In the opening, seeding round, held in Ottawa: …………………………………………………… The 5th-seeded Richmond Hill Jean Vanier Catholic Jaguars dusted the 17th-seeded Smith Falls Red Hawks 60-33 after leading 23-9, 34-20 and 54-23 at the quarters. Raymond Yeung paced the Jaguars with 15. Dean Andrade added 12, Kascius Small-Martin 8, Behrad Raisi 5, Rizon Leach-Crooks 5, Will Homayon 5, Leo Merced 4, Justin Laureta 2, William El-Salibi 2 and Cyril Ardena 2. Devin Wilkinson paced the Red Hawks with 14. Isaac Taylor added 8, Clifford Glas 3, Hadyn Coughlin 2, Drew Brennan 2, Liam Nesbitt 2 and Karter Kok 1. …………………………………………………… The 9th-seeded Guelph Bishop MacDonnell Catholic Celtics clipped the 10th-seeded Windsor Assumption Catholic Raiders 60-45. The Raiders led 16-14 after one quarter. The Celtics led 33-22 at the half. …………………………………………………… The 8th-seeded Sydenham Golden Eagles clocked the 14th-seeded Thunder Bay St. Ignatius Falcons 49-25. The Falcons led 13-10 after one quarter. The Golden Eagles led 24-17 at the half and 38-21 after three quarters. Benjamin Lusk paced the Golden Eagles with 19. Steven Kennedy added 13, Thomas Withey 11, Kurtis McComish 4 and Isaac Sanderson 2. Nick Soulias paced the Falcons with 11. Matthew Mustapic added 5, Trevor Luby 4, Thomas Walser 3 and Justin Migliazza 2. …………………………………………………… The 6th-seeded Ottawa Merivale Marauders smacked the 16th-seeded Welland Centennial Cougars 70-50 after leading 24-8, 38-23 and 53-37 at the quarters. Kevin Metelus paced the Marauders with 22. Umedullah Hyderi added 19, Ali Sow 9, Mohammed Abdullahi 8, Marwan Saeed 6, Pu Plet Su 4 and Damian Wellington 2. Alex Elliott paced the Cougars with 20. Brandon Elliott added 9, Gabriel Marais 8, Jay Clayton 4, Mike Hardy 3, Ehab Sati 2 and Owen Alexander 2. “Our kids are highly skilled,” Marauders coach Sean McCann told sportsOttawa.com. “We don’t need to settle for outside shots, and you aren’t going to win a game if you’re just relying on perimeter shots. We’re not the biggest team, so it takes a certain mental toughness out there.” Hyderi said “you never know much about the teams you will be playing in a tournament like this. In the regular season, you know what to expect. But for something like this you have to come into every game with a certain mindset and level of preparation, and you cannot underestimate anyone.” …………………………………………………… The 3rd-seeded Burlington Assumption Catholic Crusaders dumped the 18th-seeded Huntsville Hoyas 59-46 after leading 19-8, 31-25 and 41-30 at the quarters. Kris Rotterman paced the Crusaders with 21. Colyn Sterling added 10, Griffin Moore 7, Joaquin Da Silva 6, Noah Worth 5, Jared Znak 5 and Stephen Wright 4. Takiah Ebbs-Picken and Austin Simonett each scored 16 to pace the Hoyas. Jordan Connolly added 12, Mason Smith 3 and Puran Patel 1. …………………………………………………… The 4th-seeded Sault Ste. Marie Korah Colts dumped the 15th-seeded St. Thomas St. Joseph’s Rams 50-39 after leading 15-10, 31-19 and 40-31 at the quarters. Jonah Fogg paced the Colts with 14. Tevon Williams added 9, Nick Nicoletta 8, Anthony Ivey 7, Samuel Ivey 7, Jarret Litalien 3 and Liam Brechin 2. Calum Hoekstra and Mykal Donald each scored 11 to pace the Rams. Henry Koekyt added 5, Kyler Fairbanks-Pettit 4, Braeden Sinclair 4, Matthew Martyn 2 and Justin McDonald 2. …………………………………………………… The 7th-seeded Toronto Crescent Wild Coyotes stomped the 13th-seeded Timmins High & Vocational Blues 70-20 after leading 20-9, 45-11 and 64-16 at the quarters. Vasilije Vukmanovic paced the Wild Coyotes with 30. Matti Kohtala led the Blues with 7. …………………………………………………… The 2nd-seeded Toronto Vaughan Road Academy Vipers stuffed the 12th-seeded Ottawa St. Paul Golden Bears 64-52 after leading 21-9, 29-21 and 50-39 at the quarters. Daiquan Martin paced the Vipers with 27. Cordell Veira added 19, Max Nedd 10, L’mar Greene 6 and Ahmed Adan 2. Daniel Dupuis led the Golden Bears with 14. Jafari Burrell added 13, Nyinyar Peter 9, Jabreal Aden 7, Mark Huerto 5 and Basique Pierre 4. …………………………………………………… The top-seeded St. Catharines St. Francis Catholic Phoenix clipped the 11th-seeded Belleville Centennial Chargers 62-48. The Chargers led 17-12 after one quarter. The Phoenix led 28-23 at the half and 51-31 after three quarters. Cele Kasamba paced the Phoenix with 28. Abu Kigab added 19, Lucas Olsthoorn 6, Cullan Voelkner 4, Cliff (Aidan) Hinds 4 and Keegan Gallant 1. Zach Mullins paced the Chargers with 16. Chase Peck added 14, Raheem Silcott 7, Blake Reid 4, Brandon Bradley 3 and Benjamin Vandewalle 3.
In the second round: …………………………………………………… The 15th-seeded St. Thomas St. Joseph’s Rams clipped the 17th-seeded Smith Falls Red Hawks 58-48 after leading 8-4, 30-14 and 39-23 at the quarters. Mykal Donald and Michael Mommersteeg each scored 16 to pace the Rams. Braeden Sinclair added 10, Calum Hoekstra 8, Matthew Martyn 5, Justin McDonald 2 and Dallas Goodhew 1. Devin Wilkinson paced the Red Hawks with 15. Davis Sheridan added 10, Liam Nesbitt 9, Drew Brennan 5, Hadyn Coughlin 2, Isaac Taylor 3 and Riley Thompson 3. The Red Hawks (coached by Dan Dufort, assisted by Eric Lapierre, Todd Spencer and Shelly Thompson) also included Clifford Glas, Karter Kok, Troy Reeves and Craig Oosting. …………………………………………………… The 16th-seeded Welland Centennial Cougars smacked the 18th-seeded Huntsville Hoyas 66-41 after leading 18-12, 39-24 and 51-32 at the quarters. Alex Elliott paced the Cougars with 24. Mike Hardy added 13, Brandon Elliott 12, Owen Alexander 6, Gabriel Marais 5, Nick Fitzgerald 4 and Jay Clayton 2. Takiah Ebbs-Picken paced the Hoyas with 15. Cooper McNeil added 8, Austin Simonett 6, Jordan Connolly 4, Matthew Dunowski 3, Mason Smith 3 and Andrew Dunowski 2. The Hoyas (coached by Kelly Picken, assisted by Mike Simonett) also included Sam Koop, Puran Patel and Cole Wenger.
In the third round: …………………………………………………… The 6th-seeded Ottawa Merivale Marauders edged the 11th-seeded Belleville Centennial Chargers 65-60 after leading 17-8, 35-27 and 46-44 at the quarters. Kevin Metelus paced the Marauders with 26. Ali Sow added 18, Umedullah Hyderi 9, Marwan Saeed 8 and Mohammed Abdullahi 5. Zach Mullins paced the Chargers with 18. Chase Peck added 16, Raheem Silcott 8, Benjamin Vandewalle 7, Blake Reid 6, Brandon Bradley 3 and Cameron Clarke 2. The Chargers, (coached by Pat Foran, assisted by Debbie Clare) also included Drake Baker, Brady Crowe, Kaelan Fraser and Aaron Wilson. …………………………………………………… The top-seeded St. Catharines St. Francis Catholic Phoenix stomped the 16th-seeded Welland Centennial Cougars 70-22 after leading 24-4, 39-7 and 57-17 at the quarters. Abu Kijab paced the Phoenix with 21. Alex Elliott led the Cougars with 7. The Cougars (coached by Phil Mosley, assisted by Tony Ferrusi) also included Owen Alexander, Justin Bryan, Jay Clayton, Sheldon Davis, Brandon Elliott, Nicholas Fitzgerald, Michael Hardy, Gabriel Marais, Eric Matkowski, Mateo Paez Beltran and Ehab Sati. …………………………………………………… The 3rd-seeded Burlington Assumption Catholic Crusaders stomped the 14th-seeded Thunder Bay St. Ignatius Falcons 71-46 after leading 18-13, 26-20 and 37-31 at the quarters. Kris Rotterman paced the Crusaders with 24. Jared Znak added 10, Stephen Wright 10, Makeem Villalta-Smith 8, Griffin Moore 6, Colyn Sterling 5, Joaquin Da Silva 4, Aaron Gustafson 2 and Nathan Mathews 2. Nick Soulias paced the Falcons with 12. Matthew Mustapic added 11, Thomas Walser 7, Frank Avella 4, Trevor Luby 4, Justin Migliazza 2, Joe Pelaia 2, Curtis Chisholm 2 and Hunter Anderson 2. The Falcons (coached by Matt Erdman, assisted by Dino Buset, Christian Mustapic, Tom Mustapic and Alicyn Papich) also included A.J. Bylund, Steven Da Silva, Mitchell Davidson, Hunter Harris and Kaelen Pelaia. …………………………………………………… The 5th-seeded Richmond Hill Jean Vanier Catholic Jaguars clubbed the 12th-seeded Ottawa St. Paul Golden Bears 73-39 after leading 17-15, 35-24 and 57-31 at the quarters. Kascius Small-Martin paced the Jaguars with 16. Raymond Yeung added 14, Dean Andrade 10, Will Homayon 7, Justin Laureta 7, Behrad Raisi 5, Rizon Leach-Crooks 4, Ian Lee 2, Mikhail Aslani 2, Cyril Ardena 2, William El-Salibi 2 and Leo Merced 1. Jafari Burell paced the Golden Bears with 11. Daniel Dupuis added 9, Jabreal Aden 7, Nyinyar Peter 5, Mark Huerto 3, Robert Pap 2 and Basique Pierre 2. The Golden Bears (coached by Suzanne Baird) also included Jabari Burrell, Khalid Egeh, John Murray, Mike Mutombo and Yves Ndira. …………………………………………………… The 7th-seeded Toronto Crescent Wild Coyotes dumped the 10th-seeded Windsor Assumption Catholic Raiders 68-52 after leading 15-13, 40-19 and 55-36 at the quarters. Vasilije Vukmanovic paced the Wild Coyotes with 27. Michael Palma added 16, Simon Mikre 12, Aidan Potts 7 and Ryley Henderson 6. Mousab Toto paced the Raiders with 30. Dico Angelo added 7, Carter Ducharme 6, Rofail Toto 3, Karam Kalsi 2, Vancleef Jean Dedieu 2 and Matthew Tran 2. The Raiders (coached by Paul Gebrael, assisted by Nick Chevalier, Denise Hebert and Matt Janisse) also included Elijah Boow-Guilbeault, Gerrick Gignac, Hassan Mohamed, Khaled Odawa and Isiaha Van Veen. …………………………………………………… The 2nd-seeded Toronto Vaughan Road Academy Vipers whacked the 15th-seeded St. Thomas St. Joseph Rams 55-31 after leading 11-2, 26-13 and 36-27 at the quarters. Daiquan Martin and Cordell Veira each scored 16 to pace the Vipers. Max Nedd added 10, L’mar Greene 7, Mehtaab Gill 2, Deandre Gouldbourne 2 and Ben White 2. Braeden Sinclair paced the Rams with 12. Michael Mommersteeg added 5, Calum Hoekstra 4, Henry Koekyt 3, Matthew Martyn 3, Mykal Donald 2 and Kyler Fairbanks-Pettit 2. The Rams (coached by Richard Mommersteeg, assisted by Gerry Fairbanks and Greg Reynaert) also included Jack Ainsworth, Alex Craig, Macauley Goldsmith, Dallas Goodhew, Joey Hardy, Mitch Jones, Willy Mboko and Justin McDonald. …………………………………………………… The 4th-seeded Sault Ste. Marie Korah Colts kicked the 13th-seeded Timmins & Vocational Blues 60-41 after leading 11-8, 30-25 and 40-38 at the quarters. Jonah Fogg paced the Colts with 17. Samuel Ivey added 13, Anthony Ivey 10, Tevon Williams 8, Nick Nicoletta 8, Liam Brechin 2 and Jadon Fogg 2. Adam Tambeau paced the Blues with 19. Jackson Martin added 8, Matti Kohtala 5, Tyson Malo 4, Chris Lachapelle 4 and Jacob Michaud 1. The Blues (coached by Peter Graham, assisted by Rod Hummel) also included William Beda, Jay Chenier, Drake Demarchi, Kaiden Harrietha, Kevin Leblond, Evan Mackey, Zack Midha, Kyle Seaton, Spencer Blahey and Joe Thorne. …………………………………………………… The 9th-seeded Guelph Bishop Macdonell Celtics clipped the 8th-seeded Sydenham Golden Eagles 72-62 after leading 23-7, 33-16 and 50-38 at the quarters. Jake Chaput paced the Celtics with 23. Lukas Wood added 16 and Chris Poloniato 15. Benjamin Lusk led the Golden Eagles with 23. The Golden Eagles (coached by Shaun Kennedy, assisted by Justin Wallace and Brett Walsh) also included Mason Alger, Dylan Fisher, Alexis Forget, Steven Kennedy, Eric Lusk, Kurtis MacComish, Samuel Moyse, Nathan Rivet, William Sanderson, Thomas Withey and Isaac Sanderson.
In the quarterfinals, the 6th-seeded Ottawa Merivale Marauders edged the 3rd-seeded Burlington Assumption Catholic Crusaders 68-65. The Crusaders led 21-20 after one quarter and 40-35 at the half. The Marauders led 51-49 after three quarters. Kevin Metelus paced the Marauders with 28. Ali Sow added 14, Umedullah Hyderi 8, Marwan Saeed 6 and Pu Plet Su 2. Kris Rotterman led the Crusades with 21. Stephen Wright added 15, Jared Znak 14, Colyn Sterling 7, Griffin Moore 3, Makeem Villalta-Smith 3 and Joaquin Da Silva 2. The Crusaders (coached by Elise Adolphe, assisted by Pat Costigan) also included Michael Giordano, Aaron Gustafson, Nathan Mathews, Daniel Rutherford, Thanusan Subendran and Noah Worth.
The 7th-seeded Toronto Crescent Wild Coyotes stunned the 2nd-seeded Toronto Vaughan Road Academy Vipers 74-72 after leading 23-12, 42-34 and 57-51 at the quarters. Vasilije Vukmanovic paced the Wild Coyotes with 28. Simon Mikre added 25, Michael Palma 20, Aidan Potts 6, Will Coburn 3 and Ryley Henderson 2. Daiquan Martin paced the Vipers with 24. Cordell Veira added 23, Max Nedd 10, L’mar Greene 4, Ben White 4, Caleb Ellis 3 and Ahmed Adan 2. The Vipers (coached by Wilton Hall, assisted by Fred Budnik and Rhonda Rakine) also included Mehtaab Gill, Deandre Gouldbourne, Jeff Labajo, Jah-laun Lewis and Ali Yusuf.
The 4th-seeded Sault Ste. Marie Korah Colts nipped the 5th-seeded Richmond Hill Jean Vanier Catholic Jaguars 68-64 after leading 11-8, 31-21 and 54-40 at the quarters. Kascius Small-Martin paced the jaguars with 27. Dean Andrade added 19, Cyril Ardena 5, Behrad Raisi 4, Raymond Yeung 3, Justin Laureta 2, Leo Merced 2 and William El-Salibi 2. The Jaguars (coached by Carlos Faria, assisted by Dave Bannister and Gary Yensen, and managed by Halston Dryden) also included Mikhail Aslani, Arthur Boghossian, Josh Brennan, Will Homayon, Rizon Leach-Crooks, Ian Lee and Jonathan Wang.
In the last quarterfinal, the top-seeded St. Catharines St. Francis Phoenix pounded the 9th-seeded Guelph Bishop Macdonell Celtics 66-41 after leading 17-8, 32-22 and 50-33 at the quarters. Abu Kijab paced the Phoenix with 24. Chris Poloniato paced the Celtics with 14. The Celtics (coached by Trevor Smith, assisted by Andrew Chaput) also included Keith Bray, Jake Chaput, Hosker Evan, Greg MacEachern, Jack Morris, Jack Olson, Matteo Stradiotto and Lukas Wood.
In the semis, the 7th-seeded Toronto Crescent Wild Coyotes dispatched the 6th-seeded Ottawa Merivale Marauders 58-51. The Wild Coyotes led 15-14 after one quarter and 29-22 at the half. The score was knotted at 40 after three quarters. Simon Mikre paced the Wild Coyotes with 20. Aidan Potts added 14, Ryley Henderson 9, Michael Palma 6 and Will Coburn 2. Umedullah Hyderi led the Marauders with 23. Ali Sow added 20, Pu Plet Su 4 and Damian Wellington 4.
In the other semi, the top-seeded St. Catharines St. Francis Phoenix stomped the 4th-seeded Sault Ste. Marie Korah Colts 61-33 after leading 21-7, 33-19 and 46-22 at the quarters. Abu Kijab paced the Phoenix with 22. Cele Kasamba added 14, Lucas Olsthoorn 11, Keegan Gallant 5, Jacob Schenck 3, Daniel Galante 3, Aidan Hinds 2 and Dakota Follick 1. Jonah Fogg paced the Colts with 9. Tevon Williams added 8, Anthony Ivey 5, Samuel Ivey 5, Nick Nicoletta 4 and Liam Brechin 2.
In the bronze medal match, the 6th-seeded Ottawa Merivale Marauders edged the 4th-seeded Sault Ste. Marie Korah Colts 72-69 as Ali Sow hit the game-winning trey from midcourt with seconds to play. “At first when I got past half, I was looking for my teammates,” Sow told Ottawasports.com. “No one was really open, so I decided to take it – you know, go big or go home I guess – and it happened to fall.” Although the Marauders led by double digits in the third quarters, the colts to knot the score with eight seconds remaining. “It’s one of the unique things about OFSAA,” said Marauders coach Sean McCann. “In very few tournaments you’re in, whether it’s club ball or high school ball, usually you lose and you’re out. You don’t get another opportunity to end with a win. So we didn’t want to blow that chance. It sounds kind of stupid, but it’s not just about the winning or losing. If you lose and you do the things right you’ve been working on, that feels a lot better afterwards. They might not realize it yet, but this is one more life experience they’ll have.” Sow paced the Marauders with 28. Jonah Fogg led the Colts with 28. Anthony Ivey added 16 and Tevon Williams 10. “Yeah, I’m disappointed. It’s not how we would have liked to end it,” Fogg told the Sault Star. “Obviously, I would have liked to end my Korah basketball career on a win … But I think even just getting this antique bronze speaks volumes about our team.” Guard Sam Ivey said “I’m not disappointed at all. I’m very happy with how the season went. An OFSAA medal is a great feeling right now. We tried to battle back but we ran out of time. They were a really good shooting team.” Coach Jeff Giovanatti said “we never gave up the whole tournament. They left everything on the court. You can’t ask for anything more.” The Colts (coached by Jeff Giovanatti, assisted by Winston Ivey, Shawn MacDonald and Aaron Richards) also included Evan Bodnar, Liam Brechin, Jadon Fogg, Gregory Johnson, Jarret Litalien, Nick Nicoletta, Steven Oliana, Andrew Richards, Adrian Torok, Noah Wacker, Erik Weise and Tevon Williams.
In the final, the top-seeded St. Catharines St. Francis Phoenix defeated the 7th-seeded Toronto Crescent Wild Coyotes 59-50. The Wild Coyotes led 8-6 after one quarter. The Phoenix led 23-20 at the half and 47-30 after three quarters. “Our players understood it is a marathon that requires consistency, patience and a test of your mental toughness as you are faced time and time again with the reality that losing is the end of your season,” Phoenix coach Pat Sullivan told the St. Catharines Standard. “While we struggled to make shots and make free throws, they were shooting an incredible percentage and putting a lot of pressure on us.” The Phoenix nailed a trey at the buzzer to take the lead at the half and then built a 17-point bulge by the end of the third quarter. Crescent cut the lead to five points with three minutes remaining but the rally fell short. “Abu (Kigab) was incredible down the stretch, making some great baskets and crucial rebounds,” Sullivan said. “Keegan Gallant maybe made the play of the tournament taking a charge late to take away a Crescent basket. … We have a number of guys who understand their role, play their role, and star in their role. We had a number of great contributions from a variety of individuals at different times. While we do have very good talent, I felt it was our discipline, our commitment to defence, and our commitment to each other that allowed us to be successful and separated us from other teams.” The Phoenix finished (49-5) on the season.
The bronze medalist Ottawa Merivale Marauders: Kevin Metelus; Ali Sow; Umedullah Hyderi; Mohammed Abudullahi; Jacob Burke; Mustafa Junaid; Brandon Robertson; Marwan Saeed; Mohamed Sheikh; Pu Plet Su; Damian Wellington; coach Sean McCann; assistant Faqrudin Ali; assistant Allison McCann; assistant Blake Potter; assistant Hayden Tamming
The silver medalist Toronto Crescent Wild Coyotes: Vasilije Vukmanovic; Simon Mikre; Colsen Centner; William Coburn; Rees Ferguson; Ryley Henderson; Stewart Kirkconnell; Michael Palma; Ryan Pinkney; Aidan Potts; coach Ari Hunter; assistant Jonathan Arendt
The gold medalist St. Catharines St. Francis Phoenix: Abu Kijab; Lucas Oosthoorn; Cele Kasamba; Dakota Follick; Daniel Gallate; Cliff Hinds; Riley Soldwisch; Cullan Voelkner; coach Patrick Sullivan; assistant Nick Flynn; assistant Mike McGinnis; assistant Dan Sullivan