Qualifiers Smith Falls and Peterborough Crestwood were forced to withdraw. The Red Hawks did not have a non-faculty coach (or assistant) and no member of the school faculty was inclined to make the trip. As for Crestwood, as a result of a teacher’s strike in Peterborough, no faculty member agreed to journey to Sudbury, so they were turfed from the draw because they did not have a “non-faculty” coach. The schools were replaced in the draw by the Kingston Collegiate Blues and the Belleville Centennial Chargers.
In the opening round, held in Sudbury: …………………………………………………… The host Sudbury Lockerby Vikings defeated the 4th-seeded Scarborough Blessed Mother Teresa Titans 59-56 as Craig Mazzuchin scored 15. Keith Vassell led the Titans with 15. …………………………………………………… The 8th-seeded Sarnia Northern Vikings crushed the 16th-seeded Kingston CVI Blues 67-53 as 6-6 Ryan Goldie, 6-7 John Smith and 6-8 Mike Payne dominated the paint. The Vikings broke open a close game with a 23-8 run in the second quarter. Goldie finished with 17 points and 9 boards. Payne scored 12 and grabbed 8 boards. Pete Kratz added 17, including five treys. Wayne Lee led the Blues with 18. Pat Vernet added 16 and Connor Glynn 8. “There wasn’t much we could do after that second quarter,” said Blues assistant Bill Miklas. “We played well in the first quarter, staying within two points of them. But then we started to force things too much and we weren’t crashing the boards like we did in the beginning. Once that happened, Sarnia just ran over us.” …………………………………………………… The Windsor Lowe Trojans stomped the Guelph John F. Ross Royals 100-45. Trojans Chad Curley and Zoran Ristic kept draining treys in the first half as the Royals collapsed their defence in the paint. The Trojans led 21-19 when coach Gerry Brumpton delivered “a tongue lashing of awesome proportions.” Brumpton told the Windsor Star “we certainly missed our wakeup call to start the first quarter.” But in the final 40 seconds of the first half, the Trojans delivered an 8-0 run to take a 41-30 lead into the lockers. “The last 40 seconds gave us a real boost,” said Lowe’s Zoran Ristic, who scored 27. “It got us pumped up and they got a little down. In the second half, we kept coming and coming like a pack of crazed dogs.” Curley added 24 for the Trojans, including one that he said deserved four points it was so far outside the arc. “By going inside in the first half, that created space for our outside game in the second half.” Lowe led 74-38 after three quarters. Shannon Robbins added 15, Al Poisson 12, Mannarino 12, Hart 5 and Bailey 3. Royals coach Darryl Milne said “that was the worst turnover percentage against the press we’ve had – ever. “They had tall players at the front of the press, so we couldn’t go over them. They had good intensity in the second half, so it was hard to get around them. What it did was get us playing their game. We didn’t want to play quickly. They got us playing that street ball.” Phillips led the Royals with 12. Harry Frielink added 11 and Jefferson 10. …………………………………………………… The 5th-seeded Oshawa O’Neil Redmen crushed the Belleville Centennial Chargers 64-43 as Jason Podrats scored 23. Jason Clapp led the Chargers with 13. …………………………………………………… The Hamilton St. Mary’s Crusaders clocked the Scarborough West Hill Warriors 81-63 in what appears to have been a slugfest, often near fisticuffs. The Crusaders accused the Warriors of taunting and “runs” at their foes. Crusader Rob DiBacco took a punch in the face from a Warrior in the fourth quarter and hit the floor bleeding. Crusaders forward Anthony Randall said “I’ve never seen anything like it. … The refs lost total control of the game.” The Crusaders led by 30 before the Warriors trimmed the margin with physicality. Crusaders coach Joe Raso said “those kids intimidated the refs. It was cheap and there’s no excuse for it. All I know is we’re going on one side of the draw and they’re going on the other. … It made us intense and our team is best when it’s intense. I was proud of the way our kids handled it.” …………………………………………………… The Brampton Cardinal Leger Lancers edged the Toronto Oakwood Barons 57-52. …………………………………………………… The St. Catharines Governor Simcoe Redcoats clipped the Ottawa Nepean Knights 64-58 as Brent Beamer scored 33, Jamie Huebert 14 and Jason Munro 13. Redcoats coach Pat Woodburn tole the St. Catharines Standard that “the boys played their hearts out.” Chad Campbell led the Knights with 20. …………………………………………………… The Etobicoke Martingrove Bears dusted the Sault Ste. Marie St. Mary’s Knights 57-38. Don Muto led the Knights with 13. Rob Burzese added 10.
In the second round: …………………………………………………… The St. Catharines Governor Simcoe Redcoats stunned the 4th-seeded Scarborough Blessed Mother Teresa Titans 77-71 in triple overtime. After the loss, Titan Keith Vassell was dejected and critical of the way the team played. “We didn’t come to play; it just felt like no one really wanted to win and now it’ll be remembered as that one rough time of the year,” the 6-3, 210-pound forward and member of the Canadian junior national team told the Toronto Star. “I expected to win some kind of a medal, not go home like this. But we were flat and it was ugly.” Vassell recorded a team-high 24 points. But for the first time in the season, the 19-year-old fouled out in the closing seconds of the first overtime period. “When (Vassell) went out, we were in control but they just wouldn’t roll over,” said Redcoats coach Pat Woodburn. Governor Simcoe took an 18-13 lead in to the second quarter, increased it to 35-26 at halftime and then pulled ahead 53-39 with 6:54 left in the game. But the Titans rallied behind Vassell, who tied the game at 57. Titan Keith Samuel missed a pair from the line with four seconds to play. The three overtimes were knotted at 61-61, 67-67 and finally Reinhold Klassen breaking a 71-71 draw with the last six points. Teresa coach Ron Burrows couldn’t believe that his troops shot 8-18 from the line. But he was impressed with Simcoe’s 6-foot-6 Brent Beamer, who scored 41 and nabbed 12 boards. The Titans (coached by Ron Burrows, assisted by Des Hennessey and Tom Oliveri) included Barry Harkin, Rob Roberto, Shean Bennett, Rick Collins, Sean Green, Whalen Timoli, Krim Lacey, Lydan Velinor and Jason Davies. …………………………………………………… The 8th-seeded Sarnia Northern Vikings dumped the Scarborough West Hill Warriors 69-56 as Duane Elliott scored 21. Rowan Barrett paced the Warriors with 23. The Warriors (coached by Richard Dean, assisted by Leroy Williams) also included Brian McLennon, Dave Jarrette, Steve Rodney, Paul Trudel, Stephen Shalland, Chris Walton, Rowan Jones, Mark Bentley, Marcel Liburd, Salman Baber and Godfrey Hunte. …………………………………………………… The 2nd-seeded Etobicoke Martingrove Bears defeated the Toronto Oakwood Barons 56-51 as George Frempong scored 22. Patrick Johnson led the Barons with 19. The Barons (coached by Terry Thomson, assisted by Jack Vecchio) included Greg Francis, Reid Beckett, J.R. Powell, George Maragos, Wyeth Clarkson, Rui Andrade, Brian Campbell, Eddie Braithwaite, Brendan Mark, Maurizio Guido, Enzo Marcello and Futis Michalarias. …………………………………………………… The 3rd-seeded Hamilton St. Mary’s Crusaders dumped the Kingston CVI Blues 78-51. St. Mary’s led 45-25 at the half. Anthony Randall and Gedis Dziemino each scored 16 to pace St. Mary’s. Rich Wesolowski added 12. Glenn Williams and Wayne Lee each notched 14 to lead the Blues. “We knew we’d be in for a tough game against St. Mary’s,” Blues coach Hans Garsch told the Kingston Whig-Standard. “We were outscored 22-9 in the second quarter and as a result we were behind 45-25 at the half,” said Garsch. “We matched them 15-15 in the third quarter but St. Mary’s had a strong lineup. We were happy as a team with what we achieved this year.” The Blues (coached by Garsch, assisted by Bill Miklas) also included Connor Glynn, Doug Fell, Pat Vernet, Kay, Purvis, Boegman, Jennings and Richards. …………………………………………………… The Windsor Lowe Trojans dusted the Belleville Centennial Chargers 88-38. The Trojans opened with an 18-3 run and expanded their lead to 46-23 at the half and 70-26 after three quarters. Zoran Ristic led the Trojans with 23. Chad Curley added 21 and Ottavio Mannarino 13. Brian Todd led the Chargers with 11. …………………………………………………… The 6th-seeded Oshawa O’Neill Redmen clipped the Guelph John F. Ross Royals 75-65 as Doug Wilson scored 23. Dave Haywood led the Royals with 17. The Royals (coach Darryl Milne) also included Lyndon Phillips, Harry Freilink, Rich Jefferson, Andrew France, Kevin Lyon. …………………………………………………… The 5th-seeded Brampton Cardinal Leger Lancers dispatched the Sault Ste. Marie St. Mary’s Knights 62-53 as Michael Meeks scored 20. Dave Nicholls, Ray Pino and Paul DeMarco each scored 10 to lead the Knights. Pat Lucarelli added 9 and Don Muto 9. Knights assistant Gene Adams told the Sault Star that “their size created a lot of trouble for us. They had one guy 6-9 and two others 6-5 and that was too much for us to handle. We’d shut down two of them but the third one was always there getting the loose ball and the rebounds.” The Knights (coached by Loris Pecile, who did not attend the tournament because he was travelling to Florida, assistant Gene Adams, manager Sherlock Capco) also included Rob Burzese, Guy Guzzo, Randy Muto, Joe Coccimiglio and Glenn Simmons. …………………………………………………… The Sudbury Lockerby Vikings edged the Ottawa Nepean Knights 53-51 in overtime as Chris Mazzuchin scored 14. Gavin Hole led the Knights with 21. The Knights (coached by Dave Smart, assisted by Drew Moseley), also included Brad Campbell, Matt Jackson, Matt Whiting, Mike Kronick, Bryan Eburne, Ian Rowe, Erik Gordon, Chris Bjornstad, Jamie Kiamanokos and Kevin Groh.
In the quarterfinals, the 5th-seeded Brampton Cardinal Leger Lancers defeated the Sudbury Lockerby Vikings 52-24. The Lancers scored 20 consecutive points in the second half and kept Sudbury off the scoreboard for an incredible nine minutes and 51 seconds. Lancers coach Steve Pettit told the Toronto Star that knew he had the offensive weapons, including 6-9 Michael Meeks, who scored 22. “We have been working on the defensive game for at least two years and I’m happy with what I saw. Offences come and go; defence is what wins championships. This is when the playoffs get exciting and we’re ready.” Lockerby coach Bill Morse, who’s top scorer Chris Mazzuchin, only notched 7, said his troops were intimidated. “Their defence took away our outside shooting and the tall kid (Meeks) shut us down in the middle; there wasn’t much left,” he said.
The top-seeded Windsor W.D. Lowe Trojans defeated the 5th-seeded Sarnia Northern Vikings 75-48 as Chad Curley scored 21. Peter Kratz paced the Vikings with 19.
The 2nd-seeded Etobicoke Martingrove Bears defeated the St. Catharines Governor Simcoe Redcoats 57-39 as Wayne Mulgrave scored 19. Jamie Huebert led the Redcoats with 10. The Redcoats (coach Pat Woodburn) also included Brent Beamer, Mike Walsh, Brian Fretz, Jason Munroe, Reinhold Klassen, Colin Strickland, Jeff Sanderson, Tony Fretz, Wendell Minty, Tony Forde and Marc Henry.
In the last quarterfinal, the 3rd-seeded Hamilton St. Mary’s Crusaders defeated the 6th-seeded Oshawa O’Neill Redmen 69-52 as Rich Wesolowski scored 36, including 5-7 from the arc. Wesolowski told the Hamilton Spectator that “it’s a lot easier for us to get up for the big games. There are five seniors on this team and this is the year we have to do it and this is tournament we have to do it in.” Crusaders coach Joe Raso said “at the end of the game tonight, we were playing on adrenalin.” Jason Podrats led the Redmen with 16. The Redmen (coached by Craig Andrews) also included Carl Thompson, Doug Wilson, Cam Nekkers, Marlon Coore.
In the semis, the 3rd-seeded Hamilton St. Mary’s Crusaders defeated the 2nd-seeded Etobicoke Martingrove Bears 69-65 as Rich Wesolowski scored 25. George Frempong paced the Bears with 33, including 8 treys. Frempong had a chance to tie it at the buzzer but attracted a swarm of defenders and pitched the ball to Greg Mapp, who misfired. “I would have built a brick wall to stop him; the kid was astounding,” St. Mary’s coach Joe Raso told the Toronto Star. “He hit the tough shots, from weird angles, and even when we had three different guys all over him. He was our biggest concern, a real headache to defend against.” Frempong said “I was having the best game of my high school career, the threes were hitting and I really wanted to take the shot but that wasn’t the plan,” said Frempong, bound for Tufts University, an NCAA Division II school in Massachusetts. Martingrove hit 2-5 from the line, while St. Mary’s was 19-26. Rich Wesolowski led the Crusaders with 13. St. Mary’s held an 18-17 opening-quarter edge and increased it to 35-27 at halftime. The Bears pressed to come within two heading in to the final eight minutes but the Crusaders gained control of the rebounds and led by nine with 2:03 left.
In the other semi, the top-seeded Windsor W.D. Lowe Trojans defeated the 5th-seeded Brampton Cardinal Leger Lancers 68-65 as Zoran Rustic scored 25. Michael Meeks led the Lancers with 23. Leger coach Steve Pettit told the Toronto Star that “a couple of key possessions” proved the difference. “One of the cruelties of basketball is that if the last shot goes in, and you win, you’re great, otherwise nothing else matters. The reality is we played a great game against a great team; we just didn’t close out our chances.”
In the bronze medal match, the 2nd-seeded Etobicoke Martingrove Bears defeated the 5th-seeded Brampton Cardinal Leger Lancers 71-55. Shawn Gray led Martingrove scorers with 19. George Frempong, who was the Bears’ sparkplug throughout the tourney, had 18, including four treys. Chris Baldouf paced the Lancers with 20. The Lancers (coached by Steve Pettit, assisted by Greg Faux) also included Michael Meeks, Chris Delaney, Martin Meeks, Dan Palermo, Matt Faux, Joe Periera, Rod Iglesias, Eddy Cocciollo, Rui Ferreira and Dane McInnis.
In the final, the 3rd-seeded Hamilton St. Mary’s Crusaders, coached by Joe Raso, who went on the steer the McMaster University Marauders, defeated the top-seeded Windsor W.D. Lowe Trojans 73-70 in overtime as Rich Wesolowski scored the winning points, as well as a critical three-pointer with 1:37 to play in the extra session. Raso raved about Wesolowski, who scored 31, to the Toronto Star. “He was exhausted, totally drained and still gave an incredible performance, especially late in the game – that’s when he’s at his best. We built our program around him (Wesolowski) five years ago. Before that we won two games in 10 years. The guys played five (undefeated) great games in three days and I know they’ll need that long to recuperate.” St. Mary’s led 19-16 after the opening quarter. Neither squad led by more than five points. In fact, the lead changed hands eight times in the space of 2:42 of the second quarter and the teams were tied 36-36 at the half. Although Lowe outhustled the Crusaders early in the second half and held a two-point edge heading into the final eight-minute quarter, Wesolowski was about to take control. The 6-foot-2 guard scored a game-high 31 points, including five three-pointers and went 8-8 from the free-throw line. Wesolowski told the Hamilton Spectator that after a 12-point performance in the second round, “I knew that I wasn’t doing as good a job as I should have.” Trojans coach Gerry Grumpton told Canadian Press that “no one lost this game; I haven’t seen many college games in my 25-year coaching career where these players make shots like that and have the guts to play such an intensive game. It’s hard for my guys, especially when you know how they worked for this. It was a great game and they’re all champions.” The Trojans finished the season with a (44-4) record. Chad Curley, who was Lowe’s top point-getter with 26, made a sensational block of a Wesolowski shot with the score tied at 66 near the end of regulation play. That set up the three-minute overtime thriller – a time when Lowe’s Zoran Ristic (who had a 25-point game) or Wesolowski would decide who’d take home the gold medal. A dejected Ristic, who went 27-27 from the free-point line in the tourney, couldn’t believe his team had lost. “It went down to the wire with two evenly matched teams and they ended up with the key basket.” Trojan guard Zoran Ristic, who played with a twisted ankle, told the Windsor Star the loss “is the most difficult thing I’ve experienced. Losing an OFSAA final, in basketball it can’t be much worse than this. This is the pinnacle of the high school game. … In the fourth quarter, I felt fatigued. I just couldn’t push off on my ankle anymore to shoot. It was difficult to move laterally.” Shannon Robbins, who scored 8, said the turning point of the game was an offensive goaltending call against Chad Curley on one of his shots in overtime. “It was like they gave us a lollipop, let us have a lick and then took it away. We had the momentum back until then. Chad had blocked Wesolowski’s shot to win it at the end of regulation and then we got the first basket of overtime. We knew we had to get ahead because overtime is short and the team with any type of lead controls it.” After the wiped-out basket, Wesolowski nailed a trey, forcing Lowe to play catch up. “I never touched the rim,” said Curley. “I went up for the rebound and I touched the backboard after the ball already had gone in.” Curley hit a pair of buckets to draw Lowe within 71-70 with 14 seconds to play. Wesolowski then made both ends of a one-and-one situation to restore the lead to three points and set the stage for Hart’s bid to tie the game. “It was a tremendous game to play in,” said Wesolowski. “It was our defence that won the game. We never let them get one of their big runs. It just went back and forth.” Trojan guard Ottavio Mannarion said “This is really a disappointment. “We set such high standards for ourselves this year. A gold and to be champions would’ve been nice. We feel like we let everyone down – the coaches and the school because they put so much hard work into this year for us. We wanted to win it for them.” Raso told the Spectator that “I think these kids have done something for basketball. They’ve glorified team defence. There are no ‘I’s’ on this team. We may not have the most talent in Ontario but we have the best team in Ontario.”
The bronze medalist Etobicoke Martingrove Bears: Shawn Gray; George Frempong; Wayne Mulgrave; Greg Mapp; Andrew Taylor; Avery Brown; coach Dave West
The silver medalist Windsor W.D. Lowe Trojans: Chad Curley; Zoran Ristic; Ottavio Mannarino; Shannon Robbins; Al Poisson; B.J. Richardson; Reg Fikes; Ian Coaton; coach Gerry Brumpton; assistant Dave McWha
The gold medalist Hamilton St. Mary’s Crusaders: Anthony Randall; Gedis Dziemino; Rich Wesolowski; Jamie Girolametto; Cesare Piccini; Jason Tatti; Jerry Romano; John Hughes; Rob DiBacco; Justice Kissi; Dennis Ryan; coach Joe Raso; assistant Pat Papalia; assistant Jasper Naus