OFSAA’s earliest years were entirely dominated by large Catholic schools. Because public funding of Catholic schools was not provided, most cities had only one or two Catholic high schools and as a result, they commandeered larger numbers of the best Catholic athletes from an area. In 1969, three of the four semi-finalists were Catholic schools: Hamilton Cathedral Gaels; the St. Catharines Denis Morris Redmen and the Windsor Assumption Purple Raiders. Only public school was Brantford Pauline Johnson Thunderbirds. Roman Catholic students started playing basketball in parochial schools. The sport was rarely played in public schools until the high school level. Public school restructuring limited the number of exhibition games, whereas Catholic schools did not, so Catholic schools entered tourney more experienced.
In the opening round, held in Waterloo: …………………………………………………… The University of Toronto Schools Blues defeated the Timmins E.C.S. Theriault Flammes 43-35 as Rob Herman scored 13, Steve Farris 10 and Dave Quick 8. Jacques Riopelle paced the Flammes, who had entered the tournament with a 38-2 record, with 18 points. Michel Lalonde scored 10. The Flames also included Denis Nadeau, Remi Ouellette, Beaulnie, Brunette, Dumais, M Leblond, Renaud, Riopelle and R Leblond. …………………………………………………… The top-seeded Hamilton Cathedral Gaels whipped the Port Arthur Hammarskjold Vikings 64-33 as they continued their season undefeated streak by capitalizing on effective full-court pressure. Mark Walton led Cathedral with 21 points. Gerry Simpson added 11. Evan Simpson led Hammarskjold with 11. Dale Olson added 7. The Vikings also included Roy Dawson, George Bell, Niettineau, Magill, John Ritchie, Flannigan, Devine and Pepper. …………………………………………………… The Toronto St. Michael’s Blue Raiders crushed the Sarnia Central Centaurs 57-38. St. Mike’s coach Dan Prendergast says high school benefits from having three Lithuanians on the team. “They learn to play basketball as soon as they walk.” Steve Ignatavicius paced St. Mikes’ with 16. George Rautins added 14 and Pat Lee 14. Toronto outscored Sarnia 20-6 in the final round. Glen Close paced Sarnia with 10 points. Vic McLeod added 9 and Brian McLellan 7. Sarnia Central also included Terry Arnold, Duffy, McCormick, McKenzie, Borland, Elliott and Barrett. …………………………………………………… The Brantford Pauline Johnson Thunderbirds edged the Ottawa Ridgemont Spartans 52-46 as Mike Cleary scored 17, Joe Martino 14, Nagy 9, Woodburn 6, Huff 4 and Wilson 2, while Milton, Baker, Baisley and Boyd were scoreless. Pauline Johnson led 26-20 at the half and 41-34 after three quarters. Brantford hit 20-79 (.253) from the floor and g10-16 from the line, while Ridgemont was 14-36 from the line. Ridgemont outrebounded Brantford 54-24. Thunderbirds coach Joe Pajor told the Brantford Expositor that “we just couldn’t do anything right – we couldn’t even tie our shoelaces out there. We really had to struggle to beat them.” Mike Davis paced the Spartans with 14. Rob Martin added 12, Greg Dinsdale 12, Bruce Cassidy 3, Mike Mckendry 3 and Craig Holder 2, while Babchishin, Brooks, A Culham, D Culham and Gowling were scoreless. The Spartans (coached by Barry Ager) also included Senff. …………………………………………………… The Sault Ste. Marie Bawating Braves whipped the Peterborough Kenner Collegiate Vocational Institute Rams 77-50 as Murray Hall scored 25, George Trobovich 17, Ugo Kapy 11 and Carl Sauerzopf 10. Steve Cooper and Rick Ball each scored 16 for the Rams, who also included Jeff Macks, Alderson, Bell, Campbell, Eddington, Jones, Garskey, Henderson, Schiech and Patterson. …………………………………………………… The Windsor Assumption Purple Raiders, which had entered the tourney (18-1), defeated the Kingston CVI Blues 75-28 as Al Majauskas scored 15, Dennis Smith 12, Al Cogliati 12, Pat McMahon 11, Birch 9, Rammler 6, Horocky 6 and Naughton 4. “We had a good day and they weren’t too much,” Assumption coach Jack Hool told the Windsor Star. Charles Ramesar led Kingston with 9. Bill Brown added 5, Tom Rutherford 5, John McFarlane 4, Mick Finn 3 and Johnston 2, while Mark Grenville was scoreless. Kingston (coached by Jim Walmsley) also included John Keck, Patterson, Henning, Drysdale, Burnett, Steve Cox and Johnston. …………………………………………………… The St. Catharines Denis Morris Redmen slaughtered the Orillia Park Street Trojans 84-25 as Paul Bilewicz scored 26, Mike McGinnis 18, J MacFarlane 9, Majtenyi 8, Pizale 6, Piscitelli 4, Critelli 4, Butryn 4, Gadula 3 and M MacFarlane 2. The Redmen led 21-4 after one quarter and 34-7 at the half Bob Martin paced Orillia with 8. John O’Dell added 4, Bill Robertson 4, Buttan 3, Munro 3, Johnson 2 and Bell 1, while Shepherd was scoreless. …………………………………………………… The Kitchener Forest Heights Trojans whipped the Toronto champ Oakwood Barons 78-67 as Mike Moser scored 30. The Trojans dominated the boards. Seig Leidig added 23 for Forest Heights. Kevin Judge paced Oakwood with 19, all but one in the first half. Ron McNab added 16. Oakwood point guard Bob Toccket missed a quarter with an injured knee. The Barons (coached by Bob McKinney) also included Paul Chiddenton, Luciano Conte, John Hunter, Herb Scheeberg, Dale Talesnick.
In the quarterfinals, the Hamilton Cathedral Gaels defeated the U of Toronto Schools Blues 64-33. Cathedral only led 23-18 at the half after struggling with Toronto’s zone. But they sorted things in the second half and ran away to an easy win as Mark Walton scored 15, Al Smithson 14, Mike McPhee 11, Simpson 9, Len Cassidy 5, Pat Papalia 5 and Joe Taranczuk 4, while Truckel and Buist were scoreless. Gaels coach Jim Daly told the Hamilton Spectator that “they were ready mentally for Toronto. But they were a liitle too tight in the first half and made a lot of mistakes. They didn’t know how to cope with that tight 2-3 zone.” Dave Quick paced the Blues (coach Don Fawcett) with 13. Steve Farris added 10, Rob Herman 7, Tom Taylor 2 and Bill Dalziel 1, while Charplin, Kizoff, Baker, Bohnen and Crouch were scoreless.
The Brantford Pauline Johnson Thunderbirds dumped the Toronto St. Michael’s Blue Raiders 56-47. The Thunderbirds opened a 21-5 lead in the second quarter and then ripped off a 17-0 run in the second quarter to take command. Thunderbirds coach Joe Pajor told the Brantford Expositor “that one big run did it. We had them then.” The Thunderbieds led 31-16 at the half and 43-31 after three quarters. St. Michael’s rallied to within 44-37 in the third quarter but Gord Wilson stemmed the bleeding with back-to-back layups. Pajor said “we spread them out and then gave the ball to Joe (Martino) so he could go man-on-man. When they collapsed into the centre, he fed it to (Gord) Wilson underneath.” Pajor added that Martino “handcuffed” Blue Raiders star Steve Ignatavicius. The Thunderbirds hit 23-52 from the floor and 10-15 from the line. The Blue Raiders hit 16-42 from the floor and 15-25 from the line. Joe Martino led Brantford with 17. Gord Wilson added 16, Mike Cleary 12 and Frank Nagy 11, while Woodburn, Huff, M Milton, Baker, S Milton and Boyd were scoreless. George Rautins paced St. Mike’s (coached by Dan Pendergrast) with 22. Steve Ignatavicius added 13, Pat Lee 4, Paul Schmidt 3, John Vaskevicius 2, Greg Clarke 2 and Steve Wakely 1, while John Zorza and Paul Clancy were scoreless.
The St. Catharines Denis Morris Redmen defeated the Kitchener Forest Heights Trojans 81-58 as Joe Majtenyi scored 28, Mike McGinnis 16, Jim McFarlane 15, Bilewicz 8, Critelli 6, Pizale 6, Mike MacFarlane 2, while Butryn, Gadula and Piscitelli were scoreless. Mike Moser led the Trojans (coach Jim Saddler) with 32. Sieg Leidig added 16, Bernie Ruoff 9 and Ferguson 1, while Marsden, Bery Jushka, Luelo, Rose, Kunz, McEllistrum and Linkert were scoreless. “There seems to be more interest in sports and more discipline in the Catholic schools,” said Irish-born Redmen coach Eamon O’Shea. “The players and coaches seem to be closer. In the past, most of the coaches were priests. This isn’t true anymore but there is still a close relationship between the faculty and students at the separate schools.” Trojans coach Jim Saddler told the Kitchener-Waterloo record that “we were a tried ball club. We managed to stay with them in the first half. We also were able to break their press, but when you’ve basically going with five players, it gets to be too much.”
In the last quarterfinal, the Windsor Assumption Purple Raiders defeated the Sault Ste. Marie Bawating Braves 47-38 in a slow-paced game in which they befuddled their opponents with a floating zone. “Our defence pulled this one out,” Assumption coach Jack Hool told the Windsor Star. “Our shooting was terrible, particularly from the foul line. … We missed a lot of easy shots and completely overlooked players when they were wide open for shot.” The Purple Raiders were led by 6-6 c Greg Horocky 16. All-city guard Dennis Smith added 15, Al Majuaskas 12 and Rammler 4 and McMahon 2 while Cogliati, Birch, Iaaicello, Naughton and Milton were scoreless. The Purple Raiders hit 19-49 from the floor and 9-23 from the line. Murray Hall led Bawating, which had entered the game 25-1 on the season, with 14. Ugo Capy added 8, Kas Treygo 5, Kohrs 4, Karl Sauerzopf 4, Flemming 3, George Trbovich 3 and Treggo 2, while Wheatley and Fewchuk were scoreless. The Purple Raiders took an 11-2 lead and coasted. The Braves (coach Dennis Collins, manager Mickey Gallivan) also included Mike Wheatley, Ray Overman, Rich Seccareccia, Elmer Timusk and Sandy Flemming.
In the semis, the Brantford Pauline Johnson Thunderbirds stunned the defending champ Hamilton Cathedral Gaels 50-43, avenging a 15-point midseason loss. Cathedral led 33-26 at the half but the Thunderbirds opened the final quarter with a 16-2 run triggered by a Joe Martino steal and and-one runout, as well as a 20-foot jumper from Mike Cleary. Brantford outscored Cathedral 24-10 in the final quarter. Frank Nagy paced the Thunderbirds with 13 Mike Cleary added 12 and Pat Woodburn 11. Jerry Simpson led Cathedral with 12. Pat Papalia added 9, Mike McPhee 8, Al Smithson 4 and Joe Taranczuk 2. Gael Mark Walton told the Hamilton Spectator that “we couldn’t get inside their zone.” Thunderbirds coach Joe Pajor said “we were giving Simpson too much room to shoot and not getting in close on him on rebounds. I told the guys to come out a little further on their man-to-man in the final quarter and it worked.”
In the other semi, the Windsor Assumption Purple Raiders dumped the St. Catharines Denis Morris Redmen 51-42 after outscoring the Redmen 20-11 in the final quarter. The Purple Raiders led 11-7 after one quarter and opened the second quarter with an 8-0 run. Norbert Rammler led Assumption with 14. Al Majauskas added 12, Dennis Smith 11, Horocky 7 and McMahon 7, while Cogliati was scoreless. Joe Majtenyi led Denis Morris, which entered the contest 30-1 on the season, with 14. Mike McGinnis added 13, Bilewicz 6, Pizalo 5 and Jim MacFarlane 4.
In the bronze medal match, the Hamilton Cathedral Gaels crushed the St. Catharines Denis Morris Redmen 59-45 as Mark Walton scored 21, Al Smithson 11, Jerry Simpson 11, Mike McPhee 8, Pat Papalia 4, Len Cassidy 2 and Joe Taranczuk 2, while Gawrylash, Truckel and Buist were scoreless. Gaels coach Jim Daly told the Hamilton Spectator that “I’ve never been prouder of them. … That defeat (in the semis) was crushing blow to our pride. After all, the press and radio had built us into an almost invincible team.” The Gaels led 14-12, 27-26 and 37-31 at the quarters. Joe Majtenyi led Denis Morris (coach Eamon O’Shea, manager Brian Thorne) with 13. Mike McGinnis added 9, Jim MacFarlane 8, Paul Bilewicz 7, Pizale 4 and Critelli 4, while Butryn, Gadula, Mike McFarlane and Piscitelli were scoreless.
In the final, the Windsor Assumption Purple Raiders dumped the Brantford Pauline Johnson Thunderbirds 60-35 to capture their second crown in three years. Purple Raiders coach Jack Hool told the Brantford Expositor that “it was our best game of the season. We couldn’t have picked a better time to have it. … We work for the good shot. Tonight, we were lucky to get quite a few good ones.” The Thunderbirds fell behind early and appeared deflated after their big victory over Hamilton Cathedral in the semis. Norbert Rammler and Greg Horoky each scored 16 to pace Assumption. Pat McMahon added 12, Al Majauskas 11 and Dennis Smith 5, while Cogliati, Birch, Milton and Naughton were scoreless. Gord Wilson led Brantford with 16. Frank Nagy and Pat Woodburn each added 11, Martino 9 and Cleary 6, while Huff, S Milton, M Milton, Boyd and Iacovino were scoreless. Assumption led by as many as 17 in the third quarter. But the Thunderbirds cut the lead to 56-50 with two minutes to play. Assumption shot 24-38 from the floor, while Pauline Johnson was 24-71. Assumption hit 12-16 from the line while Pauline Johnson was 5-11. Thunderbirds coach Joe Pajor said Assumption’s shooting was “fantastic. … unbelievable. I’ve never seen anything like it.” Nagy said “it was uncanny the way the got position on us. They boxed us out and there was no place to go but the centre – and that was no use because most of the rebounds went to the side.” The Purple Raiders 1-2-2 zone appeared to completely befuddle the Thunderbirds.
The bronze medalist Hamilton Cathedral Gaels: Mark Walton; Jerry Simpson; Al Smithson; Mike McPhee; Tom Gawrylash; Pat Papalia; Len Cassidy; Joe Taranzuk; Buist; Truckle; Hackenberg, Gawrylash; Russel; Smithson; coach Jim Daly
The silver medalist Brantford Pauline Johnson Thunderbirds: Mike Cleary; Joe Martino; Gord Wilson; Frank Nagy; Pat Woodburn; Mike Milton; Danny Boyd; John Huff; Steve Milton; Don Iacovino; Kevin Baislay, Bill Baker; coach Joe Pajor, manager Roy Chubb; trainer Jim Frank
The gold medalist Windsor Assumption Purple Raiders: Norbert Rammler; Al Majauskas; Dennis Smith; Dave Cogliati; Pat McMahon; Greg Horocky; Heroug; Birch; Milton; Naughton; coach Jack Hool