Final regular season standings:
West (6): St. Clair (10-0); Fanshawe (7-3); Cambrian (7-3); Conestoga (3-7): Ridgetown (3-7); Lambton (0-10)
Central (6): Mohawk (10-0); Niagara (7-3); Sheridan (6-4); Humber (5-5); Seneca (2-8); Northern (0-10)
East (6): Algonquin (9-1); Centennial (7-3); St. Lawrence-Kingston (6-4); St. Lawrence-Cornwall (4-3); George Brown (1-7): Durham (0-8)
Playoff non-qualifiers:
Cambrian: Charles Tallack, Burmaster
Centennial Colts: George Cairney, Hugh Hope, Salajka, Lillie, Jukes, Crowley, Charles, Oddi, Scully,
Conestoga: Blair Quinn, Dave Ruetz, Jim Trussler, Kirkland, Wiles, Lack, Koch
Durham Lords: Greg Welch, Jim Clement, Brent Richardson, Dave Horton, Jim Higginson, Rob Muir, Bob Pollard, Don Hebert, Archie Campbell, Ken McMinn, coach Buchanan
Fanshawe Falcons: Maffei, Balog
George Brown Huskies: Ken Clarke, Harvey Clark, Musscato, Seals, Zellar, Pennallo, Robinson, Hampson
Lambton: Ed Stubbs, Mess, Stubbs, Wallin, Hewlin, Carson
Ridgetown Aggies: Marv Shaw, Bill Dresser
Seneca: Tom Klamas, Tom Skene
St. Lawrence-Cornwall: Ed Kinnear, Don Macdonald, Ron Julian, Baker, Bouchard, Bradley, Cloutier, Walsh, Mervan, St. Thomas
St. Lawrence-Kingston: Ted Batchelor, Jim Henshilwood, Dave Wilson, Al Roach, Graham Wright, Acton, Tom Stanford, Dauphinais, Pomeroy, coach Mort Morris
In the semis, held at Mohawk College in Hamilton, the undefeated West champion St. Clair Saints, coach by Al Hoffman, edged the undefeated Central champion Mohawk Mountaineers, coached by Wes Hicks, 89-88 despite nearly blowing a 21-point lead early in the fourth quarter. Mohawk had closed to within 10 with two minutes to go and finished the game with a 7-1 run but fell just short. Mohawk coach Wes Hicks told the Windsor Star “they really hurt us on the boards (a 51-39 margin). … The first one we’ve lost. What a way to lose.” Mick Tomicic paced the Saints with 18. Bill Graham added 17, Danny Thoms 15, Al Povoledo 15, Doug Robertson 13, Tino Baggio 6 and Tom Barker 5. Ron Adamowich led the Mountaineers with 26. Ken Baker added 15, Ralph Grupe 14, Peter Coulen 12, Monty Schwendiman 9, Larry Romanowski 6, Armstrong 4 and Snaidero 2.
In the other semi, Algonquin, coached by Bob O’Billovich, who’d attended Montana University on a basketball scholarship, defeated the wild card (chosen on the grounds that team defence, allowing 54.0 ppg, was the best amongst second-place finishers) Welland Niagara Knights 73-52 despite trailing 29-27 at the half. Lorne Lennox led the Thunder with 13. Bill Curry added 12, Mike Larocque 11, Dave Stewart 10, Dennis Doorman 10, Simon Methot 8, Bob Moon 4, Gord Kemp 3 and Barry Smith 2, while Brian Bretzlaff was scoreless. Mike Heximer led the Knights with 21. Murray Lawlor added 10, Ed Luciow 8, Jerry Campigotto 6, John Thomas 3, Tom Sibbald 2 and Mike Terpak 2.
In the bronze medal match, the Mohawk Mountaineers defeated the Niagara Knights 89-36. Mike Heximer led the Knights with 12. Mike Terpak added 11. “The guys were out there trying their best, but their hearts weren’t in it. After the Algonquin loss, the tournament was over for us mentally. However, the score does not indicate the amount of hustle put into the game by the Knights,” said Knights coach Michael Anton. The Knights (coached by Michael Anton and managed by Frank Vodeb and trained by Jim Craig) also included Jerry Campigotto, Murray Lawlor, Ed Luciow, Adam Kmety, Fred Pachkowski, Dan Sullivan, Tom Sibbald, John Thomas and Rich Cadman.
In the final, Algonquin thrashed St. Clair 84-67 despite trailing 35-29 at the half. Algonquin shot 25-63 (.400) from the floor, while St. Clair, which shot poorly in the second half, was 23-74 (.310). Bill Curry paced the Thunder with 19. Mike Larocque added 14, Dennis Doorman 12, Lorne Lennox 11, Dave Stewart 10, Bob Moon 8, Simon Methot 8 and Barry Smith 2. Mick Tomicic led the Saints with 15. Bill Graham added 9, Tom Barker 8, Danny Thoms 8, Doug Robertson 8, Al Povoledo 7, Tino Baggio 5, Merding 5 and Tim McCullough 2. Saints coach Alex Hoffman told the Windsor Star “the press forced us to shoot without setting up. … They controlled the offensive boards and outran us.”
The bronze medalist Mohawk Mountaineers: Ron Adamowich; Ken Baker; Ralph Grupe; Peter Coulen; Monty Schwendiman; Jim Armstrong; Larry Snaidero; John Irwin; Ralph Gruppe; Steve Smith; Henry Romanowski; Mike McQuire; John Robertson; Larry Hardiman; Daryl Bowman; coach Wes Hicks; assistant Bob Scott; manager Bill Howie; manager George Guild
The silver medalist St. Clair Saints: Mick Tomicic; Bill Graham; Danny Thoms; Al Povoledo; Doug Robertson; Tom Barker; Tim McCullough; McCligh; Merding; Tino Baggio; Russell; coach Alex Hoffman; manager Mechanic; manager Bevacqua
The gold medalist Algonquin Thunder: Bill Curry; Mike Larocque; Dennis Doorman; Lorne Lennox; Dave Stewart; Fred Crossan; Bob Moon; Brian Bretzlaff; Gord Kemp; Barry Smith; Phil Richardson; Simon Methot; Bill Curry; Dave Stewart; coach Bob O’Billovich; manager Al Milosek