Owen Sound Sun-Times: Bluewater's Hoops All-Stars Hit the Court at OSCVI

Article By:  Bill Walker

Brandon Delill's Peninsula Shores Phoenix senior boys basketball team was short of players who truly loved the sport this season.

So it was a treat for the 17-year-old Grade 11 student to find himself surrounded by 20 players with his passion for hoops at the annual Bluewater Athletic Association's annual senior boys all-star game on Monday at OSCVI.

“Our team only had a couple guys who really wanted to play and the rest were helping us (fill a roster) so they didn't don't where they were supposed to be on the court at times so it was great playing with five players who know where to be,” said Delill who led the North Division seniors with 12 points in its 62-46 win over its South counterparts.

“It was really fun playing with all those talented guys. Everyone from the South are great players just like the guys from the North.”

Grey Highlands' Dalton Guillemette had 11 points while Georgian Bay's Jared Ruest added 10 for the North.
“(Delill) was on fire,” said OSCVI coach LT Jacques who coached the North.

“You see that smooth jump shot that he's got. He's playing with other all stars and he just looks elite out there. He's a great player. It's pretty fun to get to coach a team full of all-star calibre players.”

John Diefenbaker' Brett Sloan led all scorers with 14 points while Saugeen District's Kodey Vance added 11 for the South.

“The North really had some good three-point shooters,” said Saugeen coach Kevin Darlington who coached the South.

“They really shot us down that way.

Grey Highlands' Micah Doerkson won the senior three-point shooting contest while St. Mary's Hugh Weichel won the junior title.

Saugeen's Duncan Wilkinson had 13 points to help the South avoid the sweep with a 42-33 win in junior play.

Georgian Bay's Sam Couchman led the North with eight points.

“The cool thing is being able to mix the players up who've played against each other all year and now have them work as a team,” said Darlington who also coached the South's juniors.

“They all know how to make use of space and help each other out even though they haven't played together before. I just rolled five guys in and five guys out and just made sure it was even.”

The all-star games are hosted by the Grey-Bruce Association of Basketball Officials.

http://www.owensoundsuntimes.com/2015/03/30/bluewaters-hoops-all-stars-hit-the-court-at-oscvi

WCSSAA Senior Girls: All-Star Game Details

The WCSSAA Senior Girls will play their all-star game at 6pm on Wednesday, as part of the "girls-boys" WCSSAA all-star doubleheader.

Previous details on the rosters were released after the girls' season last fall (found here).

Kaylee Anagnostopoulos (WCI) was named as the league's MVP, and will be receiving the league MVP award.  This season (and going forward), the award will be renamed in honour of former WCI star Julie Devenny.

Devenny, who was WCSSAA's league MVP (2000) as well as WCI's Athlete-Of-The-Year (2001) in addition to her exploits at the CIS level for the Waterloo Warriors (CIS Rookie of The Year, 2001), passed away from breast cancer in 2012 at the age of 30.

The renaming of the award is certainly a nice touch, and a great way to keep Devenny's contributions (in various facets -- not only on the basketball court) in mind.

WCSSAA Senior Boys: All-Stars Announced

This year's annual "WCSSAA All-Star Game" goes this Wednesday at WCI (8pm, following the girls' game at 6pm).  Admission is $5.

All-stars from BCI, EDSS, FHCI, GRCI, HHSS, SJAM and WCI will comprise the "home team" while members from all four Cambridge schools that participated in the Senior Boys' league (GCI, PHS, SSS, JHSS) along with ECI and CHCI will make up the visiting roster.

The Mike Moser Award (MVP) will be presented at halftime of the Senior Boys' game.

The all-stars are as follows:

First Team
Nik Farkic, Cameron Heights (5th Year - PG)
Nedim Hodzic, SJAM (4th Year - F)
TJ Lall, Galt (5th Year - G/F)
Simon Petrov, SJAM (3rd Year - PG)
Stefan Simic, KCI (4th Year - G)

Second Team
Justin Hardy, SJAM (3rd Year - G)
Miro Iliev, Grand River (4th Year - G)
Nick Johnny, WCI (5th Year - G)
Brett Parrott, SJAM (5th Year - F)
Sasha Simic, CHCI (4th Year - G)

Honourable Mentions (Alphabetical Order by Last Name)
Bilal Ahmed, Huron Heights
Rakesh Arjun, Forest Heights
David Bajic, Grand River 
David Ben-Lamotey, KCI
Ivan Cucak, Cameron Heights
Jordan Frey, Elmira 
Andrew Kamenz, Preston
Ousmane Kromah, Eastwood
Griffin Large, Bluevale
Etai Mizrahi, WCI
Moiz Masud, Southwood
Brandon Roth, Jacob Hespeler
Lazar Stevanovic, Galt
Cham Ujullu, Eastwood

D8 Junior: Lasovich Leads All-Star Selections

Unlike the Senior circuit, there isn't a "formal" MVP award given to the junior league's best player, but it was the consensus of league coaches that if such an award were to be given, St. David's Brent Lasovich would be at the forefront of the discussion.

In league and playoff action, Lasovich registered 18 or more points on eight separate occasions, saving his best effort for when it counted most in the D8 final when he registered 32.  In that contest, he displayed a most impressive mid-range game for a junior-aged player.

In addition to the ten 1st and 2nd team all-stars, two "honourable mention" selections will be joining them at the annual "D8 vs. D10" junior boys' all-star game on Tuesday in Guelph --- Bryan Avila (MDCSS) and Daniel Zeglen (SBCSS).

Interestingly, this marked the second consecutive year in the league's junior circuit where all all-stars and honourable mentions were awarded to grade 10 players.  

However, there was a first with this year's selections as it marked the first time that a player from Cambridge's PRDG cracked the first-team roster.  Scoring sensation Pat Martini (who hit for 36 and 38 points in back-to-back games at one point during the season) was honoured for his efforts in leading PRDG in league play; the Chevaliers would go on to their first-ever "A" CWOSSA title as well.

First Team D8 Junior All-Stars
Brent Lasovich, St. David (2nd Year/G)
Tyreak Farquharson, St. Mary's (2nd Year/G)
Jamu Iluya, Resurrection (2nd Year/G)
Jason Jaros, St. Mary's (2nd Year/F)
Pat Martini, PRDG (2nd Year/G)

Second Team D8 Junior All-Stars
Demar Holness, Resurrection (2nd Year/G)
Matt Kipfer, Rockway (2nd Year/F)
Kanayo Nnadi, St. Mary's (2nd Year/G)
Jake Polski, St. Benedict (2nd Year/F)
Matt Radocchia, St. David (2nd Year/F)

"M-V-P": Seyed Named D8 League's Most Valuable Player

Looks like the "M-V-P" chants that rained down on St. Benedict guard Zubair Seyed during a D8 semifinal game were a little bit of foreshadowing.

The explosive grade eleven Saint guard was announced as the league's MVP by league officials yesterday.  Voting was done by the league's coaches at their annual meeting on Monday.

It was a split decision, but Seyed was able to knock off two-time defending MVP Tesloth Simon (St. Mary's) in the voting.  You certainly couldn't argue the fact that Seyed was the "most valuable" to his team's fortunes in league play as he averaged 21 PPG in the District 8 league, accounting for close to 40% of the Saints' scoring offense.  If you include his assist totals, I'm sure it's safe to say that he was responsible (in one way or another) for more than half of the Saints' D8 buckets this season.

They say a 'picture is worth a thousand words', so here's a look at some of his highlights from this past season:


Seyed becomes the first St. Benedict player in about a decade to take home league MVP honours.  Ian Harriette, who led the Saints to their first OFSAA appearance, was co-league MVP (with Resurrection's Matt Walker) in 2003.

The complete list of 1st and 2nd team all-stars is found below.  The 10 players will be joined by two "honourable mention" selections, Tyrick Thompson (SMHS) and Alex Douglas (SBCSS) for their all-star game next Tuesday night in Guelph (8pm, U of G) against the D10 All-Stars:

1st Team D8 All-Stars
MVP - Zubair Seyed, St. Benedict (3rd Year/G)
Korbil Gany, Resurrection (3rd Year/G)
Jermaine Lyle, St. Mary's (5th Year/G)
Tesloth Simon, St. Mary's (5th Year/G)
Jamari Stephenson, St. Mary's (5th Year/F)

2nd Team D8 All-Stars
Mason Cummings, St. David (3rd Year/F)
Muyang Iluya, Resurrection (3rd Year/F)
Justin Malnerich, St. Benedict (3rd Year/G)
Nathan Riley, St. Mary's (5th Year/F)
Ryan Stafford, Monsignor Doyle (4th Year/F)

FIBA Rules, 35 Second Shot Clock Coming To Ontario High School Basketball?

Looks like there's a motion that's been put forth for discussion at the OFSAA level for "FIBA rules" and a 35-second shot clock to come to Ontario high school basketball, starting in September, 2016.

The motion, which obviously would still have to be approved, states that FIBA rules would be employed with the following exceptions:

1.  A 35-second shot clock will be used.  Full reset on foul shot attempts and shots off the rim.

2.  Fouls & offensive rebounds would result in a 35 second reset.

3.  Federation court lines will be used even when FIBA lines are available.

4.  Federation game length will be used (including overtime).

5.  No dunking in the warm-up will be permitted (technical foul assessed to player).

6.  Federation time-out procedures will be used.

St. John's Star Kendra Van Leeuwen Verbally Commits to NCAA D1 George Washington

Photo via Tri-County Basketball

Brantford St. John's & Tri-County Thunder star Kendra Van Leeuwen has verbally committed to George Washington University, an NCAA Division I school in Washington, DC.

Van Leeuwen, a 5'10" PG, is slated to attend the school starting in the 2016-17 academic year.

The Colonials, a member of the A-10 conference, had a very successful season this past year, being ranked #19 in the NCAA Top 25.  They finished their regular season with a 29-3 mark (A10 champs), and were the #6 seed in their region for the NCAA tournament.

Aside from her exploits at Brantford St. John's, where she has led them to city & CWOSSA championships as well as OFSAA medals, Van Leeuwen has been on the national stage including being a member of Canada's National team at last year's U-17 FIBA World Championships.

At that event, she averaged 8.7 PPG and 4.0 RPG, while also leading Canada in steals with 16 in 7 games.

Once she officially signs with GW, she will make it a clean sweep of members of the Van Leeuwen family to head stateside on an athletic scholarship.  Older sister Kelly just finished her senior season on the basketball team at Niagara University, while older brother Tyler (also at Niagara) just completed his sophomore season as a member of the Men's Cross Country squad.

What's Next? Classification Realignment + CWOSSA Tournament

RIP, AAAA classification (2002-15).

We're heading back to three (A, AA, AAA) classifications effective next year.  So, congrats to the Resurrection Junior Girls, Grand River Senior Girls, and SJAM Junior & Senior Boys who will go down as the final "AAAA" champs in CWOSSA history.

As we move forward to next year, I can't help but think of what "could" happen with regards to the re-alignment, and the CWOSSA tournament as a whole (actually, I'm kind of excited - hence the post).

With 60+ schools in the CWOSSA region, simple math would suggest that the three divisions would all have in the neighborhood of 20 teams.

Current CWOSSA policy dictates the following structure for CWOSSA tournaments:
Under 16 Schools = 4 Team Tourney
16-18 Schools = 6 Team Tourney
19+ Schools = 8 Team Tourney

You would figure that we're heading for an 8-team tournament, but seeing the annual excitement of NCAA conference tournaments makes me (greedy) for, say, 10 or 12 teams being invited to the dance.  Downside of this, of course, is additional logistical challenges (referee costs, gym availability, etc.).

Anyways, teams would (should) be seeded, and then it could look something like this:

Preliminary Round - Hosted at School Sites
(10) vs. (7)
(9) vs. (8)

(Winners Advance to Main Bracket)

Championship Round - QFs (Single Elimination)
(8/9) vs. (1)
(5) vs. (4)
(7/10) vs. (2)
(6) vs. (3)

I believe we saw the first-ever "OFSAA Style" 8-team bracket with this year's AA championship, where first-round winners played first-round losers in the second round.  With teams not being seeded, but "placed" into the bracket, this was a necessity to protect the integrity of the tournament (i.e. if two potential finalists were placed against each other in the opening round).

While this is a possibility, I would like to go back to the ranking system and a "single-elimination" tournament --- you could even give, say, the top seeds byes through to the semifinal round, as certain conferences do in their tournament.

Anyways, there's a couple things I'm asking for hoping that we'll see with these changes:

1.  More Teams at CWOSSA
As mentioned above, shouldn't be an issue given CWOSSA's current regulations.  We should be getting at least 8 teams, though I wouldn't mind seeing more, of course.

2.  Seeded CWOSSA Tournaments
Yes, I realize the additional time and energy spent by organizing committees on this.  I'll gladly volunteer, as I'm sure some other media/coaches/volunteers would as well.

In today's day and age of social media, we could even have some sort of "unveiling" of the bracket.

3.  Fair Representation
By this, I mean that the CWOSSA tournament should give flexibility for Wild Card entries so that the best teams can be represented at CWOSSA.

What if SJAM had lost their semifinal game to Grand River (I believe it was a 3-point game with under :30 to play)?  Allowing wild-cards would solve an issue of one of CWOSSA's top teams being eliminated in the league playdowns.

Also, it would allow flexibility depending upon league strength.  Over the past two decades, we've seen the following scenarios:

1.  My (WCSSAA) junior team that I played on went 13-0 in league and won the playoff championship.  We were the #5 seed in the 8-team CWOSSA tournament (a testament to the strength of Guelph & Brantford during that time).

2.  Last year, the D8 junior league had 3 of the top 4 teams overall in CWOSSA.  Of course, only one team (SMHS) advanced out of the league.

3.  WCSSAA, of course, has had their years of strength, too.  I believe in 2005, WCSSAA teams (4 in the 8 team AAAA tournament) were ranked #1 through #4 at the event!

Such is the cyclical nature of high school hoops, and here in the CWOSSA region in particular.

Anyways, it'll certainly be interesting, and something to keep an eye on over the next few months!

What are your thoughts?  Feel free to tweet me (@CWOSSABball) or shoot me an e-mail.

TheRecord: Wrights Make It Official - Next Stop, Vermont

Article By:  Mark Bryson

CAMBRIDGE — Basketball standouts Candice and Courtney Wright never once considered going their separate ways. 

"No, never," said Courtney. "It never even crossed our minds." 

"Family is important to us," added Candice, "and we wanted to stay together." 

And now it's official — stay together, they will. 

The Cambridge twins committed their future to the University of Vermont on Thursday night at Waterloo Collegiate Institute, signing national letters of intent to play NCAA Division 1 basketball for the Catamounts.

The 17-year-old sisters, who verbally committed to Vermont in October of 2013, will begin classes in late June on scholarships for the 2015-2016 academic year. 

"I'm really excited. It's something you always dream about as a basketball player and it's good to finally make this a reality," said Courtney. 

"I'm really excited to start something new," added Candice. "It's been a bit stressful, but I think it will be good once we get there." 

The Wrights play their club basketball with the Tri-County Thunder and have been basketball, volleyball and track and field standouts during their four years at Jacob Hespeler Secondary School. 

Courtney even has an OFSAA gold medal to her credit, finishing first in the triple jump at the 2013 all-Ontario championship in Oshawa. 

"That's something I'll never forget," said Courtney. 

Nor will she ever forget the serious injury she suffered last February. 

Courtney tore the anterior cruciate ligament in her left knee while playing for the Thunder and underwent surgery in April. 

She returned to play volleyball and basketball in December. 

"It was frustrating, but I learned a lot. I value the game more now because I know it can be taken away from you just like that," she said. 

The twins also made visits to Toledo (Ohio) and Niagara (N.Y.) before deciding on Vermont. 

Canadian schools were considered as well. The twins paid a visit to Memorial University in Newfoundland, where their older sister, Brooklynn, plays for the Sea-Hawks. 

"That wasn't really an option, though," said Candice. "It's too far." 

The twins bring different skills to the hardwood. 

Candice is a cerebral, six-foot-two forward who drives to the basket well and possesses a good shot from outside. 

Courtney is a passionate six-foot guard/forward who uses her athleticism and speed to her advantage. She's a strong rebounder and fiery competitor. 

They have played on the same team for the past 10 years, starting in Cambridge and moving to the KW Lightning four years ago. They are now in their second season with Tricounty Thunder. 

They are now looking forward to creating new memories in Vermont, as classmates, teammates and roommates. 

"It would have been weird to be apart," said Candice, the older of the two by 10 minutes. "We've been together our whole lives and have played together since Grade 2, so it's natural." 

The Wrights are joining a team that has nowhere to go but up. The Catamounts posted a 5-24 overall record this season, including a 2-14 mark in the America East Conference. 

Waterloo Region, of course, has a history of sending strong players to Vermont. 

Waterloo-Oxford alum Aaron Yantzi enjoyed four outstanding seasons with the Catamounts and last year was inducted into the university's athletic hall of fame. 

Waterloo Collegiate's May Kotsopoulos was also a standout with the Catamounts. She went on to play professionally in Greece. 

Retrieved From:  http://www.therecord.com/sports-story/5474979-wrights-make-it-official-next-stop-vermont/

Tri-County Thunder: NCAA Scholarship Announcement (and more!) on Thursday at WCI

Tomorrow evening (Thursday, March 12th, 7:30pm) at the WCI main gym, local girls' hoop stars will again be in the spotlight with an NCAA "signing day" event and the announcement of local high school stars that have made the Ontario Provincial Team, as well as those that have received national team invites.

First off, twins Courtney & Candice Wright will officially sign their NCAA D-1 scholarship offers from the University of Vermont; they'll be attending the America East institution starting this fall.

As we've mentioned here before, Vermont has certainly been a pipeline for Canadian talent, including local female talent Aaron Yantzi (WODSS) and May Kotsopoulos (WCI), who both had excellent Catamount careers.

As if that announcement wasn't enough, there's a couple of other exciting pieces of news to share after that.

Next on the table will be an announcement of four local girls that have been named to Team Ontario for basketball, which will then be followed by the announcement of three local players who are getting invites for the Team Canada Cadette and Junior National Teams (ranked in the top 20 players in Canada).

Lastly, the Tri-County AAU roster will be unveiled; the team will be traveling to several tournaments south of the border this summer to play in front of hundreds of college coaches and scouts.

Tri-County's Grade 9 & 10 girls' team is ranked 2nd in the province (JUEL league) and their grade 11 & 12 girls are ranked 1st.  One of their grade 11 players, Kendra Van Leeuwen, who is among the top Canadian girls in her class and a member of Canada's junior national team, will also be in attendance tomorrow.

For more information, including their current rosters, news, and philanthropic efforts, you can check out the Thunder's website at TCBasketball.com.

Local basketball fans are encouraged to attend and support our area talent.  There is no admission cost for this event.

A-AAA OFSAA: Day Two

AAA
The St. James Lions (#10) dropped a close second-round game to St. Patrick of Ottawa (#7), 59-52.  The Lions again led after three quarters in that one, but it slipped away down the stretch.

Scoring details were not immediately available.

They rebounded nicely in their consolation QF against #15 OD/Park, 58-38, backed by 15 from Mitch Marquis.

AA
Bishop Macdonell was eliminated in the quarterfinals by the top seed, St. Francis (St. Catharines).  The Celts advanced to the QFs with a morning win over #8 Sydenham, 72-62.  Jake Chaput (21), Lukas Wood (16) and Chris Poloniato (15) were all in double-figures for the Celts there.

#1 St. Francis led by 10 at halftime, and pulled away in the second half from Bishop Mac en route to a 66-41 win in the evening quarterfinal.

A
#14-seed Georgian Bay dropped their second-round game, 59-33, to #3 ES Algonquin, before being eliminated in the consolation quarterfinals by #11 St. Lawrence, 66-40.

OFSAA Day 2 (AAAA): CWOSSA Teams Eliminated From Medal Contention

It wasn't all bad news on Tuesday, but all five CWOSSA teams were eliminated from medal contention at OFSAA tournaments around the province.

We'll start at the AAAA level, where the #8 seed SJAM Highlanders put in a nice OFSAA run before the team that many project will win the gold medal, #1 St. Mike's.

The 'Landers knocked off #10 Vaughan in the morning session, 55-53, on the strength of a Nedim Hodzic two-pointer with under 5 seconds to go.

Hodzic had a beastly 25 point, 10 rebound performance against Vaughan, while Simon Petrov added in 16 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists.

This moved SJAM to the "elite 8" where they hung early with St. Mike's --- actually holding a lead for much of the first quarter, and trailing by 12 at half --- before the Blue Raiders pulled away in the final sixteen minutes for a 69-43 win.

Three SJAM players hit for double-digits against SMC, led by Hodzic's usual double-double (14+11).  Justin Hardy added 10, and Simon Petrov just missed a double-double himself with 10 points and 9 rebounds.

Good luck to graduating 5th year senior Brett Parrott at Nipissing (CIS) next season!  

Nedim Hodzic is yet to decide on his future plans for next season, but we'll certainly keep you posted.

After a 15-point loss to Vaughan (which was 20 inside the final minute), St. Mary's struggles continued on day two at the AAAA championship.

Playing #7 D'Youville, the Panthers jumped on St. Mary's early, going up 25-9 after one and leading by 20+ (42-20) at halftime before cruising to a 67-39 win.

The 0-2 start for the Eagles moved them to the consolation draw, where they were upset by #15 HB Beal, a team that had losses to several CWOSSA teams on their resume this season, including St. Benedict, Cameron Heights and Assumption.

Needless to say, the Eagles' departure from the championship bracket was surely a let-down that played a role, as some injuries may have, as well.  Tesloth Simon (battling a heal injury) and Nathan Riley didn't play in the consolation game (per the posted scoresheet), while Coach Hergott started five 3rd/4th year players (Abara, Eleeda, Nguyen, Thijien Simon & Niel) in that one.

The Eagles finish the season losing 5 of their final 7 games, and I'm sure they have a sour taste in their mouths given the expectations that they had for this season.

That said, SMHS certainly has a lot to be proud of with 5th year starters Tesloth Simon, Jamari Stephenson, Jermaine Lyle, Tyrick Thompson and Nathan Riley all having done their part to elevate the profile of CWOSSA-area basketball over their careers, which included a massive D8 winning streak, 3x consecutive CWOSSA titles, two Heinbuch finals, and this year's Silver Fox championship.  Thanks to those guys for the memories!

Mixed Bag of Results for CWOSSA Teams on Day 1 @ OFSAA

CWOSSA teams went 2-3 on the opening day of OFSAA tournaments around the province.

At the "A" tournament in Pain Court, Ontario, #14 Georgian Bay hung with #8 North Middlesex for the first half, trailing 24-20 at recess before NMDHS pulled away in the second sixteen minutes to a 48-32 victory.  Tristian Hill led the Vikings with 8 points.

GBSS will play #3 ES Alonquin in their second-round game (9am today).

Bishop Macdonell was a winner in their first game at "AA" OFSAA, 60-45 over the #10 seed, Windsor Assumption.  This advances the Celtics to a game against #8 Sydenham later today.

It was heartbreak city for the St. James Lions (#10 seed) who led #4 Emery by 4 points with about a minute to go but fell by a 46-44 final.  Joey Hasson led the way for St. James with 18 points; the Lions will take on #7 St. Patrick (Ottawa) in today's second round.

At "AAAA" in Windsor, #8 SJAM received three 19+ scoring efforts from Nedim Hodzic (22), Brett Parrott (20) and Simon Petrov (19) in a 66-48 win over #14 St. Anne (Tecumseh).

This could have set up an all-CWOSSA second round match-up, but the St. Mary's Eagles didn't oblige, falling to Vaughan by a 64-49 score, despite a strong performance by Tesloth Simon (20 points including 15 in the first half).

SJAM is currently underway against Vaughan in second-round action, while St. Mary's will take on D'Youville.

OFSAA Tips Off Today!

5 CWOSSA teams are in action today at sites around the province.  First games for each team are:

A:  #14 Georgian Bay - Noon vs. #8 North Middlesex

AA:  #9 Bishop Macdonell - 10am vs. #10 Windsor Assumption

AAA:  #10 St. James - 10am vs. #4 Toronto Emery

AAAA:  #8 SJAM - 2:45pm vs. #14 St. Anne

AAAA:  #9 St. Mary's - 4:15pm vs. #10 Vaughan

Predictions
Note:  These predictions are for "elimination" rounds only, and do not include possible consolation bracket games.

"A" is arguably the most difficult division to seed, based upon the wide variety of teams (geographically and otherwise) that make up the field.

For Georgian Bay, they're certainly in tough against #8 North Middlesex, who are playing their best basketball of the season entering the OFSAA tournament.  NMDHS, who play in the London and area TVRAA league, lost back-to-back games to Westminster (London) early in February but rebounded recently to crush Westminster 45-14 in the OFSAA play-in game.

Georgian Bay Prediction:  0-2, Consolation Round.

Bishop Macdonell, meanwhile, gets a #9 seed at "AA" OFSAA and plays #10 Windsor Assumption in their opening game.  Assumption was the "Tier 2" winner in WECSAA (Windsor), defeating Essex in the final by 10 points.  Essex played at the Resurrection Invitational in December, where they lost to CWDHS (by 6) in a semifinal and to Resurrection (by 20+) in the 3rd place game.  

A win would advance Bishop Macdonell to play the winner of #8 Sydnenham vs. #14 St. Ignatius; Sydenham's CWOSSA comparison is a 10-point tournament loss to St. Benedict earlier this year.

Things would get much tougher after that, with #1 St. Francis (St. Catharines) on that side of the bracket.

Bishop Macdonell Prediction:  2-1, Eliminated in QFs.

St. James is the #10 seed at "AAA", despite returning a large number of their players from last year's squad, which was a #8 seed at the event.

As a result, they get #4 Toronto Emery in their first game, which will be a tough game for the Lions but you never know what can happen in a one-game scenario.  I actually like St. James to take a win in their second-round game against either #7 St. Patrick's (Ottawa) or #13 Clarington Central, advancing to the semifinals.

St. James Prediction:  1-1 (L then W), Eliminated in QFs.

Over at "AAAA", SJAM enters as the team to last medal at the event for CWOSSA, way back in 2007 as a #13 seed.

This year's version of the 'Landers enters at the #8 seed, which is both good and bad at the same time.  It's good in that you play a lower-ranked team (#14 St. Anne's) in the first round, but bad in that, down the road, your potential quarterfinal game would be against #1 St. Mike's.

Of course, you can't look that far ahead as anything can happen.  Just ask the 2007 SJAM squad, who were the beneficiaries of some crazy upsets that allowed them to advance to the "final four".

SJAM is playing very well right now, and I think they'll get through to the QFs if they play like we've been seeing them.  They get #14 St. Anne's (Windsor) in the opening round --- win that, and then #9 St. Mary's (possible CWOSSA rematch) or #10 Vaughan.

SJAM Prediction:  2-1, Eliminated in QFs.

Do you want to play the Eagles right now, or not?  The Eagles have the talent to play with virtually anyone in the province (reference - Silver Fox Title), but are limping in to the OFSAA after dropping 2 games in the CWOSSA tournament.

That said, this group of 5th year players is hungry for one last "kick at the can" and you can be sure that they won't go quietly.  I see them winning at least a game, if not two.

Opening games against #10 Vaughan, then (likely) #7 D'Youville or #8 SJAM, though, provide for a tough opening path.

St. Mary's Prediction:  1-1, Eliminated Rd 2.

"AAAA" OFSAA: CWOSSA Teams Make History

CWOSSA's two representatives at "AAAA" OFSAA made some history on Wednesday evening, with both Waterloo SJAM and Kitchener St. Mary's receiving single-digit seeds for next week's championships.

SJAM will be the #8 seed, and Kitchener St. Mary's the #9.  

It marks the first time that both CWOSSA representatives have been single-digit seeds, and it's one of the deeper OFSAA fields in recent memory.  Here's the seeding breakdown:

#1 - St. Mike's (Toronto)
#2 - Campion (Brampton)
#3 - Father Henry Carr (Toronto)
#4 - Oakwood (Toronto)
#5 - Pine Ridge (Pickering)
#6 - Eastern Commerce (Toronto)
#7 - D'Youville (Brampton)
#8 - SJAM (Waterloo)
#9 - St. Mary's (Kitchener) 
#10 - Vaughan SS
#11 - MacNab (Hamilton)
#12 - Bishop Reding (Milton)
#13 - St. John Paul II (Toronto)
#14 - St. Anne (Windsor/Tecumseh)
#15 - HB Beal (London)
#16 - Holy Names (Windsor)
#17 - Innisdale (Barrie)
#18 - Glebe CI (Ottawa)

#8 SJAM will take on #14 St. Anne in the first round, while #9 St. Mary's will face #10 Vaughan.  Should both CWOSSA teams win their first-round game, they could actually meet up in the second round.

While Vaughan did not play any CWOSSA teams (that I'm aware of) this season, St. Anne is no stranger to CWOSSA opposition, having played several area teams this season in tournament play.  They feature 6'7" swing forward Anthony Zrvnar, who can put up points in a hurry (he had 37 in one of St. Anne's games at the St. Benedict tournament).

It's a "good and bad" match-up for SJAM, as I feel they match-up well with St. Anne's from a personnel perspective.  That said, the Saints are in their own backyard and should have some solid "home-town support".

St. Anne vs. CWOSSA 2014-15
W 64-59 (OT) vs. Resurrection - Freed's Invitational
L 48-56 vs. Waterloo CI - SBCSS Invitational
W 67-48 vs. Huron Heights - SBCSS Invitational
L 69-70 vs. Grand River - SBCSS Invitational

Tuesday Tidbits: CWOSSA Edition

Well, an exciting week of CWOSSA (and league - D8 & WCSSAA) championships wrapped up yesterday, with a lot of excitement along the way.  Some of my thoughts... 

Second Place?  No Problem
For the first time that I can recall in a 6-team CWOSSA event, both second place teams (during the pool portion of play) advanced through to the CWOSSA finals in the AAA junior event.  Of course, both St. John's and Bluevale were no slouches, having spent the majority of the season ranked among my "top 5" junior teams.  Still, certainly an interesting note to make.

Full Circle
Bluevale coach Doros Theodosiou was a member of the last Bluevale junior team to taste CWOSSA victory (1989), and yesterday, he was on the sidelines as the Knights made an appearance in the CWOSSA final.  It was actually BCI's first final as a junior squad since that '89 title run as well.

Their senior program has had a bit more success, having won "AAAA" CWOSSA back in 2010. 

Highlander Hoopla Again Proves Its Worth
I've mentioned previously how SJAM's Junior Tournament (16-team event in December) always seems to be a precursor to later success in the season.

This year, again, was no different, with the winner of that tournament (SJAM) taking the AAAA CWOSSA title.

Meanwhile, all four semifinalists at the tournament made at least the CWOSSA AAA/AAAA semifinals:  St. John's (AAA Gold); Bluevale (AAA Silver); St. David (AAA Semifinalist); and, of course SJAM.

Anthem - Nice Touch
Nice to see the national anthem being played before many of the championship finals --- including the D8, WCSSAA, and AAAA CWOSSA title games.  That said, a couple of the gyms (Cameron & St. Mary's) had those in the stands looking around for a flag to face.  Perhaps a temporary "loaner" could be brought in for those situations.

Packed Gyms & Spirit on Display
For the D8, WCSSAA and even the CWOSSA finals -- games were played in front of packed gyms.  The latter was the most impressive, with two K-W schools playing in the AAAA finals in Brantford.  

Certainly goes to show the commitment of the SJAM/SMHS parents & fans, as well as the basketball culture in Brantford as many locals came out to support the tournament.

Meanwhile, props to Eastwood CI who had their cheerleading team out at the WCSSAA Junior finals.  It added to the atmosphere and was nice to see the support.

Hodzic Dominant 
4th year SJAM forward Nedim Hodzic was my unofficial "CWOSSA MVP" with his ridiculous stat line of 23 PPG and 14 RPG during the AAAA CWOSSA tournament --- against 3 teams that have generally been ranked in CWOSSA's top five all season (Assumption, Cameron Heights, St. Mary's).

I mentioned on Twitter how one observer said that he could probably start right now for some CIS programs.  I'd agree with that statement.  

He's applied to several post-secondary programs for next year, but has not yet ruled out a 5th year at SJAM.

Lall Channels "Ian Harriette" in Loss
I'd be remiss not to mention one of the better scorers in recent CWOSSA history, TJ Lall, as his high school career ended last night with Galt's loss to St. James.

Lall put up 40+ points on numerous occasions, and even hit the 50-mark during tournament play this year.  

After Record reporter Mark Bryson noted that Lall scored 18 consecutive Galt points during yesterday's game, including a three-ball 10 feet off the line, I made the comment yesterday that he was trying his best to "Ian Harriette" the Ghosts to OFSAA.

In 2003, Harriette put on a couple of ridiculous scoring performances in helping the St. Benedict Saints to the CWOSSA AAAA final (and OFSAA berth) as a #6 seed (upsetting the #3 and #2 seeds, respectively).

Seeding Questions
With the qualifiers (mostly) known, it will certainly be interesting to see where CWOSSA teams end up.  

At the AAA level, the St. James Lions were an 8-seed last year, and could certainly see that improve this time around.

The AAAA field is one of the deeper fields in recent memory, and it will certainly be interesting to see where SJAM & St. Mary's end up.  SJAM has a few more losses than the Eagles, but, by the same token, a couple of them were without Brett Parrott in the lineup.  I'd find it hard to make the case for a Silver Fox Champion (St. Mary's) to be seeded in the double-digit range -- although they were probably looking at a 6-8 seed in the 18-team tournament before the weekend started, so it's not unfathomable.

Stay tuned on that, as I'll try and break down my thoughts in a separate post.