D10 Thursday: Royals, Gaels Continue Winning Senior Ways

On the senior side of D10 action yesterday afternoon, both the JF Ross Royals and Guelph CVI Gaels completed a successful opening week of league play, earning their second consecutive victory in as many chances.

Ross handled Orangeville in their game, 45-14.  Scoring details were not immediately available.

GCVI, meanwhile, took care of Centre Wellington, 49-9.  Abbey MacIntyre and Cassie Reynolds both had 11-point efforts for the Gaels, while Grace Rooney had 8 for the Falcons.

The other game was a thrilling, competitive affair, with the Centennial Spartans outlasting the Lourdes Crusaders by a 43-39 count.  Lauren Zonneveld (14) and Carter Godman (13) led the Spartan charge, while Rainey Psenicka poured in 24 to lead OLOL and all scorers.

On the junior side, Bishop Mac rolled to their second consecutive big win, this time 61-14 over St. James.  Vanessa Tassone (12), Grace Drewry (12) and Rachel Guanzon (10) were all in double-digits for the Celtics in that one.

Orangeville evened their record at 1-1 on the season with a 41-23 win at JF Ross.  

Also on Thursday, Lourdes dropped Centennial, 38-22, with Jada Codrington (13) and Jessica Mathieu (9) leading the charge.  Sabrina Smith had a game-high 15 for CCVI.

Lastly, CWDHS got a road win at GCVI, 31-28.  Jailyn Lochert (11) and Abigail Taylor (10) were the high Falcon scorers; Mandeep Jawanda led GCVI with 7.

WCSSAA Senior Thursday: Farkic Tallies Up 34 in Win

As a point guard, Nina Farkic is known for her exceptional court vision and distribution skills.  As Thursday proved though, she can also provide scoring punch -- and a lot of it -- when her team is in need.

Farkic knocked home 34 of Cameron Heights' 43 points on Thursday as the Gaels picked up an opening day win, 43-24 over the visiting Elmira Lancers.  Karley Sider was tops for Elmira with 7, while Cobi Morris had 6 more for Elmira.

In other action on Thursday:

Starting off their season down a couple of key components, the Grand River Renegades were able to begin their quest for back-to-back WCSSAA titles with a 51-37 win over Galt.  Nyamuoch Teny had 19 for the Rens, while Nancy Michael and Tara DeBoer had 10 each.  Erin Wilson had 10 for the Ghosts.

Huron Heights was a 30-16 winner over Forest Heights, with Brielle Guttensohn leading that way for Huron with 14.  Jamila Beckford added 5 for the Huskies, while Sona Khalifeh and Tyrah Wilson had 7 each for the Trojans.

Bluevale beat Eastwood 51-5, with Maddy Weber (12) and Kaela Knowles (10) in double figures for the Knights.

SJAM was firing on all offensive (and defensive) cylinders in a 68-20 win on the road at Glenview.  Milica Koprivica poured home 21 for the 'Landers, with Griffin Lack-Shane adding 15.  Darcy Simmons led the Panthers with 7.

KCI was a 35-22 winner at Preston, with Alia Hazineh scoring 15 for the Raiders.  Brooke Davidson had 7 to lead the Panthers.

Finally, Jacob Hespeler started their season with a 44-28 win over WODSS.  Kendra Dennis (9) and Charlotte Clifford (8) were the top Hespeler scorers, while Crusader star Emily Glendinning poured in 26 of her team's 28.

WCSSAA Junior Thursday: Visiting Teams Pull Sweep

Not sure when the last time it ever happened -- or even if it has -- but the visiting teams in yesterday's WCSSAA Junior league went a perfect 8-for-8 as far as victories were concerned.

Considering the most recent entry into the WCSSAA league, Huron Heights, was founded in 2006, I'm guessing that the 8 wins by road teams is a record (keep in mind, there were numerous years in the past decade where certain schools didn't field a junior team -- meaning most game dates would see 7 games at maximum).

That's not to say that they all came easily, as there were two games decided by four points or less, and another one within single digits as well.

To recap the scores:

Huron Heights received 13 points from Michelle M'Carthy en route to a 31-18 victory over Forest Heights.  Juzaine Miller added 6 for the Huskies, while Leah Stewart notched 9 for the Trojans.

Bluevale was a 31-14 winner at Eastwood, with Avery Webster netting 18 for the Knights.  Hannah Bradshaw was a double-digit scorer for the Rebels, putting home 11.

Last year's defending champions, SJAM, toppled Glenview Park 40-13.  Clair Strong (9) and Olivia Moreau (8) paced the balanced 'Lander attack, while Yang Oyual had 8 for the Panthers.

Speaking of Panthers, the other Panther team, Preston, was defeated by the KCI Raiders in a 45-16 final.  Natalie Armitage's 11 and Mikaela White's 8 led the KCI scoresheet, while Sam Louks, Emma Naylor and Breanna Kelland had 4 each for Preston.

Natalie Mayer of Elmira had the top scoring output on day one of the WCSSAA league, pouring in 21 points in a 42-33 win over Cameron.  Zoe Hoyte had 14 to lead the Gaels.

Galt edged Grand River on the road, 36-32, with Azaligh Colquooun (13) and Charlie Ridge (12) doing much of the Ghosts' damage.  Kya Koucet had 10 points to lead Grand River.

WODSS, last year's runners-up in the WCSSAA league, started their season with a win at Jacob Hespeler, 48-23.  Mackeely Shantz (11) and Madeline Woolvett (8) topped the 'Saders, while Sonja Matthews had 12 for Hespeler.

Finally on Thursday, Southwood's juniors picked up a big road win at WCI, knocking off the host Vikings 34-31.  Abby White had 9 and Maddie Bannon 8 for the Sabres; Adri Kellerman had a solid effort in defeat for WCI, pouring in 20.

D8 Wednesday: Defending Champs Both Post Wins

The two teams that lifted the D8 championship plaques in 2014 picked up where they left off on Wednesday afternoon, both posting opening day wins.

On the senior side, despite a couple of departures from last year's squad, including Kayla Leusink, the St. Benedict Saints' returnees were able to handle the St. Mary's Eagles at home by a 34-25 final.

Returning D8 first-team all-star Afifa Salaad led the way for the Saints with an 18-point effort, while Laura Ivits was also in double figures with 10.  Summer Pahl topped the Eagle scoring with 13, while Brittany Gulic added 6.

Last year's junior champions, Resurrection, look like they will be a force to contend with again this year despite the departure of the majority of their scoring from a season ago to the senior ranks.

The Phoenix started the game on a 20-0 run against St. Benedict en route to a 42-20 win.  Grade nine PG Sydney Guker-Wickie looked very comfortable running the Rez offense and led their balanced attack with 9 points.  Buse Bin-Edward also had 9 for Rez, while Quinn Russell had 8 and Delina Romano 7.  Trinity Lombardi (11) and Lysa Lowe (4) were the top Saints.

Resurrection, St. David and Monsignor Doyle were the other Senior Girls' winners on Wednesday.

Rez rookie PG Krissia Vasquez netted 14 points to lead the Phoenix to a 59-17 at PRDG.

Megan Goar poured in 25 points to lead St. David to a 47-29 win over Woodland, who received 19 points from Brooke Mulder.

Yassy Smith netted 14 for Monsignor Doyle in a 30-19 road win at Rockway.  Alex Johnson topped the Flames scoresheet with 8.

On the junior side, Sunday Okot led the St. Mary's Eagles with 12 in a 40-16 win at Rockway, while St. David was able to get past Woodland 22-12.  Naomi Cruz (SDCSS) and Sydney VanderHoef (WCHS) had 6 each for their respective clubs.

Brantford Expositor: So Far, So Great For Green Eagles

Article By:  Brian Smiley

The St. John's College Green Eagles senior girls basketball team hasn't skipped a beat to start the 2015 season.

After winning silver last year at the Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations AAA championship, St. John's has started its most recent campaign by winning two straight tournaments.

"It's been a great start especially being a late start to the school year," said head coach Matt Lynch, whose team joins the rest of the senior and junior teams from Brant County in starting the regular season on Thursday.

He noted that his team had only three practices to prepare for the Purple and White Tournament two weekends ago. "Everybody was in the same boat but it was a nice surprise to see the girls play as hard as they did and get the result they did."

When it comes to success, the Green Eagles have enjoyed their fair share for almost a decade.

Last season was the eighth straight year Lynch and co-coaches Steve Van Leeuwen and Gina Tarantello have taken a senior girls team to OFSAA. Over that time, St. John's has brought home five medals, including one gold, three silvers and an antique bronze (fourth).

The team lost a pair of key players from last season in Megan Thompson and Jen Garner. But when the Eagles got together to start this season, the coaches were happy with the players on the court.

"We were excited with what we saw in practice," Lynch said.

"It's always difficult those first few practices. We all know our plays. So, scrimmaging against each other, you don't really see what is actually there.

"So when we got out there and played against teams we hadn't seen before it was great to see some of the things we've been working on in practice play out in a game."

At the Purple and White Tournament, St. John's went through the field, winning gold by defeating Barrie Innisdale in the final. The Innisdale team featured three players over six feet and a guard who played on the national cadet team two years ago.

Without much height, the Eagles showed they could play against a taller team and be successful.

"We're pretty much all the same size," Lynch said of the players on his roster. "Our guards are probably some of our tallest players.

"The size matchups may present some difficulties but the fact that we have so many good guards present difficulties for some teams, too. We find other ways."

St. John's, who also won the Brantford Tip-Off Tournament last weekend, has a roster that consists of seven returnees, two junior graduates and a former junior player who returns to the court after taking a year off.

The Green Eagles will rely heavily on guard Kendra Van Leeuwen, who has made a verbal commitment to attend George Washington University in the U.S. on an NCAA Division I scholarship. She is one of the best female basketball players to come out of Brant County.

"Kendra is a player who makes everyone around her better," said Lynch. "She might not be on the list of the leading scorers in some of the games we've played so far but she's definitely a part of almost every single play. It's both ends of the floor.

"She leads by example. She draws so much attention from the other team that she opens things up for her teammates.

"She always makes the right decision, the right play and plays so hard."

Lynch will also have some terrific experience from fifth-year players Leah Coon and Erin Dubois as well as Van Leeuwen and Maddi Cohoon.

"Kendra and Maddi are our captains," said Lynch. "They provide awesome leadership on and off the floor."

The team also has a pair of Grade 10 students in Alaina McMillan and Kaitlyn Overeem. McMillan played on the team last season while Overeem was a junior.

Both will be huge contributors.

"It's hard to believe that they're in Grade 10," Lynch said. "It's a jump to go from junior basketball to senior basketball and they seem to have made that transition pretty seamlessly.

"They seem to be fitting in to everything that we're doing and buying in to the things we want to do."

Other members of the team are Alex Girardi, Ashley Derks, Cassidy Lacey and Emily Dignan.

With the elimination of 'AAAA' this season, St. John's will be competing against four good teams in Assumption College, Brantford Collegiate Institute and North Park Collegiate for one of two berths to the Central Western Ontario Secondary Schools Association 'AAA' championship.

"I think they have potential to (make it)," Lynch said of his team, which will concentrate on team defence this season.

"OFSAA, CWOSSA, BCSSAA are always in the conversation but the real goals are to get better as a team, to get better individually, to come together as a group and take care of what we need to every single night whether it's a practice or a game.

"(If we) take care of the small-term goals they lead to bigger things."

Paris District High School and Pauline Johnson Collegiate are Brant County's 'AA' schools.

Retrieved From:  http://www.brantfordexpositor.ca/2015/09/23/high-school-girls-basketball-so-far-so-great-for-eagles

Thursday: WCSSAA & D10 Picks

Continuing on with my tradition of picking Senior Boys & Girls' games in the above leagues, here are my picks for today (home teams are bolded):

WCSSAA

SJAM over GPSS

JHSS over WODSS

KCI over PHS

HHSS over FHCI

CHCI over EDSS

BCI over ECI

GRCI over GCI

D10

JFR (1-0) over ODSS (0-0)

OLOL (1-0) over CCVI (0-1)

GCVI (1-0) over CWDHS (0-1)

D10 Tuesday Recap: Senior Royals Take Important Opener

In a Senior Girls' battle between two teams expected to be among the "upper echelon" in the D10 standings, the JF Ross Royals went on the road and picked up an important win, 43-33 over the Bishop Macdonell Celtics.

Ali Darling poured in 20 points for Ross in the win, while Rachael DiGravio was tops for the Celtics with 12.

There were two other games on Tuesday on the Senior side (as mentioned yesterday, St. James will not be fielding a team this season, so Orangeville had a bye on the opening day).

Guelph CVI got past Centennial 37-29 at home, backed by 13 points each from Sydney Wilson and Emina Bektic.  Carter Godman and Lauren Zonneveld accounted for almost all of the Centennial scoring, notching 13 points each themselves.

Lourdes posted a big 66-25 win over CWDHS in their opener, with Rainey Psenicka netting 16 and Hannah McIntosh adding 15.  Grace Rooney had 12 for the Falcons.

Junior
There were three reported scores from yesterday's games to discuss at the time of posting, with the closest one being a 1-point thriller between St. James and Orangeville (the Lions took it, 30-29).  Lauralee Mackeigan had 10 for the Lions, while Hannah Bellai put home a game high 12 for the Bears.

Bishop Mac cruised past JF Ross, 53-18.  Lauren Silvestro and Ashley Coverdale had 8 each for a very balanced Celtic scoresheet, as they had eight players score 4+ points.  Alisha Lewis had a game high 14 for Ross.

The other tilt on Tuesday saw Centennial defeat GCVI 37-9.  Abby Cain had 11 for the winners, while four Gaels hit for buckets in the loss.

#CWOSSAAlums: Qahwash, Palestine Shock Philippines at FIBA Asia 2015

Kitchener Grand River ('06) graduate Imad Qahwash is currently plying his trade overseas, where he has recently joined the Palestinian national team.

Palestine is making their first-ever appearance at the FIBA Asia tournament, which will serve to determine one 2016 Olympic qualifier (the next three best teams will qualify for the 2016 FIBA World Qualifying Tournament).

Competition got under way last night, and Qahwash and Palestine provided a stunning upset to tip-off the competition.

As a 30 point underdog to heavily favoured Philippines (who feature former NBAer Andray Blatche on their roster), Palestine dug themselves a 16-point hole in the first quarter but managed to gradually climb up the comeback mountain.

Down 7 with 1:55 on the clock, Palestine struck like a lightning bolt, with former Minnesota Golden Gopher Jamal Abu-Shamala knocking in two three-pointers that keyed an 8-0 Palestine run in TWENTY seconds, giving them the lead.

Down one with :15 to go, Qahwash found star forward Sani Sakakini for an "and-one" that gave Palestine a 75-73 lead.  Sakakini would then block Blatche's potential game-winning three pointer to preserve a historic win for the program.

Qahwash, Abu-Shamala, and Sakakini played all 40 minutes in the contest for Palestine.  Qahwash finished with 17 points (5/20 FG, 7/8 FT), while adding 3 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 steal.

More info, including the game story, can be found on the FIBA Asia website, while the game highlights are above (Qahwash is #10 in red).

Grand River / Tricounty Star Nyamuoch Teny Becomes Latest CWOSSA Talent to Commit to NCAA D1 Vermont

Nyamuoch Teny

The CWOSSA to Vermont women's basketball pipeline continues to be in service.

Nyamuoch Teny, a 5'10" G/F for the Grand River Renegades (HS) and Tricounty Thunder (Club) teams, has announced her verbal commitment to the NCAA D1 Vermont Catamounts, becoming the fourth CWOSSA player in the last three years to commit to the America East school.

"I chose Vermont because I know I can make an impact and contribute right away," said Teny.  "Their coaching staff is amazing and it's not every day that you get to play university ball with former teammates."

The former teammates that Teny is referring to are twins Courtney and Candice Wright, who announced their commitment in 2013; they recently started classes and will be first-year players on the Vermont roster this season.

Over the summer, Summer Pahl (St. Mary's / Tricounty), who is entering grade ten this fall, verbally committed her future to the Catamounts, commencing in the 2018-19 season.

Now, Teny has announced her commitment, which will be effective for the 2016-17 season.  

A first-team all-star in the WCSSAA league last season as a grade 11, Teny helped Grand River to a WCSSAA championship and their first-ever CWOSSA Senior Girls' "AAAA" title last year, resulting in GRCI's second-ever OFSAA appearance.

Returning almost their entire roster this season, the Rens are expected to be one of the top two CWOSSA programs, alongside perennial powerhouse Brantford St. John's.  

Most recently, Teny won a JUEL league title with the Tricounty Thunder Juel team this past spring, and was a member of the Ontario Provincial Team that captured the Canadian National championship this summer in Alberta.  She is also a nationally identified player, having been invited to Junior National tryouts this past year as well.

Craig Nickel, who coached Teny on the Tricounty Thunder Juel team that won the JUEL league title, had high praise for the versatile wing-forward.

"Nyamuoch was a key player on that provincial championship team," Nickel said, "she is an outstanding offensive player who can really score the ball -- she's equally adept in the lane and behind the arc.  Defensively, Nyamuoch has quick feet and hands which allow her to be a lockdown defender."

Nickel also noted that her impressive skill-set extends off the court, as well.

"She's one of the most kind and considerate athletes I've ever coached," he added, "I'm very happy for Nyamuoch for realizing her dream to play Division I basketball, and I will watch with a lot of pride as she continues her success at Vermont!"

Allan Bush, Head Coach of Tricounty Thunder's Juel Prep Team, agreed with Nickel's comments.

"She's one of the nicest and friendliest players on and off the court you will ever meet," said Bush.  "All of the players and coaches, both inside and outside our program, love her."

"That said, she's also a great competitor and teams don't want to play her because she can shoot, drive, and create scoring chances out of nothing.  On the other end, she plays some of the toughest one-on-one defense in Canada."

"This is a great story about what one can do with hard work and dedication to the game," Bush added, "this was always a dream of hers to play at the next level in the NCAA."

CWOSSABasketball.com's Mark Yolkowski wasn't surprised that yet another CWOSSA talent has elected to go to Vermont.

"It's amazing to think that four players from CWOSSA-area basketball and the same club program could all be teammates on an NCAA Division I basketball program at the same time --- but that's exactly what could happen in 2018-19," Yolkowski said.  "As has been widely noted, CWOSSA players have had a strong history of success at Vermont, and all of us who follow and support area basketball are excited to see that success continue."

In accordance with NCAA regulations, Vermont is unable to comment on the status of a commitment until that player signs a National Letter of Intent (NLI) to confirm their enrollment at the school.

About Tricounty Thunder Basketball

The Tricounty Thunder girls’ basketball program competes in the Juel league of Ontario. The Tricounty franchise develops talent from Kitchener-Waterloo, Brantford, and Guelph.

The Tricounty Thunder program now maintains one of only 14 teams competing in the Juel League of Ontario established to develop competitive players and deliver a platform to be scouted to compete in a post-secondary institution both across the country and internationally.

Players within this program demand attention from local basketball post-secondary institutions and attract inquiries from coaches and scouts south of the border.

Not only does this program promote skill development to enable athletic opportunity, but it also guides the athletes through the process of recruitment both nationally and within the NCAA standards.

This club also offers a Juel Prep team and a competitive summer travel program, which has made tournament appearances in North Carolina, Arizona, Kentucky, Illinois, Florida, New York, and Ohio.

Skills camps are hosted throughout the year and run by guest-coaches from the women’s basketball program at Windsor (Ontario), Acadia (Nova Scotia), and Memorial (Newfoundland).

Alumni from this program have achieved recognition within their post-secondary programs and continue to impact the leagues they progress in as they build on the skill development that was established within the Tricounty Thunder girls’ basketball club.

About CWOSSABasketball.com
CWOSSABasketball.com, founded by Mark Yolkowski in 2009, is an independent high school basketball website focusing on schools in Central-Western Ontario.

For more information, contact:
Allan Bush, Head Coach – Tricounty Thunder
Phone: (519) 883-5350
allan.bush@cibc.ca

Mark Yolkowski, CWOSSABasketball.com
Cell: (519) 222-8248
mark@cwossabasketball.com

Around The Horn: Tuesday News & Notes

D8 Junior Girls Tipped Off Monday
There was one game on the District 8 Junior girls schedule on Monday afternoon; the St. David Celtics were comfortable winners in their home debut, posting a 29-10 victory over the visiting St. Mary's Eagles.

Thalia Cruz's 13-point effort was more than the Celtics would need on Monday; Emily White added 4 more for the winners.  Sunday Okot (5) and Bianca Angel (3) were tops for St. Mary's.

D10:  Regular Season Begins Today
Two years removed from a 12-2 record and a D10 championship finals appearance, the St. James Lions will not be fielding a team this coming season based upon the schedule and information posted on the D4/D10 website Scorestop.com.

Instead, the senior circuit will feature an imbalanced 7-team schedule; all 8 D10 schools will be participating in the junior ranks.

Today's opening games will feature JF Ross at Bishop Mac, Centennial at GCVI, CWDHS at Lourdes and St. James at Orangeville (Junior Only).

St. John's Dominant Again in Tournament Play
Hosting their Brantford Tip-Off Classic alongside fellow BCSSAA school Assumption, the St. John's Green Eagles were dominant for the second consecutive weekend in taking home another tournament title.

Playing Waterloo Collegiate, Hamilton Brebeuf, and Brantford Assumption in the tournament final, the Green Eagles won all three games by at least 30 points.  

Victory margins were 69-17 (WCI), 63-33 (Brebeuf) and 46-10 (Assumption).

Having now dominated two good tournament fields in two weeks, it's safe to say that this year's version of the "Green Machine" will be not only among the elite teams in CWOSSA, but the province as well.

Bluevale Takes WODSS Tournament Title
Also in tournament play on the weekend, the WODSS Crusaders hosted their annual tournament, which was a 6-team pool-play affair.

The Waterloo Bluevale Knights defeated the Guelph Centennial Spartans in a close championship final, 36-33.  Both teams had earlier posted 2-0 records in their respective pools to advance to the tournament final.

In Pool "A", Centennial posted wins over Waterloo-Oxford (49-36) and Stratford Central (43-19).  Stratford Central defeated WODSS in the other contest, 37-31.

In Pool "B", Bluevale was victorious over Strathroy (44-37) and Preston (38-22).  Strathroy handled Preston by a 45-26 score in the pool's other game.

Reminder:  Tournament Results / Exhibition Games
I'm still missing a few results from the weekend, including the Eastwood Tournament and a couple of exhibition games.  Please feel free to Tweet me (@cwossabball) or e-mail (mark @ cwossabasketball.com) if you can help me out.  Thanks!

Brant News: Girls' Hoops Tips Off Thursday

Article By:  Sean Allen

When the ball tips off for the Brant senior girls high school season on Thursday, there is little question the St. John’s College Green Eagles will have a target on their backs. 

The Green Eagles captured their second preseason tournament this past weekend as co-hosts of the annual Brantford Tip Off Classic at Assumption College and St. John’s. 

The tournament featured teams from Waterloo, Hamilton, Cambridge, Chatham-Kent and Guelph, as well as Brant’s Assumption College Lions, Brantford Collegiate Institute Mustangs and Green Eagles. 

The Green Eagles would meet the Lions in the championship and come away with a 46-10 victory. 

St. John’s also beat the Waterloo Collegiate Institute Vikings and St. Jean de Brebeuf Braves in the tournament. Grade 10 player Kaitlyn Overeem scored 20-plus points against the Vikings and Braves.

The Green Eagles will host the Mustangs on Thursday to begin the season. The game tips off at 5:30 p.m. Also on the first night of action, the Paris District High School Panthers visit the Pauline Johnson Collegiate Thunderbirds at 5:30 p.m. and the Lions host the North Park Trojans at 7 p.m.

Matchups for junior games shadow the senior games and begin 90 minutes earlier. 

Changes to regional and provincial classifications have altered how the teams will compete to move beyond Brant this season. 

There is no more AAAA class for the largest high schools. Instead, all Brant schools fall into either the AAA classification with more than 950 students or the AA classification with between 500 and 950 students. 

The Green Eagles, Lions, Mustangs and Trojans will compete for two berths to the CWOSSA (Central Western Ontario Secondary Schools Association) tournament at the AAA level. The T-Birds and Panthers will compete for one entry to the AA CWOSSA tournament. 

Boys volleyball also begins on Thursday, with a reciprocal schedule to girls basketball. 

Retrieved From:  http://www.brantnews.com/sports-story/5922803-girls-hoops-tips-off-thursday/

And we're off! St. John's rolls through Western Purple & White; Van Leeuwen MVP

The St. John's Green Eagles, who are projected to be the top team in CWOSSA Senior Girls' basketball this season, lived up to their preseason hype with a dominating effort this past weekend in London at the annual "Purple & White" Senior Girls' tournament.

The tournament is recognized as a very competitive preseason tournament, and requires skill and depth to win it, given that teams must win 5 games in 2 days (32-team event).  Nonetheless, this was not an issue for the Green Eagles who not only won all 5 games, but did so by at least 15 points per contest.

St. John's took out Windsor LaSalle (52-22), London John Paul II (62-26), Sarnia St. Patrick's (71-34), Windsor St. Anne's (66-47) and then Barrie Innisdale in the final (44-29).

Kendra Van Leeuwen, who has committed to NCAA D1 George Washington, led the way for the Green Eagles and was named as the tournament's MVP.  Kaitlyn Overeem was a first-team all-star.

Three other CWOSSA teams were also in attendance.

The WCI Vikings went 1-2, dropping their opener to Collingwood (55-24) before rebounding with a win over London South (53-11).  The Vikes lost a consolation quarterfinal to London Gold Medal, the lone club team in the field, 40-28.

Brantford North Park dropped their opener 52-38 to Sarnia St. Patrick's, then were dispatched 57-31 by Waterdown in their second game.  They did get a win in their 3rd game, 26-22 over Windsor LaSalle.

Brantford Assumption was also in the field, and had a tough draw, losing to powerhouses Sarnia Northern (62-32) and Holy Trinity (51-22) before defeating London Catholic Central (49-34) in their finale.

If you're interested in checking out the full results, they're available on the Western website.

CWOSSA Alumni Tracker: Class Of '15 (Or Transfers)

With another school year set to begin, here's a look at some of the former CWOSSA players who won't be suiting up at their previous schools this year --- most graduates, and a couple of prep transfers to discuss as well.

Big thanks to Barry Hayes (HoopStarsCanada.com) and others for information to assist in compiling this list.

**This is a preliminary list based upon available information and will be updated frequently.  Please feel free to advise me of any additional names (e-mail mark @ cwossabasketball.com; or tweet @cwossabball).  Thanks!

Men - CIS
Saajan Arora, Manitoba (former SJK & Jacob Hespeler)
Ivan Bilandzic, Laurier (former SJK & WCI)
Mike Blumel, Queen's (former SJK & St. Mary's)
Nik Farkic, Western (Cameron Heights)
Michael Ganson, Lakehead (former SJK & Bishop Mac)
TJ Lall, Carleton (Galt CI)
Jermaine Lyle, Algoma (St. Mary's)
Brett Parrott, Laurier (SJAM)
Matt Quiring, McMaster (Jacob Hespeler)
Nathan Riley, Algoma (St. Mary's)
Andre Toic, McMaster (Assumption)
Tommy Yanchus, Guelph (JF Ross)

Men - NCAA
Jamal Murray, D1 Kentucky (Orangeville Prep via Grand River)
Tesloth Simon, D2 Missouri S&T (St. Mary's)

Men - College (Canadian)


Men - USA / JUCO
Sasha Simic, Vincennes / Indiana (Cameron Heights)
Tyrick Thompson, Dawson / Montana (St. Mary's)

Men - Prep
Ivan Cucak, Hargrave Military / Virginia (CHCI)
Brandon John, Hill Academy Brantford (North Park)
DeShaun Lalor, Hill Academy Brantford (SJK/SDCSS)
Brett Sloan, Athlete Institute Prep (John Diefenbaker)
Luke Wouters, Athlete Institute Prep (Orangeville)

Women - NCAA
Candice Wright, D1 Vermont (Jacob Hespeler)
Courtney Wright, D1 Vermont (Jacob Hespeler)

Women - CIS
Kaylee Anagnostopoulos, Windsor (WCI)
Julia Curran, Western (Bluevale)
Megan Thompson, Dalhousie (St. John's)
Taylor White, Calgary (Southwood)

Women - College
Hunter Johns, Mohawk (Cameron Heights)
Breanne Vande Ven, Redeemer (Delhi)

NCAA Commitments: Julianna Thomson (WCHS) Commits to Ivy League's Dartmouth

Pic via Tricounty Thunder

Another D8 student athlete recently announced an NCAA commitment, as 6'2" Julianna Thomson (Tricounty Thunder / Woodland CHS) announced a verbal commitment to Dartmouth College, an Ivy League NCAA D1 school located in Hanover, New Hampshire.

Thomson's commitment makes 3 NCAA commitments for D8 students this summer.  Summer Pahl (St. Mary's 2018 / Vermont) and St. Mary's boys' star Tesloth Simon (St. Mary's 2015 / D2 Missouri S&T) were the other CWOSSA talents clarifying their intentions.

In conversation with CrownScoutGirls.com (article link), Thomson noted that she was "excited to have given my verbal commitment to Dartmouth College (and) I'm glad to have the decision out of the way and focus on getting better my last year of high school."

Thomson played a handful of games last year at Woodland, doing most of her damage for the Tricounty Thunder Juel team.  She was named to the Juel of Ontario All-Star game squad alongside teammate (and another NCAA D1 commit) Kendra Van Leeuwen.

Thomson's commitment is the latest in a string of NCAA signings for the Tricounty Thunder club program, who have now averaged at least one NCAA commitment per year, along with a plethora of CIS and CCAA commitments.

To my knowledge, Thomson also becomes the first CWOSSA player to commit to an Ivy League school in women's basketball.  Onnie Mayshak, a star player for the St. Benedict Senior Boys in the late 90s, played two seasons at Harvard between 1999-2001, before staying at the Ivy League school and earning his degree.

It's official - former CWOSSA Star Jamal Murray Chooses Kentucky

Former Grand River Renegade Jamal Murray, who played his last two years of high school at Orangeville Prep, made his future official on Wednesday by signing with the Kentucky Wildcats of the NCAA's Southeastern Conference.

For those that missed it, here's the announcement that aired live on TSN:



It was widely known that, after reclassifying, Kentucky and Oregon led the potential suitors in the "Murray Sweepstakes".

A 6'5 guard, Murray joins a Kentucky team that went 38-1 last year, although the 'Cats will lose several pieces in tonight's NBA draft, most notably Karl-Anthony Towns who is projected to be drafted first or second overall.  Trey Lyles, another Canadian who was a key member of UK's 2014-15 team, is a projected lottery pick.

No matter for Kentucky, as the 'Cats will reload with a solid recruiting class keyed by Murray and Isaiah Briscoe, both "5 star" PG recruits.  Returning PG Tyler Ulis will add to the stacked UK backcourt, where some are suggesting that Coach John Calipari may invoke a "positionless basketball" lineup with Ulis, Murray and Briscoe all in the backcourt at the same time.

SNY's Adam Zagoria, in the post linked above, calls Murray "one of the best point guards — if not the best — on the planet not currently in the NBA."

Needless to say, it's been an astronomical climb for a kid from Kitchener who began his career at Grand River Collegiate, where we saw some of what he was capable of during the 2011-12 season, including this wild finish against Cameron Heights in the WCSSAA Semifinals, where Murray hit a game-tying three-pointer with about :40 left followed by a steal and the game winning buzzer beater:





It was during the summer following his grade nine season that Murray's stock began to rapidly rise; he played Senior basketball for the Rens in grade 10 (a season that was mostly wiped away due to the work-to-rule action by local teachers).  By then, the prep schools were clamoring for his services but Murray decided to stay close to home, in Orangeville, Ontario.

In his announcement, Murray made specific mention of how proud he is to represent Canada, and how playing in Canada presented a "unique opportunity" for him.

"A lot of people said 'I can't do what I'm doing here in Canada'," said Murray during his announcement, "but my response was, 'you can do anything you want as long as you put your mind to it."

Murray's Kentucky career will kick off the weekend of November 13th and 14th at Rupp Arena with home games against Albany and NJIT.  His first "big test" of his freshman season will come November 17th, when Kentucky takes on Duke as part of the "Champions Classic" at the United Center in Chicago.