Cvrkalj's Mountain Hawks top Johnson's Bison in Patriot League Championship

Some players go their whole careers without an NCAA tournament appearance.  

For Stefan Cvrkalj, he's headed to the dance as a freshman.

Sensational guard CJ McCollum poured in 29 points, and Gabe Knutson made a game-saving block in the dying seconds as the Mountain Hawks (#2 seed) went on the road and defeated Bucknell (#1 seed) 82-77 last night in the Patriot League championship game.

Lehigh led most of the way, leading 41-34 after the first half before a 16-9 Bucknell run to open the second half allowed them to tie it.  McCollum answered the call though, as he keyed a 9-0 Lehigh run after that.

Down the stretch, Lehigh held a 78-71 with under 1:00 to play, but sharpshooting CWOSSA grad (St. David '09) Bryson Johnson made two three-pointers in the span of five seconds (the second coming after a Lehigh turnover/offensive foul) --- cutting things down to 1 (78-77) and :38 left.

Johnson fouled Mackey McKnight, who missed two pressure free-throws, which gave Bucknell the chance to hold for the final shot and go for the win.  Cameron Ayers' baseline attempt, however, was blocked by Knutson and the Hawks would tack on 4 free-throws in the final seconds for the margin of victory.

"Patriot League champions.....can't get better than this," tweeted Cvrkalj after the game.

Cvrkalj, who saw action in 29 of 33 Lehigh games this year while averaging 2.4 PPG, did not play in the championship final.

Johnson, in his third year at Bucknell, played 20 minutes off the bench and hit 11 points on 3-of-8 shooting (3-for-7 beyond the arc) and 2-for-2 from the line.  He also added 2 assists and one steal.

The Patriot League is quickly becoming a recruiting pipeline for CWOSSA talent (Murphy Burnatowski transferred to Colgate from Maine as well), and it has been confirmed that Patriot schools have shown interest in several other CWOSSA talents as well.  More on that later!

Meanwhile, here's a look at Cvrkalj in action during the Patriot League semifinal, including a key put-back right before halftime (go to 0:58 for that clip):

OFSAA: Quarterfinal, Semifinal, Final Results

Again, will update this post periodically with results as they come in.  Keep in mind the "final four" teams are all guaranteed an OFSAA medal (4th place gets "antique bronze").  

Here's a look:

A - Quarterfinals

(3) Pretty River 62, (6) London Dist. Christian 58

(5) Ridley College 62, (4) Deslauriers 56 - in OT

(2) Villanova 62, (10) Renfrew CI 29

(1) Algonquin 53, (9) St. Patrick 51

Semifinals

(5) Ridley College 55, (1) ES Algonquin 42
(3) Pretty River 33, (2) Villanova 32

Bronze Medal Game
(2) Villanova 61, (1) ES Alongquin 50

Gold Medal Game
(3) Pretty River 47, (5) Ridley College 45 - in OT

AA - Quarterfinals

(5) Vaughan Road 72, (15) Lourdes 56

(16) Bishop Marrocco 68, (10) Twin Lakes - Orillia 49

(4) ACMT 42, (7) Nicholson 40

(3) St. Francis 68, (12) St. Matthew 60

Semifinals

(5) Vaughan Road 74, (16) Bishop Marrocco 62

(4) ACMT 68, (3) St. Francis 57

Bronze Medal Game
(3) St. Francis 57, (16) Bishop Marrocco 44

Gold Medal Game
(5) Vaughan Road 73, (4) ACMT 58

AAA - Semifinals

(Quarterfinal Results Posted Below)

Semifinals

(3) Anderson 48, (12) St. Theresa - Midland 47

(1) Notre Dame - Burl. 71, (2) Martingrove 43

Bronze Medal Game
(2) Martingrove 76, (12) St. Theresa - Midland 42

Gold Medal Game
(3) Anderson CVI 62, (1) Burl. Notre Dame 60

AAAA - Quarterfinals 

(6) Eastern Commerce 73, (14) Michael Goetz 66

(1) Vaughan 69, (8) St. Patrick's - Ottawa 52

(5) St. Mike's 52, (4) Pine Ridge 47

(7) HB Beal - London 59, (15) Louis Riel 46

Semifinals

(1) Vaughan 65, (5) St. Mike's 44

(6) Eastern Comm. 69, (7) HB Beal 64 - OT Final

Bronze Medal Game
(5) St. Mike's 65, (7) HB Beal 46

Gold Medal Game
(1) Vaughan 86, (6) Eastern Commerce 51

AA OFSAA: Magical Run Ends For Crusaders

All good things must come to an end.

Unfortunately for the Our Lady of Lourdes (Guelph) Crusaders, that exit came earlier than they were hoping for on Tuesday evening, with a 72-56 defeat at the hands of the #5 seed, Vaughan Road (Toronto).

A win in that contest would have assured Lourdes of an OFSAA medal; however, the Vipers took advantage of foul trouble to Lourdes' stars, Mike Finoro and Sharieff Peru, and built a 40-21 halftime edge en route to the 16-point win.

Peru finished with 22 in that one, while Finoro added 12.

The story of the day for Lourdes fans, though, was their comeback against #13 seed St. Michael's (Stratford) in their round-of-16 game.

After leading 38-35 through three quarters, the Crusaders went cold during the early stages of the fourth at about the same time that St. Mike's started to heat up.  

The result?  The Warriors took a 10-point lead with just over 4:00 to go.

Cue the Mike Finoro show.

After a timeout and on the ensuing possession, Finoro drilled a three, cutting the deficit to 7.  Lourdes then pressed and forced a turnover, and Finoro hit another three to quickly cut things down to 4.

After a St. Mike's miss, Finoro drove the lane and found Peru for a lay-in that dropped the deficit down to 2 and under 2:00 to play.

Finoro would tie the game at 53-53 on a driving layup with :19 on the clock to force OT.  The OT hero was Chris Watson, who netted 8 points in the extra session to help Lourdes earn the 65-60 win.

Finoro would finish with 23 points, while Peru had 22 to lead the Crusaders.

Congratulations to Lourdes on a very successful season --- D10 champions, and OFSAA "AA" Quarterfinalists!

OFSAA: Round of 16 Games

Here's a look at today's action.  I'll try to update this post with the results as they come in:

A

(1) ES Algonquin 56, (16) Walkerton 31

(9) St. Patrick 64, (14) St. Francis Xavier 49

(5) Ridley College 54, (11) Toronto Runnymede 36

(4) Deslauriers 75, (13) Kenora St. Thomas Aq. 54

(6) London Dist. Christian 53, (11) Niagara Christian 45

(3) Pretty River 47, (8) Kapuskasing 25

(2) Villanova 54, (15) Aldershot DHS 34

(10) Renfrew DHS 65, (7) Lajeunesse 57

Confirmed Quarterfinals
(1) ES Algonquin vs. (9) St. Patrick
(3) Pretty River vs. (6) London Dist Christian
(2) Villanova vs. (10) Renfrew DHS 
(4) Deslauriers vs. (5) Ridley College

AA

(12) St. Matthew 49, (6) Smiths Falls 33

(3) St. Francis 27, (14) Perth DHS 7 (Final!)

(10) Twin Lakes 84, (8) Timmins 35

(7) Nicholson 28, (9) GL Roberts 28 - End 3Q

(15) Lourdes 65, (13) Strfd St. Mike's 60 - OT FINAL

(5) Vaughan Road 61, (11) Essex DSS 54

(16) Bishop Marrocco 57, (1) Forster 55

(4) ACMT 60, (2) St. Basil (SSM) 48

Confirmed Quarterfinals
(15) Lourdes vs. (5) Vaughan Road 
(3) St. Francis vs. (12) St. Matthew 
(10) Twin Lakes vs. (16) Bishop Marrocco 
(4) ACMT vs. Nicholson/GL Roberts 

AAA - Quarterfinals

(1) Notre Dame - Burl 77, (9) Jean Vanier 55

(2) Martingrove 63, (4) Windsor Herman 50

(12) Midland St. Theresa 56, (10) Holy Cross (K) 53

(3) Anderson CVI 58, (6) Catholic Central (W) 53

Confirmed Semifinals
(1) Notre Dame vs. (2) Martingrove
(3) Anderson vs. (12) St. Theresa - Midland

AAAA

(6) Eastern Commerce 66, (12) Mt. Carmel 59

(14) Michael Goetz 53, (18) Bill Crothers 42

(8) St. Patrick's 69, (10) St. Mary's 58

(7) HB Beal 55, (9) Westmount 53 (in OT)

(4) Pine Ridge 52, (13) JF Ross 40

(5) St. Michael's 66, (11) West Hill 36

(1) Vaughan 51, (3) Holy Trinity 37

(15) Louis Riel 58, (2) Henry Carr 50

Confirmed Quarterfinals
(4) Pine Ridge vs. (5) St. Michael's 
(6) Eastern Commerce vs. (14) Father Goetz 
(1) Vaughan vs. (8) St. Patrick's
(15) Louis Riel vs. (7) HB Beal

CWOSSA Day 1 OFSAA Recap: Thompson Beats Buzzer As Eagles Win in AAAA

What an opening day of the OFSAA basketball championships!

Despite all 5 CWOSSA teams being seeded in the lower half of all draws, our teams went a respectable 2-3 in the opening round of action on Monday.

The most exciting of those games came up in Ottawa, where an Alex Thompson buzzer-beater gave #10 Kitchener St. Mary's (AAAA) their first OFSAA win in school history, a 60-59 thriller over #9 Hamilton Westmount.

Henry Bankazo was also solid down the stretch for the Eagles, with two key baskets while taking an important charge at around the 1:30 mark.  The game actually saw three lead changes in the final 30 seconds of play; Westmount had taken the lead with about :15 on the clock.

Adam Voll led the way for the balanced Eagle attack with a 13-point effort.

St. Mary's will play #8 Ottawa St. Patrick's today at 1:00pm, with the winner of that game playing either #1 Vaughan or #3 Holy Trinity in one quarterfinal tonight.  From a comparison standpoint, their D8 rivals Resurrection lost 68-53 to St. Patrick's in the consolation finals of the Ontario All-Catholic tournament, though it was a 6-point game at halftime and about 10 with 6:00 to go in the fourth before St. Pat's extended things late.

Meanwhile, Guelph's Our Lady of Lourdes HS was definitely not pleased about their #15 seeding at "AA" OFSAA, and decided to take things out on the competition by pulling a big first round upset, 54-45 over #4 ACMT of Hamilton. 

As I noted on Twitter, ACMT is no slouch, having beaten the likes of Kitchener St. Mary's earlier this year.

Lourdes got the uptempo Jaguars playing their game, which certainly helped.  Sharieff Peru also had a monumental effort for the Crusaders, pouring in 28 (over half) of their points.  Mike Finoro added 10 as well.

So, instead of playing the #2 team today, Lourdes does themselves a favour and will now play #13 St. Michael's (Stratford).  This is a team that has participated in several CWOSSA tournaments, such as the Knights-Vikes Classic (win over Hamilton SJAM, 20 point loss to WCI, 20 point win over Huron Heights) and the SBCSS Tournament (60-57 loss to Preston).  

It goes without saying that if Lourdes plays like they did yesterday, they could certainly advance through to the quarterfinals.  Tip time is 10:00am.

Meanwhile, back to AAAA, JF Ross put forth a valiant effort against #7 HB Beal of London, but the Raiders pulled away in the 4th to a 56-45 win.  This one was close throughout, with Beal holding quarter leads of 4, 2 at half (31-29) and three after three quarters (38-35).  Jack Cornett had 9 for the Royals there.

JF Ross is about to tip-off (9:45am) in an elimination game against #4 Pine Ridge of Pickering.  They did defeat Pine Ridge a few weeks' back in an exhibition game, so they may be able to spring an upset.  By the same token, they won't be an "unknown commodity" to the Panthers, either.

In "A", Walkerton DSS (#16) got 21 points from JD West but dropped their opener 50-38 to London District Christian (#6).  The Raiders will take on the top-ranked E-S Algonquin in the "round of 16" this morning.

Finally, the Jacob Hespeler Hawks are out down at the "AAA" tournament, but not after a fine effort down in Windsor against the hometown (and #4 ranked) Herman Green Griffins.

The Hawks, who trailed 50-42 after three quarters, went on a 10-2 run to open the fourth quarter, keyed by a 5-point surge from star Jason Quiring and a free-throw from Brendan Vandyken to tie the game at 52 and around 5:30 to play.

However, the Hawks would go cold thereafter and Herman would reel off the next 14 points of the game before Hespeler hit a three with under :10 left in the game (66-55).  Two more Herman free-throws would account for the final margin.

Jason Quiring finished with a double-double in that one (20 points, 11 rebounds), while Javon Bryce added 14.

Jacob Hespeler dropped their opener to #7 Sherwood, 69-49.  Quiring again led the way in that one with 12.

OFSAA First Round Results: Updated

Your one stop shop for all OFSAA results - right here!

A

(1) ES Algonquin 50, (11) Niagara Christian 46

(3) Pretty River 63, (9) St. Patrick Catholic - Toronto 60

(6) London Christian 50, (16) Walkerton DSS 38
JD West had a team-high 21 points, while teammate Colton Marois added 10 points and 9 rebounds but it wasn't enough as the higher-seed advanced.  WDSS plays #1 ES Algonquin tomorrow.

(13) St. Francis Xavier 46, (8) Kapuskasking 41 - (2OT)

(2) Villanova College 66, (11) Runnymede 23

(5) Ridley College 51, (15) Aldershot DHS 40

(4) Deslauriers 65, (10) Renfrew CI 35

(7) Lajeunesse 64, (13) St. Thomas Aquinas - Kenora 47

AA

(3) St. Francis - St. Catharines 69, (18) Fort Frances 30

(6) Smith's Falls 57, (16) Bishop Marocco - Toronto 51

(15) Lourdes 54, (4) ACMT 45 - FINAL
The Crusaders pull an upset by taking out #4 ACMT in the first round!  Sharieff Peru poured in a huge 28 points for Lourdes, while Mike Finoro added 10.  Congrats to Lourdes on the big win!

(5) Vaughan Road 52, (17) Westlane 42  

(1) Forster - Windsor 86, (12) St. Matthew - Ottawa 64

(8) Timmins 38, (14) Perth 35

(10) Twin Lakes - Orillia 61, (9) GL Roberts - Oshawa 50

(7) Nicholson - Belleville 48, (13) St. Mike's - Stratford 33

(2) St. Basil 44, (11) Essex DSS 43

Elimination Games To Qualify To Round 2:

(16) Bishop Marocco 71, (18) Fort Frances 39

(4) ACMT 55, (17) Westlane 46

AAA

(1) Notre Dame - Burl. 74, (11) IE Weldon 48

(6) Catholic Central (Windsor) 72, (16) St. Mary's - SSM 48

(12) St. Theresa - Midland 68, (2) Martingrove - Toronto 64

(5) Richview - Etobicoke 69, (15) Fr. McGivney - Markham 46

(7) Sherwood - Hamilton 69, (13) Jacob Hespeler 49 - Final
JHSS trailed by 9 at half and 3 in the third before Sherwood pulled away to a comfortable win late.

(8) Banting - London 55, (14) Earl of March - Kanata 35

(3) Anderson - Whitby 58, (9) Jean Vanier - Toronto 39

(4) Herman - Windsor 56, (10) Holy Cross - Kingston 50

Second Round
(1) Notre Dame vs. (16) St. Mary's
(9) Jean Vanier vs. (8) Banting
(2) Martingrove vs. (5) Richview
(4) Herman vs. (13) Jacob Hespeler

(11) IE Weldon vs. (6) Catholic Central
(3) Andrerson vs. (14) Earl of March
(12) St. Theresa's vs. (15) McGivney
(10) Holy Cross vs. (7) Sherwood
 

AAAA

(18) Bill Crothers 60, (3) Holy Trinity - Oakville 59

(4) Pine Ridge - Pickering 54, (15) Louis Riel - Ottawa 44

(5) St. Mike's - Toronto 73, (17) Ursuline - Chatham 35

(6) Eastern Commerce 60, (16) Collingwood CI 48

(7) HB Beal 56, (13) JF Ross 45
It was close the whole way through (3 points at half and after three), however, the Raiders gradually pulled away in the final couple of minutes for the final margin.  Jack Cornett led the Royals with 9.

(10) St. Mary's 60, (9) Westmount 59
What a game!  Three lead changes in the final :30, capped by Alex Thompson hitting the winner with 0.5 seconds remaining for the St. Mary's win!  Adam Voll had 13 to lead the way for the Eagles.  

(2) Henry Carr 60, (11) West Hill - Toronto 49 

(1) Vaughan 52, (12) Mount Carmel 44

(8) St. Patrick's 80, (14) Father Goetz 56 


Elimination Games to Qualify To Round 2:

(3) Holy Trinity 57, (16) Collingwood 46


(15) Louis Riel 45, (17) Ursuline 43

OFSAA Today!

The 2012 OFSAA Boys' Basketball championships tip off today with all four sites (A through AAAA) in action.

Here's a quick glance of our 5 teams, and how I project that they might fare:

A - Walkerton

Seeding:  #16 (of 16 teams)

First Game:  Today, 4:00pm vs. #6 London District Christian

Outlook:  The Raiders have been given the #16 seed in the 16-team tournament, which is obviously a very difficult place to be.  Unlike the AA & AAAA 18-team tournaments, where the lower seeds would play a "winnable" game against a similarly-ranked team to get the draw down to 16 teams, a first-round loss and Walkerton goes right up against #1 E-S Algonquin. 

Mark's Prediction:  The youthful Raiders (most of their roster is grade 11 and under) will be looking to gain some valuable experience this weekend.  Their shot at a win comes in the first round, but I'll predict an 0-2 exit.

AA - Lourdes

Seeding:  #15 (of 18 teams)

First Game:  2pm today, vs. #4 ACMT (Hamilton)

Outlook:  I'm a bit surprised by the #15 seed given to the Crusaders, which is where they were last year.  Of course, it's always very difficult to seed the "A" and "AA" tournaments in particular with teams coming from practically across Ontario.

That being said, I think the Crusaders are in tough in their first game against ACMT, but should be able to pull a win against (likely) #17 Westlane in the "second round qualifier" this evening.  This would set up a game with #2 St. Basil tomorrow, which is quite interesting.  Last year, the Crusaders held a 34-22 lead at halftime over the Saints (also ranked #2 in that tournament) before falling 71-54.  The Saints are strong, but can be beaten -- just ask Lourdes' D10 rivals, the Bishop Mac Celtics, who upset St. Basil at the SBCSS tournament earlier this year.

Mark's Prediction:  I'll go with a win in the "round of 16" qualifier, and a single digit loss to #2 St. Basil in the round of 16.  1-2 record.

AAA - Jacob Hespeler

Seeding:  #13 (of 16 teams)

First Game:  12:15pm today, vs #7 Sherwood (Hamilton)

Outlook:  The Hawks played some great basketball at the CWOSSA "AAA" tournament, and they'll be looking to carry that momentum over to Windsor here today.  Seeded #13, the Hawks will need a big first-round effort to avoid a loss, which would likely mean a match-up with #4 Windsor Herman, who are a very strong team (defeated Kitchener St. Mary's 41-38 earlier this year).  JHSS will need to key on Sherwood's Moe Ismail, who netted 25 of his team's 55 in their 55-51 qualifier win over Niagara Falls' AN Myer.

Mark's Prediction:  Though I wouldn't be surprised to see the Hawks come away with a win (especially in the first round), I'll project a close loss to Sherwood in the first-round, and a loss to #4 Herman in round 2. 0-2.  

AAAA - St. Mary's

Seeding:  #10 (of 18 teams)

First Game:  4:15pm today, vs. #9 Westmount (Hamilton)

Outlook:  These teams met last year (2010-11 season), with the Eagles scoring a comfortable double-digit win --- but times have changed.  The Wildcats have made tremendous strides this season, knocking of MacNab (Hamilton) in the city public championships.  The win was Westmount's first city public title since 1978, and their first appearance in the final since 1981.  Don't forget that they have several other quality wins (Mother Teresa, for example) on the year.  

In particular, I'm looking for a GREAT matchup between two top tier power forwards in this one.  6'6" James Miles (Westmount) and 6'7" Adam Voll (St. Mary's).  Both have the capability to perform inside and out, so it should be quite entertaining.  

Meanwhile, St. Mary's shooters (esp. Isaac Lance, Alex Thompson and Telloy Simon, among others) must be "on" against Westmount's zone that really stifled MacNab in the Hamilton Public final. 

The good news for St. Mary's is that a loss doesn't leave them in a very difficult position, unlike teams in other divisions.  The "worst" they can do is play #7 HB Beal with a loss.  A win would put them against the winner of the #8/#14 game (St. Patrick's/Goetz).

Mark's Prediction:  I see the Eagles coming away with at least one win here.  I'll go against the grain and say that they make it to the quarterfinal round, where they'll be in tough against (most likely) either #1 Vaughan or #2 Henry Carr --- but we'll see how things play out!

AAAA - JF Ross

Seeding:  #13 (of 18 teams)

First Game:  2:45pm today, vs #7 HB Beal (London)

Outlook:  Making their third consecutive OFSAA appearance, the Royals certainly have experience on their side.  A win in their opener against Beal, and the Royals would get Ross/Westmount, while a loss means (most likely) #4 Pine Ridge --- although the Royals did beat Pine Ridge in an exhibition match a few weeks ago.

Mark's Prediction:  Arguably the most difficult one of the bunch to make.  I'll (unfortunately) say 0-2, with both being "close" single-digit losses, but I'll be pulling for the Royals and all CWOSSA teams to make some noise!

-------

Again, good luck to all teams!

WCSSAA: All-Stars Announced

WCSSAA league officials have announced the first and second-team all-stars for this past season.

Further details on honourable mention all-stars, as well as information on the all-star game, will follow in the next week or so.

The Mike Moser Award, given to the MVP of the WCSSAA league, will be announced at halftime of the all-star game.

First Team WCSSAA All-Stars

Jacob Ranton, 6'7" F - Waterloo CI (Grade 12)

Ben Reyhani, 6'0" G - SJAM (5th Year)

Juwan Miller, 5'10" G - Forest Heights (Grade 11)

Javon Masters, 6'0" G - Forest Heights (Grade 12)

Jason Quiring, 6'6" F - Jacob Hespeler (Grade 12)

Second Team WCSSAA All-Stars

Jack Simmons, 6'7" F - Galt (Grade 12)

Nathaniel Ellis, 6'2" F - SJAM (Grade 12)

Vedran Dmitrovic, 6'0" G - Cameron Hts (Grade 12)

Dani Elgadi, 6'6" F - Waterloo CI (Grade 12)

Filip Cvrkalj, 6'4" G - Grand River (Grade 12)

OUA West: Higgins Named to All-Rookie Team; Johnson, McCarthy Named Second-Team All-Stars

Former Guelph St. James' star Ryan Higgins was named on Thursday to the OUA West Men's all-rookie team, in a release coming from league sources.

The 6'4" Higgins averaged 7.9 PPG and 3.9 RPG for the 'Stangs, who finished 8-14 in a rebuilding year.

Meanwhile, another Guelphite, Centennial CVI grad Danny McCarthy, and Ben Johnson (who attended St. David CSS in Waterloo but was ineligible to play) were named as second-team OUA West all-stars.

McCarthy averaged 17.6 PPG and 6.0 RPG for the Gryphons, while Johnson averaged 12.3 PPG while hitting 60-of-110 (54%) from beyond the three-point arc.

Johnson and the Thunderwolves are partaking in the OUA "Final 4", which goes down today at the University of Waterloo.  Lakehead battles Ryerson in one semifinal, while top-ranked Carleton plays McMaster in the other.  Action tips off at 6pm.

In another "CWOSSA link" to today's action, former KCI guard (and '09 grad) Gavin Berry is playing for Ryerson.  He averaged 3.4 PPG while seeing 9.0 minutes of action in 15 of 22 league games.

Alumni Update: One Step Closer to Another Alum in the Tourney

We're one step closer to another year of a CWOSSA alum participating in the NCAA tourney.

As expected, the Bucknell Bison (#1 seed) and the Lehigh Mountain Hawks (#2 seed) were easy winners in the Patriot League Tournament quarterfinals last night.

Bucknell breezed past (#8 seed) Navy 87-63, while Lehigh defeated (#7 seed) Colgate 70-57.

Bucknell's Bryson Johnson, a junior, hit for 15 points on 5-of-8 shooting, including 5-for-7 from beyond the arc.  He also added an assist and a steal in 20 minutes of action.

Freshman Stefan Cvkralj saw one minute of action in Lehigh's win.

You can actually see both Lehigh and Bucknell in action this Saturday on your TV.  Lehigh's semifinal against (#3) American is at 2pm, while Bucknell plays at 4:30pm against #5 Lafayette.  Both games will be on the CBS College Sports Network (Channel 416 on Rogers). 

OFSAA "AAAA": Eagles Seeded 10th, Royals 13th

Seeding was announced for the OFSAA "AAAA" tournament in Ottawa yesterday, and I think our representatives fell in exactly where most figured they would (myself included).

The St. Mary's Eagles were awarded the #10 seed in the 18-team tournament, while the JF Ross Royals are the #13 team in the competition.

The #10 seed for St. Mary's is the highest that a CWOSSA team has been seeded in three years, as the 2009 SJAM Highlanders were also seeded 10th.  Let's hope that St. Mary's has a similar first-round result to the '09 'Landers, who defeated #9 Ajax Notre Dame in their opener.

Meanwhile, after being the #17 seed the last two seasons, the Royals have taken a step up to the #13 slot.  Avoiding one of the #15-#18 spots means (unless you can spring a big first round upset) avoiding the #1 or #2 teams in the "round of 16".

St. Mary's will play in the "9 vs 10" opening round game, against Westmount HS out of Hamilton.

JF Ross, meanwhile, gets #7 seed HB Beal out of London.

There is a "chance" of a Ross-St. Mary's second round matchup if the Royals can upset Beal and St. Mary's lose their first-round game.

Here are the official seeds for this year's AAAA tournament.  You can also check out the draw posted here.

OFSAA "AAAA" Boys Seeding

1.  Vaughan SS (Thornhill)

2.  Father Henry Carr (Toronto)

3.  Holy Trinity (Oakville)

4.  Pine Ridge SS (Pickering)

5.  St. Michael's College (Toronto)

6.  Eastern Commerce (Toronto)

7.  HB Beal SS (London)

8.  St. Patrick's HS (Ottawa)

9.  Westmount SS (Hamilton)

10.  St. Mary's HS (Kitchener)

11.  West Hill Collegiate (Toronto)

12.  Our Lady of Mount Carmel (Mississauga)

13.  John F. Ross CVI (Guelph)

14.  Father Michael Goetz (Mississauga)

15.  Ecole Sécondaire Louis-Riel (Ottawa)

16.  Collingwood CI 

17.  Ursuline College (Chatham)

18.  Bill Crothers SS (Unionville)

OFSAA A: Raiders Seeded 16th at "A" OFSAA

The seeding for "A" OFSAA, hosted by Ridley College in St. Catharines, has been released this morning.

For the Walkerton DSS Raiders, there's really nowhere to go but up.

The Raiders, making their first OFSAA appearance in 20 years (1992 "AA") are seeded 16th --- out of 16 teams --- in the competition.

That all being said, they have the distinct advantage of a team possibly overlooking them, and an early upset could make for a favourable schedule going forward.

The Raiders will start out on Monday at 4pm against the #6 seed, the London District Christian Pioneers, and then will play the winner/loser of #1 Algonquin and #11 Niagara Christian.

The Pioneers will present a unique challenge for Walkerton as they do have a fair amount of size (7 players 6'2" and over, and 3 players 6'4" & 6'5").  WDSS will have to do a good job defensively on LDC's grade 10 sensation, 6'3" forward Taylor De Schiffert, who was a regular 20+ scorer during TVRAA play this season.

Of course, they'll also have to pay special attention on the outside to guard Shawn Brus, who knocked home 5 three-pointers in the first-half en route to a 30-point effort in their regional "A" final.

Sure, the Raiders are hoping to possibly make some noise this year, but keep in mind that they are a relatively young squad with 7 players in grades 10 or 11, so keep an eye out for this team at "A" CWOSSA next year as well.

CWOSSA Junior Finals Video....and a Non-Basketball Related Historical Gem

For those of us who couldn't be there back on Monday, here's a bit of video of the CWOSSA "AAAA" Senior final between JF Ross and St. Mary's.

Meanwhile, speaking of YouTube, I came across this historical gem while searching for some of my historical information. Sure, it's a Rogers broadcast of a WCSSAA junior volleyball final, but there's still "some" basketball linkages - future WCI senior basketball stars Mike Crosby and Jon Awad, among others, are featured. Too good not to share:

If anyone has any historical CWOSSA basketball videos that they can dig up (either on YouTube or elsewhere), please let me know!

OFSAA: Seeding Decisions Underway

Fields have now been assembled for the OFSAA A, AA, AAA and AAAA basketball championships which will take place next week around the province.

Now, the big task for tournament organizers is figuring out where to place everyone!

Here's a quick look at our OFSAA teams and where I think they might fit in:

St. Mary's Eagles (Kitchener) - AAAA #1

Key Wins:  Pope John Paul II (Toronto), Anderson CVI (Dyshawn Pierre - DNP), Resurrection x3, JF Ross x3, Waterloo CI, Forest Heights, Sarnia Northern, Centre Wellington.

Notable Losses:  ACMT (Hamilton), Herman (Windsor), Holy Trinity (Oakville), Cardinal Newman, Forest Heights, Notre Dame (Burlington).

My Take:  Going undefeated through league & playoff action (including CWOSSA) was important for this squad, as they hadn't really won the tough games outside of the region (i.e. Windsor tournament).  I see them as a #10 or a #11 seed, but anything in the #9 - #12 range is possible, really.

JF Ross Royals (Guelph) - AAAA #2

Key Wins:  Forest Heights, Loyola (Oakville), Governor Simcoe, Centre Wellington, SJAM, Pine Ridge (exhibition), IE Weldon - Lindsay (AAA OFSAA Qualifier), St. Anne (Windsor).

Notable Losses:  St. Mary's (Kitchener) x3, Centre Wellington, Centennial, Grand River, Pope John Paul, London Banting, Sarnia Northern.

My Take:  Not winning their league title or CWOSSA will obviously affect their ranking.  However, I would expect the Royals to be ranked higher than they were last year or in 2010 (#17 both years).  I'm looking at a #14 seed for the Royals myself, but expect something in that #13 - #15 range.

Jacob Hespeler - AAA

My Take:  The Hawks, making their first appearance, are likely headed for the lower end of the OFSAA rankings --- which isn't necessarily a bad thing the way they played this past weekend.  

Several league losses, as well as a few tournament losses (particularly the SBCSS tournament) will likely have them down in the #13-#15 range in what, on paper, looks to be a fairly strong 16-team AAA tournament.     

Of course, JHSS didn't have Javon Bryce in all of their games, particularly some of their losses, and now that he's back, perhaps the underdog Hawks can make some noise at the AAA tournament --- especially if a team takes them lightly with their ranking.

Our Lady of Lourdes - AA

After getting some OFSAA experience under their belt last year as a #15 seed (going 1-2 but being up on the #2 seed, St. Basil of SSM by 12 at halftime), I look for Lourdes to have a much better seed this season.

With a league and repeat CWOSSA championship under their belt, I wouldn't be surprised to see this year's version of the Crusaders in the top 10.  I'm looking at them as a #9-#11 seed, personally, but we'll see what the seeding committee has to say about the Crusaders improved resume from a year ago. 

Junior: CWOSSA "AAAA" Finals - Results

Going to try the same thing with junior; of course, things are a little more difficult to dig up (especially in newspaper archives).  Here's a quick look at what I've got thus far:

CWOSSA "AAAA" Finals (2002-12)

2012:  St. Mary's 66, JF Ross 51

SMHS:  Jemari Stephenson 18

JFR:  Mo Hussien & Andrew Folkerson 15

2011:  Forest Heights 58, St. Mary's 47

FHCI:  Juwan Miller 35

SMHS:  Mike Blumel 15

2010:  Resurrection 42, WCI 39

RCSS:  Alphonso Ellis 19

WCI:  Jacob Ranton 11

2009:  Resurrection 54, Grand River 50

RCSS:  Andrew Mwangi 15

GRCI:  Scott Foggo 16

2008:  St. Mary's 56, Grand River 46

2007:  JF Ross 46, Centennial 44

2006:  Centennial 62, Forest Heights 50

2005:  Forest Heights over North Park

2004:  KCI over WCI (?)

2003:  KCI over St. John's

2002:  WCI over North Park