AAAA OFSAA Draw - Reseeded

Here is the updated seedings for the OFSAA "AAAA" basketball tournament in London.

The major changes see Oakville's Loyola CSS moved from 7th to 3rd, and Oakwood sliding down to 4th.  Ottawa's Sacred Heart goes down to 7th, which I personally feel is too low, but you aren't going to please everybody --- especially in a tournament where a lot of teams are bringing in very strong resumes.

From a CWOSSA perspective, both first round matchups will remain the same as the #5 team (Henry Carr) and the #8 team (Eastern Commerce) did not budge in the rankings.

A look at the new and now official rankings; my "projected ranking" from earlier this week is in brackets:

1.  Vaughan SS (1)
2.  JC Richardson - Ajax (2)
3.  Loyola CSS - Oakville (3)
4.  Oakwood CI - Toronto (4)
5.  Father Henry Carr - Toronto (8)
6.  HB Beal SS - London (7)
7.  Sacred Heart - Ottawa (5)
8.  Eastern Commerce - Toronto (6)
9.  St. Michael's - Toronto (9)
10.  D'Youville - Brampton (10)
11.  Fletcher's Meadow - Brampton (12)
12.  Holy Names - Windsor (11)
13.  Holy Trinity - Oakville (13)
14.  Cameron Heights - Kitchener (16)
15.  St. Thomas Aquinas - London (14)
16.  Ancaster DSS (18)
17.  John F. Ross - Guelph (17)
18.  Collingwood CI (15)

Overall, I wasn't "too far off" the mark, especially at the top of the list (granted, it is generally easier to pick the top couple of teams).  

Final results:
Seeding Exactly Correct:  8
Off by One Seed:  4
Off by Two Seeds:  4
Off by Three Seeds:  2 (Henry Carr & Collingwood)

AAAA Draw - Apparently Being Reseeded

Cameron Heights and JF Ross, don't start prepping for your OFSAA matchups just yet.

The schedule on the OFSAA website has been taken down, with this message put up:

"The AAAA schedule will be posted early Wednesday evening. In an effort to seed teams as accurately and fairly as possible, the draw will include changes from the version posted here earlier today as the committee received some updated / corrected records this afternoon.  We apologize for the inconvenience."

We'll keep you posted!

Update: North Park Draws #10 Seed at "AAA" OFSAA

The Brantford North Park Trojans have drawn the #10 seed for next week's AAA OFSAA championships in Niagara Falls.

The Trojans will take on Ottawa's Hillcrest HS Hawks, the #4 seed.  The Trojans then get either #7 Governor Simcoe (St. Catharines) or #13 Holy Cross (Kingston) in round two, depending on how the first round shakes down. 

The official seeding shakes down as follows:
1.  Anderson CVI (Whitby)
2.  Dr. James Denison HS (Newmarket)
3.  Martingrove CI (Toronto)
4.  Hillcrest HS (Ottawa)
5.  St. Theresa CHS (Midland)
6.  Herman HS (Windsor)
7.  Governor Simcoe (St. Catharines)
8.  Jarvis CI (Toronto)
9.  Banting SS (London)
10.  North Park CVS (Brantford)
11.  Ascension of our Lord SS (Mississauga)
12.  Jean Vanier CHS (Scarborough)
13.  Holy Cross CHS (Kingston)
14.  St. Paul CHS (Niagara Falls)
15.  IE Weldon SS (Lindsay)
16.  St. Mary's College (Sault Ste. Marie)

Ross, Cameron Draw Perennial Heavyweights at AAAA OFSAA

Seeding is out for the AAAA OFSAA tournament in London.

Cameron Heights will enter as the #14 seed, while JF Ross will start out from the #17 spot.

Both teams will have difficult first round matchups as a result.

Cameron Heights will take on perennial GTA powerhouse Eastern Commerce, who are seeded #8. 

JF Ross, who are the #17 seed, will take on #5 Henry Carr from Toronto in round one.  

Both teams will need to believe that an upset is possible, and Ross for one doesn't have to look back too far.  Waterloo Bluevale was able to keep the pace slow and stifle Henry Carr with a zone defense, upsetting them in the Silver Fox tournament earlier this year.

On a personal note regarding the rest of the field, I'm definitely surprised that the Heinbuch Champions, Loyola CSS from Oakville, are slotted at the #7 spot.  Making things more interesting is as a result of that ranking, they actually draw their Halton rivals, Holy Trinity (#13), playing them for the third time in the last two weeks. 

Full seeding list is as follows:
1) Vaughan S.S.
2) J.C. Richardson
3) Oakwood
4) Sacred Heart
5) Henry Carr
6) H.B. Beal
7) Loyola
8) Eastern Commerce
9) St. Michael's College
10) St. Marguerite D'Youville
11) Fletcher's Meadow
12) Holy Names
13) Holy Trinity
14) Cameron Heights
15) St. Thomas Aquinas
16) Ancaster
17) J.F. Ross
18) Collingwood

Trivia Question

Can you name the four CWOSSA teams that have defeated at least two OFSAA "AAAA" competitors this season?  Note:  Any and all games (i.e. exhibition, league, tournament) count for the purposes of this question.

Coming up with two or three has been fairly easy for most people that I've asked this question; however, the full "four pack" has been deceptively tough.

(If you want to check your answer, you can shoot me an e-mail; otherwise, I'll post the answer up tomorrow!)

AA OFSAA Seeding to Be Released Today

The 18-team field is now set for the "AA" OFSAA Championships that will be taking place up in North Bay next week.

Seeding (and schedule) information will be released today; as I see it, I think the Crusaders will be somewhere in the 10 through 12 range.  Having played tough with Guelph JF Ross (actually opening up a 22-11 halftime lead) in the D10 semifinals, they may be peaking at the right time.

Here's a look at the teams comprising the AA OFSAA field; interestingly enough, we've seen at least a handful of these teams here in local competitions:

Archbishop Romero CSS (Toronto)
Nicholson Catholic College (Belleville)
Our Lady of Lourdes CHS (Guelph)
Smiths Falls DCI
Loyalist Collegiate & VI (Kingston)
Twin Lakes SS (Orillia)
St. Thomas Aquinas CHS (Oakville)
Woodbridge College
Ecole-Secondaire Louis-Riel (Ottawa)
Timmins High & VS
St. Basil SS (Sault Ste. Marie)
Superior C & VS (Thunder Bay)
St. Francis SS (St. Catharines)
Sir Allan MacNab SS (Hamilton)
St. Christopher CHS (Sarnia)
Richview CI (Toronto)
Westminster SS (London)
West Ferris SS (North Bay)

Two CWOSSA Girls Stars to Suit up in CIS Next Season

Two CWOSSA performers have chosen the respective universities that they will suit up for next season ---- and both schools are quickly becoming pipelines for CWOSSA talent.

Kayla Santilli, a starter on the CWOSSA "AAAA" champion Brantford St. John's College Green Eagles, will be staying relatively close to home and attending Brock University in St. Catharines.  The Badgers feature 3 ex-CWOSSA players on their current roster:  Brittany Vandyken (2nd Year from Cambridge Jacob Hespeler); Emily Voisin (1st Year from Kitchener Forest Heights) and Jessica Del Signore (3rd Year from Brantford St. John's).

The Badgers went 14-8 in OUA West play this season, dropping a quarterfinal game to Lakehead University.

Meanwhile, Kitchener Resurrection PG Megan Robinson will be heading to what has suddenly become a very popular destination for CWOSSA athletes on the east coast, Memorial University in St. John's.

Grace Fishbein (Waterloo Bluevale) and Kim Devison (Waterloo St. David) are 3rd year players for the Sea-hawks, while the men's team at MU also has a couple of ex-CWOSSA ballers:  Will Bradbury (2nd year from Kitchener Forest Heights) and Mike Helsby (2nd year from Waterloo SJAM).

Congrats and all the best in the CIS!

CWOSSA Teams & AAAA Qualification Update

Earlier tonight, Holy Trinity (Oakville) upset St. Thomas More (Hamilton) in a GHAC qualifier --- meaning that Trinity will take an OFSAA "AAAA" berth.

As a CWOSSA tie-in, Holy Trinity is a team that Resurrection defeated in tournament play (also, both Bluevale & RCSS had losses to St. Thomas More).

Neither of our OFSAA qualifiers (CHCI & JF Ross) matched up with HT during the season.

The other GHAC qualifier went as expected, with Oakville Loyola topping Hamilton Cathedral.

We can also tell you that Ancaster has taken the AAAA SOSSA berth.  This is good news for our CWOSSA teams, as I project them as a lower seed than our CWOSSA qualifiers. 

Only one more OFSAA berth is to be determined on Wednesday, with Holy Names (Windsor) taking on the winner of a game between St. Patrick's (Sarnia) and Chatham Ursuline.  Holy Names (who have beaten several OFSAA teams) are the favourite in that one.

Also, we can also confirm that Pickering (who beat J. Clarke Richardson) are out of contention after an ineligible player controversy.  So, put the stronger JCR Storm back in the mix. 

Here's my new projected rankings, based upon some information that has come to light:

1.  Vaughan
2.  J. Clarke Richardson (Ajax)
3.  Loyola (Oakville)
4.  Oakwood (Toronto)
5.  Sacred Heart (Ottawa)
6.  Eastern Commerce (Toronto)
7.  HB Beal (London)
8.  Father Henry Carr (Toronto)
9.  St. Mike's (Toronto)
10.  D'Youville (Brampton)
11.  Holy Names (Windsor)***
12.  Fletcher's Meadow (Brampton)
13.  Holy Trinity (Oakville)
14.  St. Thomas Aquinas (London)
15.  Collingwood CVI
16.  Cameron Heights CI
17.  JF Ross CVI (Guelph)
18.  Ancaster DSS

***SWOSSA spot to be determined Wednesday, Holy Names vs. Chatham Ursuline or Sarnia St. Patrick. 

NCAA: Johnson Named to Patriot League Second Team

Congratulations to former St. David CSS star (and current Bucknell sophomore) Bryson Johnson, who has been named as a Second Team All-Patriot League selection this year.

Johnson averaged 11.5 PPG (second on the team), 1.9 rebounds and 1.0 assists.  He started all 30 games for Bucknell, averaging 28.5 minutes a contest.

He's known around the league as a three-point threat/specialist, with 85% of his field goal attempts coming from behind the arc. 

Johnson's teammates, Mike Muscala (Player of the Year) and Darryl Shazier, were named as first-team selections.

The future is bright for Stefan Cvrkalj's future school, Lehigh, as sophomore CJ McCollum (last year's Player of the Year) was again a first-team selection.  The Mountain Hawks also had freshman guard Mackey McKnight crack the all-freshman team.

Bucknell finished 13-1 in league play on the season and will go into the Patriot League's conference tournament as the #1 seed, playing Army in the first round.  Lehigh, who finished 6-8, are the #4 seed in the eight-team league and will host Navy.

To see the official release from the Patriot League, go to:
http://www.patriotleague.org/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/022811aab.html

Mark's "All-CWOSSA" Tournament Team - AAAA

Senior

Mike Pereira, Resurrection (6'4" F, Grade 12)
The fourth year forward was huge for Resurrection, hitting timely baskets in Rez's first game against Centennial to help seal that win.  He would go on to add 16 against CHCI and 20 against JF Ross, including a huge "and one" dunk on a partial breakaway in the second half.  Pereira's stock just keeps continuing to go up --- with his meteoric rise, if he comes back for a 5th year (right now 50-50) I expect him to be one of CWOSSA's biggest recruiting targets next year.

Nebojsa Djeric, Cameron Heights (6'2" F, 5th Year)
You never know who of their starting five is going to step up, and in the CWOSSA championship game on Saturday night it was Djeric.  He hit for 21 points in the game, and was calm and cool from the foul line, going 7 for 7.  He did a solid job on the glass as well.

Shamlo Saeed, JF Ross (5'10" G, Grade 12)
This grade 12 sparkplug is key to Ross' success.  Although he didn't have the greatest scoring numbers in the championship final (9 points), his poise and ball-handling were at times key for the Royals against Cameron's half-court pressure.  He hit a couple of big jumpers, often doing so by stepping-back to gain space against a taller defender.  Very heady player who, like most of the Royals, will return for a 5th year.

Ben Reyhani, SJAM (6'0" G, Grade 12)
This sharpshooter lit up St. John's for 41 points in the tournament's first round.  Although he had a stomach flu that forced him to miss much of SJAM's second game, he would come out on Saturday with a solid effort that again included a couple of deep three-balls.  Reyhani, at this point, is 50-50 to return to SJAM for a 5th year.

MVP:  Amjed Osman, Cameron Heights (5'8" G, Grade 12)
What can we say?  This floor general was doing it at both ends of the floor in the championship game, hitting a couple of key buckets and locking down defensively.  He helped to force the decisive steal in the waning seconds (when CHCI had a foul to give) that helped to seal the win.  His leadership and decision-making skills were also key in helping the Gaels survive a pool-play scare against Guelph Centennial.

Junior

Omar Aidaruse, Forest Heights (5'10" G, Grade 10)
Probably not a name you would have expected here at the start of the tournament, but this grade ten guard played very well on Saturday in both the semifinal and final games, scoring double digits (12 & 10) in both of those contests.  He has a good fundamental knack (e.g. cutting and creating space for himself), and I think with some development he can be a solid contributor at the senior level for the Trojans.

Tim Dawson, St. John's (5'9" G, Grade 10)
Dawson, who earlier in the week won the D5 title for the Green Eagles with a couple of free-throws with 0.6 seconds left in a game, continued his steady play under the pressure of CWOSSA.  He started with 18 points against Cameron Heights, and would hit for double digits the rest of the way, including 17 points against FHCI in a semifinal loss.  However, his four three-pointers in that game helped keep SJC within striking distance.  Definitely a guy to keep an eye on as he joins a youthful Eagle senior squad next season.

Kristian Vande Kemp, JF Ross (6'4" F, Grade 10)
Vande Kemp can finish inside, and hit from medium-to-long range as well.  He demonstrated his multi-faceted game at numerous times this weekend, and was somebody that all teams had to account for in their games against the junior Royals.  He's got SF skills, and already in grade 10, has CIS "SF size".  Keep an eye on his development as he heads up to a veteran Ross senior squad next season. 

Mike Blumel, St. Mary's (6'3" F, Grade 9)
The lone grade 9 to make the list, Blumel will enter next season as one of the top couple of junior players (if not the top) in CWOSSA.  In the championship final, he poured in 15 points before fouling out, demonstrating a nice variety of low post moves as well as good court sense.  He has good touch on his mid-range jumper, and is a solid free-throw shooter as well.  He would be a good candidate to move up early to the SMHS senior squad next season, although the Eagles' senior roster will already be loaded with returnees. 

MVP:  Juwan Miller, Forest Heights (5'10" G, Grade 10)
No doubt about this one.  The super-athletic guard slashed and dashed his way past defenders en route to a 35-point championship finals effort and 28 in the semifinals as well.  He was absolutely unstoppable and has a great ability of getting into the lane and adjusting himself right as he's making his attempt (i.e. often getting himself squared to the basket or backboard).  Miller, who is a very good shooter, will look to continue to develop that ability as he transitions to the senior level --- of course, he didn't need to settle for jump shots in junior with the ease that he could get to the basket.  Definitely CWOSSA's top prospect right now among the current grade 10 crop. 

Breaking Down the OFSAA "AAAA" Participants

Update:  It has come to my attention from an e-mail that Pickering HS, who defeated J Clarke Richardson in the LOSSA championship game, are currently under investigation for using an ineligible player this season.  So, put an "asterisk" beside that qualifier for now.

The Cameron Heights' Golden Gaels and the John F. Ross Royals will be heading to OFSAA next week with, to be frank, nothing to lose.

Both teams will be aiming at the fact that no CWOSSA team has advanced past the tournament's second round since 2007, when the Waterloo SJAM Highlanders went on a miracle run as a double-digit seed to capture "antique bronze" and fourth place at OFSAA.

Of course, at this point, even a win would be nice.

CWOSSA also has a six-game "losing streak" at OFSAA, dating back not only last year (0-4) but also to the 2009 second round, starting with SJAM's 106-83 loss to Windsor Catholic Central.  SJAM, who were seeded #10 that year, defeated #9 Ajax Notre Dame 56-43 in the opening round of that tournament.

Here's a look at the teams that will comprise the OFSAA field.  In terms of to be played qualifiers, I've listed the favourites.

Note:  J. Clarke Richardson was upset by Pickering in the LOSSA finals over the weekend, so even though they have been ranked as one of the top 3 teams in the province all season, they will not be making the trip to London.

Here goes:

St. Mike's (Toronto) - CISAA

Cameron Heights (Kitchener) - CWOSSA

JF Ross (Guelph) - CWOSSA

Collingwood CVI - GBSSAA

Loyola (Oakville) - GHAC (probable qualifier)

St. Thomas More (H) - GHAC (probable qualifier)

Pickering HS - LOSSA
Sacred Heart (Ottawa) - NCSSAA
D'Youville (Brampton) - ROPSSAA
Fletcher's Meadow (Brampton) - ROPSSAA
TBD - SOSSA
Holy Names (Windsor) - SWOSSA (Probable Qualifier)
Henry Carr (Toronto) - TDCAA
Oakwood CI (Toronto) - TDSSAA
Eastern Commerce (Toronto) - TDSSAA
HB Beal (London) - WOSSAA
St. Thomas Aquinas (London) - WOSSAA
Vaughan HS - YRAA

So, there you have it.  If I had to slot in where I think the CWOSSA teams would fit in, I would go as follows:

#15 - Cameron Heights

#16 - St. Thomas Aquinas (London) --- could potentially be flipped with CHCI depending on their quality wins.  CWOSSA comparison:  defeated CWOSSA "AAA" champion North Park 49-30 in the first round of the UWO tournament.

#17 - JF Ross

#18 - Collingwood CVI

Mark's Note:  Depending on who the SOSSA qualifier is, that school could also come into the mix with the above teams.  However, if it is a team like Notre Dame (Welland) I do expect them to get a little respect for their 4th place finish at last year's tournament, even though they were a #13 seed.

Interestingly enough, the Southwood tournament in Cambridge played host to two of those teams --- Cameron Heights and Collingwood.  Surprisingly, both teams made relatively quick exits, losing in the second round.  Cameron Heights lost to Barrie St. Joseph's, while Collingwood was upset by CWOSSA's Centre Wellington DHS (a team that JF Ross has defeated twice this season by double digits). 

Update:  Collingwood did defeat Cameron Heights in a "friendship game" at that tournament.  Also, the Owls do have a win over Welland Notre Dame to their credit, which may come into play should ND qualify for OFSAA. 

At any rate, being in the "bottom four teams" is not necessarily a bad thing should Cameron Heights and JF Ross end up there.  In fact, it actually gives you a better opportunity to leave OFSAA with a win under your belt.

You see, OFSAA is an 18-team tournament.  In order to get things to 16 teams for the second round, there are two "second round qualifier" games:

(Loser of #6 vs. #16) vs. (Loser of #3 vs. #18)
(Loser of #4 vs. #15) vs. (Loser of #5 vs. #17)

Of course, if a team can get hot at the right time and possibly take advantage of some favourable matchups that result due to upsets, then it's not out of the question for a double-digit seed to take home an OFSAA medal.

Last year, two teams ranked behind a CWOSSA representative (#11 Waterloo Bluevale) walked away with OFSAA medals.  The #12 St. Thomas More Knights took silver, while #14 Welland Notre Dame shocked everyone by ending up in the bronze medal game, which they lost to Vaughan. 

Sometimes, it really is all about the matchups.

AAAA Senior Final: Cameron Heights 54, JF Ross 49

FYI - boxscore and additional information to be added to this post later.

The Cameron Heights Golden Gaels have done it.

The Gaels captured their first CWOSSA senior boys' basketball title on Saturday evening at Resurrection, winning a back-and-forth game 54-49 over the Guelph John F. Ross Royals.  Both teams had entered the game having not won a CWOSSA senior title since (at least) 1995.

For making the championship final, the Gaels and Royals will serve as CWOSSA's "AAAA" representatives in London next week.

Despite the loss, the Royals could have easily been heading to London with CWOSSA gold around their necks.

The Royals held a 49-48 lead late in the contest (just over 1:00 left) when JF Ross sharpshooting grade eleven guard Mike Friesen found himself alone on the baseline for a three-point attempt that just went off the rim.  The Gaels would control the rebound, and on their trip up the court, Nebojsa Djeric was fouled on a put-back attempt --- converting both free-throws to give the Gaels a lead they would not relinquish (50-49).

Djeric, Vedran Dmitrovic, and Amjed Osman combined to make four more free throws in the remaining seconds as the Gaels would clinch the victory.

The above trio were also Cameron's leading scorers in this one --- Djeric had 21, Dmitrovic netted 14 and Osman 9.  Evan Karl led Ross with a double-double (17 points, 10 rebounds).

Cameron Heights' five starters played almost the entire game ---- Kyle Waterman was the only Cameron Heights sub who got into the game with seconds remaining in the first half (to protect Osman, who, at the time, had 2 fouls). 

AAAA Junior Final: Forest Heights 58, St. Mary's 47

Sometimes, bad things happen to good teams.

Such was the case for the St. Mary's Eagles, who have been my top "AAAA" CWOSSA team essentially all season.  However, (arguably) the Eagles best player, Chris Clouthier, injured his knee playing pick-up basketball earlier in the week and was unavailable for the entire CWOSSA tournament.

The Forest Heights Trojans, meanwhile, were at the top of their game on Saturday night, taking advantage of their depleted counterparts.

The Trojans outscored the ice-cold Eagles 19-6 in the first quarter, and would go on to take a 23-6 lead in the second before St. Mary's rebounded slightly to close the half down 11 points (29-18).  The Trojans' superstar guard, Juwan Miller, nearly outscored the entire St. Mary's team in the first half as he put up 17 points in that 16 minute span.

One of the keys for the Trojans defensively was their interior post defense.  They were able to cause numerous SMHS turnovers off of post entries, and, in some instances, take those the other way for layups.

The Eagles' offensive struggles - slash - Forest Heights' solid defense continued in the third, as SMHS went scoreless for the first four minutes of the frame.  They would, however, hit two consecutive "and ones" near the end of the frame to head to the fourth down by a manageable single-digit deficit (39-30).

However, St. Mary's chances of a comeback took a huge hit when grade 9 forward Mike Blumel, their offensive star on this night, fouled out with just under 6:00 to play.  The Eagles wouldn't quit, and would cut things to 52-44 and 1:30 to play, but Miller would ice things for the Trojans at the line down the stretch.

Miller finished his final junior game in style, with a double-double (35 points, 11 rebounds).  He also added 5 assists.  The Eagles were unable to contain him from slashing to the basket, and as many other FHCI opponents this year have found out, if you don't at least slow him down, you have no shot of beating Forest Heights. 

The Trojans also received 10 points from Omar Aidaruse, 8 from Ian Anderson, 3 from Jack Taylor, and 2 from Elijah Callendar.

Blumel led the Eagles with 15 points, while Avery Sutton was also in double figures with 13.  It was a rough night for SMHS guard Tyler Hergott, as he had 7 points but shot just 2-for-17 from the floor.  

The Eagles also received points from Jeremy Cresswell (6), Telloy Simon (5) and Nathan Riley (1).

The CWOSSA title was the Trojans' first since 2005.  They also prevented the Eagles from picking up their second title in the last four years, and ended the D8's run of three consecutive CWOSSA titles (St. Mary's 2008, Resurrection 2009 & 2010).

This also marked the third consecutive year that the WCSSAA #1 and D8 #1 teams (who are both in "Pool A") met in the finals.  It was the second consecutive year that the winning team lost by double digits in pool play but would rebound in the finals for the victory.  In pool play, the Eagles took out the Trojans 64-46 while in last year's CWOSSA tournament, WCI beat Resurrection 57-38 before the Phoenix rebounded for a 42-39 win in the finals. 

Congratulations, Trojans!

Boxscore

SMHS    06-12-12-17 = 47

FHCI      19-10-10-19 = 58

St. Mary's (47)

E. Duong       0-0 FG, 0-0 FT, 2 Reb, 0 Ast - 0 Pts.

A. Sutton      4-9 FG, 5-7 FT, 6 Reb, 2 Ast - 13 Pts.

T. Hergott     2-17 FG, 3-3 FT, 0 Reb, 2 Ast - 7 Pts.

M. Blumel     6-11 FG, 3-4 FT, 7 Reb, 0 Ast - 15 Pts.

J. Cresswell   1-3 FG, 4-6 FT, 8 Reb, 0 Ast - 6 Pts.

------------

T. Simon       2-5 FG, 0-0 FT, 6 Reb, 0 Ast - 5 Pts.

N. Riley        0-1 FG, 1-2 FT, 1 Reb, 0 Ast - 1 Pt.

Field Goals:  15-46 (.326).  Free-Throws:  16-22 (.727).  Three-Point Goals:  1-6, .167 (T. Simon 1-2, A. Sutton 0-1, N. Riley 0-1, T. Hergott 0-2).

Forest Heights (58)

J. Taylor        1-6 FG, 0-0 FT, 1 Reb, 0 Ast - 3 Pts.

O. Aidaruse   4-10 FG, 1-4 FT, 4 Reb, 0 Ast - 10 Pts.

I. Anderson    4-9 FG, 0-0 FT, 3 Reb, 1 Ast - 8 Pts.

J. Miller     11-17 FG, 13-20 FT, 11 Reb, 5 Ast - 35 Pts.

E. Callandar  1-3 FG, 0-0 FT, 6 Reb, 0 Ast - 2 Pts.

------------

J. Kamara     0-0 FG, 0-0 FT, 2 Reb, 1 Ast - 0 Pts.

F. Barucija    0-4 FG, 0-2 FT, 3 Reb, 0 Ast - 0 Pts.

Field Goals:  21-49 (.429).  Free-Throws:  14-26 (.538).  Three-Point Goals, 2-15, .133 (O. Aidaruse 1-3, J. Taylor 1-5, I. Anderson 0-1, J. Miller 0-3, F. Barucija 0-3).

AAA Recap: Senior Trojans, Junior Raiders Take Titles

Things went according to seeding form in the "AAA" CWOSSA senior championship.

As for the junior "AAA" championship, not so much.  

Here's how both divisions shook down:

Senior Recap

The #1 North Park Trojans captured the senior title with an absolutely thrilling victory over the #2 St. James Lions.

St. James actually went scoreless for the first 9:30 of the game!  However, North Park wasn't much more successful on the offensive end and went into halftime up 14-8.

The Trojans would lead by 2 (36-34) with :04 left in regulation.  The Lions inbounded the ball to their 5th year star, Ryan Higgins, who went coast to coast and got off a great attempt that hit the front of them and bounced off ---- giving the CWOSSA title to North Park for the second consecutive season.

Higgins had 24 of St. James' 34 points to lead all scorers.

The semifinals were equally competitive.

The Waterloo St. David Celtics (#4) gave North Park all they could handle before succumbing 47-41 to the Trojans.  The game was tight throughout, with North Park's Cale McDonald drawing a foul on a three-point shot and hitting all three attempts to give NPC a 29-26 lead heading into the fourth.  That seemed to spur him on, as he knocked in four threes in the final frame to help the Trojans advance.

Tyson Lavigne (20) and Dan Hummel (14) accounted for 34 of the Celts' 41 points.

Meanwhile, the #3 KCI Raiders gave the #2 St. James Lions all they could handle before falling 43-31.  The game was actually tied 25-25 after three quarters.

"We got tired, but (credit to) St. James as they hit the big shots to win the game," said KCI head coach Nick White.

Junior Recap

The junior KCI Raiders picked a great time to get hot.

The Raiders, the #5 seed entering the tournament, defeated the #4 Galt Ghosts, #1 North Park Trojans and then the #2 St. James Lions in that order to take the CWOSSA junior championship.

I'll have to throw this out to my readers, but I can't recall a lower-seeded team taking the "AAA" title.

KCI took the crown over the Guelph St. James Lions by a 49-36 final.  

The St. James Lions defeated 6th seeded Brantford Collegiate in the semifinals, while the Raiders pulled the tournament shocker not only by ousting #1 seeded North Park, but also by putting up 70+ points in doing so (73-57 final).  Of course, about half of KCI's points that game were from the free throw line --- partially as a result of 5 technical fouls handed out to the Trojans, who felt they were on the wrong end of a lot of block/charge calls. 

North Park head coach Adam Petersen set a dubious CWOSSA record in that game, though, picking up three (yes, three) technical fouls in one game.  Petersen picked up two technicals in the final few minutes of the game, and then was awarded a third "t" on his way out of the gym.

Cinderella Raiders Upset their Way to "AAA" Junior Title

Still amassing some results here, but I can tell you that the KCI Raiders have taken the "AAA" junior CWOSSA championship down in Cambridge this evening.

The Raiders entered the tournament seeded 5th of 8 teams --- and needed three consecutive upsets --- over #4 Galt, #1 North Park and then again in the finals over #2 St. James to capture the CWOSSA crown.

A very impressive run, to say the least.  We'll have some more details tomorrow, of course.

Congratulations to the Raiders (my alma mater) on their championship win!

Note - just awaiting confirmation of a score for the senior "AAA" final, which featured #1 North Park vs. #2 St. James.