Brant County All-Stars Drop Finale in Hamilton

The Brant County All-Stars dropped a hard-fought 66-65 decision to the Hamilton Public all-stars on Wednesday evening out in Hamilton.  This was the "consolation final" of the Hamilton Spectator All-Star Classic.

A pair of North Park Trojans led the way --- Marcus Hamilton had a game-high 18 while Brandon Webster netted 12.  Hamilton Public was led by James Miles (Westmount - 12 points) and Moe Ismail (Sherwood - 11 points).

The championship was taken by Halton County, who posted an 85-75 win over Hamilton Catholic.  Oakville Loyola's Mike L'Africain led the way with 18 points, while Nathan McCarthy of Burlington Notre Dame had 17.

L'Africain was named tournament MVP.  Lucas Mancini (Cardinal Newman) was the winner of the tournament's dunk contest.

Brant County All-Stars Drop Opener at Spectator All-Star Classic

The Brant County (D5) senior boys' all-star team dropped a 76-63 decision to the Hamilton Catholic league all-stars on Tuesday evening at St. Thomas More CSS in Hamilton.

Brant County received a game-high 13 points from Josh Fabe of Paris DHS, while Tyler Van Leeuwen of St. John's netted 10.  The Hamilton Catholic Stars received 12 from Hamid Nessek (ACMT) and 10 from Steven Dely (Cathedral).

In the first game of the doubleheader, the Halton County All-Stars topped Hamilton Public 111-95.  Oakville Loyola guard Mike L'Africain had 23 to lead Halton, while Hamilton Public received 33 points from Shaquille Bedminster (MacNab SS).

This evening, Brant County will play Hamilton Public in the consolation championship at 5:00pm.  Games again this evening will be at St. Thomas More.

WCSSAA, D8 vs D10 All-Star Games Tonight

WCSSAA All-Star Game

Location:  Waterloo Collegiate Institute (300 Hazel St., Waterloo)

Time:  7:00pm (tip time)

Cost:  $3 with student card, $5 without (proceeds to Big Brothers & Sisters of Kitchener-Waterloo and Cambridge)

First Team All-Stars / Mike Moser MVP Candidates:  Amjed Osman (CHCI), Stefan Cvrkalj (BCI), Edem Ame (SJAM), Ben Reyhani (SJAM), Javon Masters (FHCI).

D8 vs. D10 All-Star Game

Location:  Resurrection CSS (455 University Ave W., Kitchener)

Time:  6pm - Junior Game; Senior Game To Follow (7:30pm)

Cost:  $3 with student card, $5 without

Simcoe Reformer: The Difference Makers (NSSAA Basketball All-Stars)

Article By:  Jacob Robinson

This year's Norfolk senior boys basketball season basically boiled down to three upper tier teams -- Delhi, Simcoe and Holy Trinity -- and three squads a step below. The difference was in the depth of rosters those top clubs had, which was made abundantly clear when league coaches were asked to give their picks for the Reformer's annual all-star list.

While Valley Heights, Port Dover and Waterford all had one clear leader who was the engine behind their team's successes, the top teams had several different scoring options and shutdown defenders. Yet they also had those players who brought it game-in and game-out, making an impression on opposing coaches as well as their own.

CARTER SMALL, DELHI RAIDERS
A newcomer to the school, Small made an immediate impact, helping the Raiders win NSSAA and CWOSSA titles.

"He was one of best scorers and he contributed a lot to the team on both offence and defence," DDSS coach Kristin Mawhiney said. "(He) also became a team leader."

JUSTIN LICHACH, DELHI RAIDERS
One of the leagues leading scorers, and a player any coach would love to have in the paint.

"He was the centre of our offence and contributed the most points offensively," noted Mawhiney. "He was the centre of our defensive zone and the guy who led -- he kind of played quarterback out there -- defensively."

DAVID TEICHROEB, SIMCOE SABRES
Dubbed the "Silent Assassin" by one fan, Teichroeb doesn't have much to say but his play speaks volumes. On a team with several weapons, Teichroeb was often the team's most potent. He hit shots from all distances, and was just as strong defensively.

CONNOR PETTERSEN, SIMCOE SABRES
Though his team didn't get the outcome they were searching for, Pettersen is a major reason Simcoe was nearly perfect in 2010-11, and has been to three straight NSSAA finals. His hustle combined with an ability to pass and score made him tough for opposing teams to defend against.

JOSH JOHNSON, HOLY TRINITY TITANS
Johnson plays like he's been in the league for five years, and he's only getting better. There aren't many coaches in NSSAA that wouldn't want the Titans point guard running their floor, and like many elite players in the position, Johnson is a handful because of his supreme ability to both shoot and pass with precision.

KEVIN MCDONALD, HOLY TRINITY TITANS
Holy Trinity's big man is just as likely to change a game with a block or rebound as he is by hitting key shot. Opposing defensives, and offensives for that matter, have had little success when McDonald is patrolling the paint for the Titans.

JAY KNELSEN, VALLEY HEIGHTS BEARS
No stranger to this list, Knelsen was the go-to player for the Bears. On a team void of another fifth year senior, the Bears point man carried the team to the playoffs. There likely isn't another player in the league that's as valuable to his squad.

Added Mawhiney, "He was the glue of that team."

TIM PETERS, PORT DOVER LAKERS
Peters did it all for the Lakers from the point guard position.

"It's his ability to handle the ball under pressure, hit key shots when we needed them, drive the lane and get penetration underneath when necessary," Lakers coach Peter Annable assessed. "He doesn't turn the ball over a lot -- and he's an on-floor leader other players trust."

AARON HALL, WATERFORD WOLVES
Hall served as one of the few veterans on a rebuilding Wolves roster. A player that has seen WDHS at its best, Hall's playing time and production has risen significantly in recent years. He and Jeffrey Paul played almost every minute of Waterford's games this season.

Retrieved From:  http://www.simcoereformer.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=3040095

Brantford All-Star Team Announced

A Brant County Senior Boys' All-Star Team has been selected to participate in the annual Hamilton Spectator Classic on Tuesday, March 29th and Wednesday, March 30th.

The Brant County all-stars will take on the Hamilton Catholic all-stars on Tuesday (5:00pm - St. Thomas More), and then play either the Halton County all-stars or the Hamilton Public all-stars on Wednesday, depending on how Tuesday's games shake down.

Brant County's Roster is as follows:
Tyler Campbell - F - Pauline Johnson (Grade 12)
Matt Digout - F - St. John's (Grade 12)
Josh Fabe - G - Paris District (Grade 12)
Marcus Hamilton - PG - North Park (Grade 12r)
Marcus Jones - PG - North Park (Grade 11)
Matt Kusneriz - F - St. John's (Grade 12)
Cale MacDonald - G - North Park (Grade 12r)
Robert Moxley - G - Brantford Collegiate (Grade 12)
Alex Packer - F - Brantford Collegiate (Grade 12)
Andre Toic - F - Assumption (Grade 9)
Tyler Van Leuween - St. John's (Grade 11)
Brandon Webster - North Park (Grade 12r)

Coaches:  Pete Lovett (Brantford CI); Meaghan Innes (St. John's)

Achonwa, Irish Advance Through to Sweet Sixteen

Former Guelph Centennial star Natalie Achonwa and her #2 seeded Notre Dame Fighting Irish are through to the sweet sixteen in the NCAA Women's basketball tournament.

Achonwa played very well in yesterday's 77-64 "round of 32" win over #10 Temple.  She had 10 points on 5-7 shooting, recorded 8 rebounds, and one assist, one block and one steal in just 20 minutes of action off the bench.

As Notre Dame coach Muffet McGraw noted, Achonwa seemed right at place in the big dance.

“She was really amazing,” McGraw said. “She was going down the lane and finishing with contact. She did a great job and made big shots and grabbed eight rebounds. She didn’t look nervous in a tournament game as a freshman.”

In Notre Dame's opening round game against #15 Utah (a 67-54 win), Achonwa had 2 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists and a block in 15 minutes of court time.

CWOSSA Alumns in the NCAA Tournament -- Both Men to Play Thursday in the 7pm Timeslot

Women

Natalie Achonwa, Notre Dame (NEDA via Guelph Centennial)
Named to Big East All-Freshman Team
6'3" F, Freshman
Season Stats:  33 GP, 18.1 minutes, 56.2% FG, 50.0% 3PT, 59.2% FT; 5.2 REB, 1.2 AST, 7.3 PPG.

(One of) Natalie's Best Games This Year:  Though not her highest scoring effort, she had 8 points --- including two key late game baskets --- and 5 rebounds in Notre Dame's Big East 71-67 semifinal win over #10 DePaul. 

Notre Dame:  #2 Seed in the Dayton Regional.  First round game vs. #15 Utah --- Saturday, March 19th, 6:30pm.

Men

Bryson Johnson, Bucknell (Waterloo St. David)
Named to Patriot League Second All-Star Team
6'1" G, Sophomore
Season Stats:  33 GP (33 Starts), 28.9 minutes, 45.7% FG, 45.9% 3PT, 81.2% FT; 2.0 REB, 1.1 AST, 11.7 PPG

(One of) Bryson's Best Games This Year:  Had 25 points, including 7-12 from beyond the arc, in a close 84-80 loss to Boston College of the ACC.  Also tallied 30 points in a league win against Lafayette.

Bucknell:  #14 Seed in the West Region.  First round game vs. #3 Connecticut --- Thursday, March 17th, 7:20pm.

Jon House, Belmont (Guelph Centennial)
2010-11 Belmont Team Captain
6'6" F, Senior
Season Stats:  34 GP (34 Starts); 19.0 minutes, 49.2% FG, 39.3% 3PT, 68.3% FT; 3.4 REB, 1.7 AST, 5.4 PPG.

(One of) Jon's Best Games This Year:  Had 17 points in just 23 minutes in a key 72-62 win over conference rival East Tennessee State.  House also added 6 rebounds and a team-high 6 assists in that contest.

Belmont:  #13 Seed in the Southeast Region.  First round game vs. #4 Wisconsin --- Thursday, March 17th, 7:20pm.

OFSAA "AAAA" Highlight Mixtape

A couple of CWOSSA moments in here, including a nice move by Cameron Heights' Nebojsa Djeric around the 1:00 mark:

Two CWOSSA Grads To Play in Men's NCAA Tournament

Two former CWOSSA 'ballers will be participating in the NCAA "March Madness" tournament this year.

That being said, not only are Bryson Johnson (Bucknell) and Jon House (Belmont) participating in this year's tournament, both could play an integral role in their teams' chances of pulling a first-round upset.

House is no stranger to this role, having been in similar circumstances as a freshman when his Bruins (a #15 seed) nearly knocked off the #2 Duke Blue Devils --- falling 71-70 after Gerald Henderson hit a go-ahead basket with 12 seconds left.

Look for House (#13) in this clip from that game in his Freshman season:



House has started all 34 games this season, and is averaging 5.4 PPG, 3.4 RPG and 1.7 APG for the 30-4 Belmont Bruins.  The Bruins had just one loss in conference play, while their other losses (Tennessee twice and Vanderbilt once) were all by single digits.

According to College Basketball Stats Site kenpom.com, the projected score in their first round game against #4 Wisconsin is a 3 point Badger win --- so definitely a game to keep an eye on.

Meanwhile, Bryson Johnson (a sophomore) will be making his first NCAA tournament appearance.  His Bucknell Bison are seeded #14 and draw a tough first-round matchup against Kemba Walker and the #3 UConn Huskies, who silenced some of their critics with a great run through the Big East Tournament.

Johnson's three-point shooting will be key if the Bison are to pull off an upset in their first round game; he comes into the tourney averaging 11.7 PPG, 2.0 RPG and 1.1 APG while starting all 33 of Bucknell's games.

Bucknell advanced to the tournament by winning the Patriot League Championship on Friday:



The #14 Bison are 11-point underdogs in their contest, but have plenty of experience against Big East foes this season.

They lost their season opener to Villanova (68-52) and then followed that up with a great effort on the road at Marquette.  Though the Bison lost 71-62, they actually led 57-45 with 10:32 left before a 24-0 Marquette run ended their thoughts of an upset.

Bucknell is no stranger to winning games (and pulling upsets) come tourney time.  In 2006, the #14 Bison shocked the #3 Kansas Jayhawks in first-round play.  The year after, they defeated Arkansas in the 8 vs. 9 game.

Good luck, gentlemen!

D8 All-Stars Announced; Thompson Named League MVP

St. Mary's shooting guard Alex Thompson was named as the MVP of the District 8 league as per the information released by league officials today.

Thompson, a 6'1" guard, was a scoring dynamo who led the D8 in scoring this season and helped SMHS earn the D8 regular season crown.  He will be returning to St. Mary's next season to hopefully help his Eagles take the next step to a CWOSSA berth and, possibly, an OFSAA appearance.

As could be expected, the Eagles and D8 playoff champion Resurrection Phoenix accounted for most of the first team all-stars.  2 Eagles (Thompson & Isaac Lance) and 2 Phoenix (Mike Pereira & Tyler Schneider) cracked the first-team list, which is as follows:

D8 First Team Senior All-Stars
Alex Thompson, G, St. Mary's (6'1" / 4th Year)
Mike Pereira, F, Resurrection (6'4" / 4th Year)
Tyler Schneider, G, Resurrection (6'2" / 4th Year)
Isaac Lance, G, St. Mary's (6'1" / 4th Year)
Dan Hummel, G, St. David (6'2" / 5th Year)
Kueth Geng, G/F, St. Benedict (6'3" / 4th Year)

D8 Second Team Senior All-Stars
Tyson Lavigne, F, St. David (6'3" / 5th Year)
Santo Dak, G, St. Benedict (5'9" / 4th Year)
David Nolet, G, PRDG (6'0" / 4th Year)
Ben Bankazo, G, St. Mary's (6'1" / 5th Year)
Jeff Rodrigues, G, Resurrection (5'11" / 4th Year)
Josh Klassen, G, Rockway (6'0" / 4th Year)

In addition, the D8 junior stars were announced as well.  Both the D8 junior & senior all-stars will face off against the D10 all-stars on March 30th (unfortunately, this is also the date of the WCSSAA all-star game....).  The game will be at Resurrection CSS, with the junior game at 6pm and the senior game at 8pm.

D8 Junior All-Stars (Min. 2 per team)
Avery Sutton, St. Mary's
Chris Clouthier, St. Mary's ***
Tyler Hergott, St. Mary's
Tesloth Simon, St. Mary's
Mike Blumel, St. Mary's
Erwin Zapanza, St. Benedict
Tyler Moulton, St. Benedict
Jesse Sawyer, St. Benedict
Adam Schneider, Resurrection
Jacob Gilbert, Resurrection
Nas Sabrie, Rockway
Alex Sheedy, Rockway
Matt Murawsky, St. David
Zack Enriquez, St. David

***Clouthier is injured and likely will not play in the all-star game.

Gryphons.ca: Gryphons Announce Commitment of Alyssa Shortt to Women's Basketball Team

The Guelph Gryphons announced today that Alyssa Shortt of Waterloo, Ontario has committed to join the Gryphon women’s basketball program next season.

The 5-foot-10 combo guard from Waterloo Collegiate Institute (W.C.I) helped lead her team to three WCSSA championships (2010, 2008 & 2007) and one silver medal (2009). In 2007 and 2008 her team went on to win the CWOSSA Championships and an OFSAA bronze medal in 2008. Alyssa capped her high school career by being selected the WCSSA Most Valuable Player and a first team all star in 2010. She’s received excellent coaching from Doug Ranton and Craig Nickel, two of the top high school coaches in the province.

At the club level, she’s had success playing for the K-W Lightning for coaches Allan Bush and Bob Urosevic. She is currently playing in the newly formed KW Lightning JUEL team which is defending their Ontario championship title from last season.

“She is a wonderful person who will fit in very well with the current players,” said head coach Tom O’Brien. “The players were all very impressed with Alyssa when she came to scrimmage with us last summer.”

O’Brien also commented that Shortt’s versatility as a player allows her to play any of the three perimeter positions.

“At the university level Alyssa will play at the 2-guard spot. She is a very good perimeter shooter. Due to her size she will also be able to post up smaller guards. Alyssa played a lot of point guard in high school and she will be able to help the Gryphons at that spot in a pinch.”

Shortt becomes the first recruit committed to the 2011-2012 Gryphon women’s basketball team.

Shortt will study Bio Medical Science or Biology at the University of Guelph in the fall.

Athletes who commit to any Guelph Gryphon team will be eligible to compete provided they are academically admissible and eligible to the University of Guelph and have applied through the Ontario Universities Application Centre (OUAC).

Retrieved From:  http://gryphons.ca/news/2011/3/8/WBB_0308115520.aspx

WCSSAA All-Stars: Cameron Leads Way With 4 Selections

As released by league sources today, the WCSSAA champion Cameron Heights Golden Gaels led the way in all-star selections with 4 of their 5 starters receiving an all-star nod. 

The league will announce the Mike Moser Award (league MVP) at halftime, with the winner coming from the first-team all-star selections:

First Team WCSSAA All-Stars
Edem Ame (6'0" G/F) - SJAM - 4th Year
Stefan Cvrkalj (6'4" G) - Bluevale - 5th Year
Javon Masters (6'0" G) - Forest Heights - 3rd Year
Amjed Osman (5'8" G) - Cameron Hts - 4th Year
Ben Reyhani (6'0" G) - SJAM - 4th Year

Although you couldn't go wrong with Cvrkalj as a repeat winner, my money would be on Osman as the Moser Winner this year, as a result of his role in leading CHCI to the league title.

Second team all-stars are as follows:
Nebojsa Djeric (6'2" G/F) - Cameron Hts - 5th Year
Brian Doran (6'4" G) - Southwood - 4th Year
Kieran McAndrew (6'1" G) - Forest Hts - 5th Year
Osama Qahwash (5'9" G) - Grand River - 5th Year
Brodi Verbiski (6'0" G) - Grand River - 4th Year

Additionally, the following players will receive all-star recognition as Honourable Mention Selections:

Vedran Dmitrovic (Cameron Heights)
Adnan Shah (Cameron Heights)
Srdjan Stanviuk (Forest Heights)
Jerelle Vaughan (Eastwood)
Mark Saris (Glenview Park)
Sean Samuel (Huron Heights)
Alex Galea (KCI)
Theshawn Berry (SJAM)
Perrin Smith (Bluevale)
Nic Bradford (Galt CI)
Joel Perkins (Jacob Hespeler)
Wes Meertens (Preston)
Alex Copp (WCI)
Kyle Weber (WODSS)

The "home team" will feature players from Cameron Heights, Forest Heights, Eastwood, Glenview Park, Huron Heights, KCI and Southwood.

The "visiting team" will feature players from the Waterloo high schools (SJAM, Bluevale, WCI) as well as Grand River, Galt, Jacob Hespeler, Preston and WODSS.

All-Star Game Details
Date:  Wednesday, March 30th, 2011 (7:00pm tip time)
Location:  Waterloo Collegiate Institute (300 Hazel St., Waterloo)
Cost:  $3 with student card, $5 without.  All proceeds to Big Brothers and Sisters of K-W & Cambridge.

Brantford Expositor: Slow Start Proves Costly as Trojans Eliminated

Article By:  Ed O'Leary

North Park Collegiate Trojans got caught in the starting gate for the second consecutive day and it proved costly at the Ontario Federation of School Athletic Association's AAA boys basketball championships in Niagara Falls on Tuesday.

The Trojans were eliminated when they suffered a 60-49 loss to the seventh-seeded Governor Simcoe Redcoats of St. Catharines in a second-round game at St. Michael Catholic High School.

Fourth-seeded Hillcrest High School Hawks of Ottawa beat North Park 72-42 in a first-round game Monday.

The Redcoats came out flying against the Trojans and opened a 21-9 lead in the first quarter. Hillcrest also built a sizeable lead in the first quarter against North Park on Monday.

"They jumped on us early and we just weren't able to carve our way into that lead and pull one out," Trojans head coach Todd Andrew said.

"I thought we played a lot better basketball than (Monday). We had a lot of good looks but just couldn't get them to go down at the right time."

Governor Simcoe led 30-20 at the half and 40-25 after three-quarters.

Tyler Johnston scored 19 points for the Trojans. Cale McDonald netted 11 points.

Johnston, McDonald and starting centre Brandon Webster were playing their last games for the Trojans.

Although North Park was eliminated for the second consecutive year in the second round at OFSAA, the Trojans felt they had a successful season. They were undefeated in capturing the Brant County championship.

They went 10-0 in the regular-season schedule before winning a semifinal playoff game and then defeating St. John's College Green Eagles 2-0 in a best-of-three championship final.

North Park then went to the Central Western Ontario Secondary Schools Association's AAA championship at Preston High School where they won that title for the second consecutive year.

"We needed kids to step up and our fifth-year kids, Tyler, Cale and Brandon, did that to get us to a second straight OFSAA appearance," Andrew said.

Retrieved From:  http://brantfordexpositor.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=3011626

Richardson Ends' Ross' OFSAA

The J. Clarke Richardson (Ajax) Storm, the #2 seed at OFSAA "AAAA", opened up a 47-25 halftime edge over the #17 JF Ross Royals this afternoon before cruising home to a 73-50 win.

The loss, though not unexpected, puts an end to a successful season for JF Ross, who won the D10 championship last month.

Ross received 13 from Wil de Groot and 10 from Evan Karl in this one; Richardson star Aaron Redpath had a game-high 24 points for the Storm.

Interestingly enough, virtually the entire "AAAA" tournament has gone to form --- the 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 8 teams have advanced through to the quarterfinals.  The remaining game, (7) Sacred Heart vs. (10) D'Youville is tight late in that contest.

Gaels' OFSAA Trip Ends

The Cameron Heights Golden Gaels, the #14 seed, impressed a lot of high school basketball observers in attendance this week in London.

Although the Gaels played well in both of their games, they were unable to pull out a win as they fell 77-60 to the #3 seed, the Oakville Loyola Hawks this afternoon.

Vedran Dmitrovic (25) and Nebojsa Djeric (23) were a solid one-two punch for CHCI, combining for 80% of the Gaels' offense.  However, after the Gaels took a surprising 30-17 lead after the opening quarter, the Hawks would fly back to outscore the Gaels in all three remaining quarters (19-7, 26-10 and 15-13) to pull out the 17-point victory.

Congratulations to the Gaels on a tremendous season and for representing CWOSSA well at OFSAA.

AAAA's other entry, the JF Ross Royals, play the #2 seeded J. Clarke Richardson Storm of Ajax this afternoon at 2:45pm.