship plaque handed to them when they take on St. Benedict in today's D8 final.
"(I think) the biggest challenge for us is playing guys that feel like they are overlooked in District 8. In the past, championships have usually been between us and Resurrection --- now against St. Benedict, we're playing a young team who are playing to showcase themselves with nothing to lose," Simon noted.
Of course, Simon was quick to note that the stacked Eagles' roster, in itself, creates some advantages.
"Our depth is the biggest thing that separates us from other teams around this region because everyone has a role and knows their role," he said, "any given night, our rookies could come in and "hoop", which makes our jobs as starters that much easier."
Perhaps the most glaring example of that was when, with a couple of the usual scoring suspects struggling, Adham Eleeda came off the bench to knock in 18 points in the championship game of the Silver Fox tournament in Hamilton.
St. Mary's Head Coach Jason Hergott knows first-hand the challenges of the "single-elimination" D8 final, as his club struggled shooting the ball two years ago as heavy favourites against Resurrection and held them off in a 57-50 final.
"I'm hoping they realize its a one and done situation and talent won't always carry us through. Everyone wants to beat us, and I'm sure we won't get the benefit of calls so we just can't afford to play less than 32 minutes of quality ball," he said.
Making their 10th straight D8 finals appearance is certainly an impressive feat. Despite a plethora of talent in recent years, it has been players accepting their roles and a hunger for greater success that's been key to St. Mary's establishing themselves as a CWOSSA dynasty, Hergott noted.
"We've had a steady flow of Wolverine, Wildhawk and Viper boys attend the school. The players have been great at times understanding their roles and where they can contribute. Overall our success has come the hard way. We worked our way up. We've lost games that hurt, which in turn motivated us. We made noise at smaller tournaments, which allowed us to get invited to better tournaments. We've fought amongst ourselves and worked through the differences. In the end when 12-13 players are talented and committed to doing everything to win, whether you win or lose the game doesn't matter because the thought of losing never entered into their heads," he said.
For St. Benedict, they've been a team that has certainly turned some heads at the CWOSSA-level (and at various tournaments around the province) despite nearly all of their scoring production coming from grade elevens.
Their top gun is guard Zubair Seyed, who averaged over 21 PPG in District 8 play, and is coming off a 30-point performance against Resurrection in the semifinals.
Seyed mentioned that it has been hard work that's allowed him to have one of the most impressive rookie seasons in District 8 history. He's already received post-secondary interest from CIS schools Western & Queen's, alongside NCAA D1 school Central Michigan.
"I'm just always in the gym, it's basically my second home, but it also comes from the coaching. Coach Malnerich really helps me to excel and reach my full potential," he said.
Despite their youth, Seyed knows the Saints have to play their game against St. Mary's.
"We need to play every second of the final with maximum effort on the defensive and offensive end; we can't be scared of them and need to bring our "A" game," he said.
With Seyed accounting for nearly 40% of the Saints' scoring offense this season, Coach Hergott knows that slowing him down will be key for the Eagles.
"Zubair is their heartbeat. He facilitates their flow and their pulse. We've always respected what he's done and know what he is capable of," Hergott said.
The Game/Prediction
Although the Eagles certainly enter this game as favourites, the "one and done" District 8 championship final certainly makes things interesting. The Saints have nothing to lose in this one, and I expect them to play like it.
It will be interesting to see how things go "pace-wise" early on. The Saints are a very patient offensive club, and look to run their sets to completion. St. Mary's, meanwhile, is the definition of a "run and gun" team, who want to push the pace.
I think if this game stays in the 50s, the Saints certainly have a shot --- but as for my prediction, I think the 5th year veterans of St. Mary's realizing that this is their final high school game should they lose will provided the motivation they need to get the victory.
Prediction: St. Mary's 64, St. Benedict 53
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