In the opening round, held in St. Catharines and expanded to 16 from 8 teams (with no regional qualifying tournaments): …………………………………………………… The 4th-seeded Kitchener St. Jerome’s Lions defeated the top-seeded Toronto Runnymede Redmen 65-57. The Redmen entered the tourney in a blaze of publicity over their recruiting. An OFSAA review committee had ruled that Wayne Robertson and Peter Sarellas were ineligible to play. But the pair got an injunction from the Ontario Supreme Court and suited up in St. Catharines. Mr. Justice Marvin Catzman said it questionable whether the students had been dealt with fairly. Defence lawyer Richard Evenson had argued that “the students would miss a significant and once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to participate in a provincial championship.” The OFSAA policy was designed to prevent stockpiling of players on super teams. OFSAA’s guidelines concerning transfers state that a player is eligible to transfer and play if: 1. there’s a change of legal residence by parents or guardian; 2. the sport is no longer offered at his previous school; 3. the player didn’t participate in that sport in the past 12 months; 4. the player transfers to a semestered school and has only one more semester prior to graduation; 5. the player is transferred because of an administrative decision. Runnymede has long been accused of recruiting transfers and all but vilified by opposing coaches. In the Runnymede game, St. Jerome’s press in the closing minutes was just too much for Runnymede to handle as the Lions came from behind to register the win, closing out the affair with a 10-0 run, including 6-6 from the line. Nino Miksic, Alex Urosevic and Marc Wysocki each scored 14 to pace the Lions. Chris Troyak added 10, Gary Lankowski 6, Ron Seftel 2 and Peter Arcand 2. Urosevic told the Kitchener-Waterloo Record that “I think we just made them play our game, at our tempo. We knew we couldn’t get into a track meet with Runnymede because they are tough and quick. I think we all get so pumped up when we play the good Toronto schools, it sort of shows in the kind of performances we have.” Lions coach Tom Kieswetter said “Nino (Miksic) got 13 boards tonight and that’s what we have to have, especially against big teams.” The Lions led 12-7, 26-23 and 42-41 at the quarters. Wayne Robertson led the Redmen with 20. Garnet Williams added 8, Kert Davis 6, Peter Sarellas 5, Jamie Watt 4, Doug Lawrie 4, Wayne Taylor 3, Wayne Pelly 3 and Anthony Martin 2. Redmen coach john Petruschak said “they outplayed us and beat us on the boards, something that I didn’t think they would do. … We made too many dumb mistakes, including a lot of bad passing.” …………………………………………………… The 2nd-seeded Toronto Oakwood Barons defeated the 3rd-seeded Agincourt Stephen Leacock Lions 70-65. The Barons outscored the Lions 23-8 in the third quarter. But Oakwood had its own share of mental lapses as they almost blew their 20-point lead. Baron Richard Stewart committed a traveling violation with 36 seconds left in the game which almost sealed a remarkable comeback by the Lions. Ten seconds later he fouled out, giving Leacock another chance, but again the Lions failed to take advantage and get the deciding points. “I thought that was it, that we’d lost right there after that miscue,” Stewart told the Toronto Star. “I just made a lot of mistakes and threw away too many passes. It was a case of trying to help my teammates and playing too aggressively. It backfired.” Leacock coach Jim Hinkson said “we fell asleep. I don’t know what else happened but it certainly was the wrong time. Maybe the layoff hurt. We just weren’t sharp.” The rejuvenated Lions opened the final quarter with 14 consecutive points and were right back in the game, outscoring Oakwood 24-13 in the final eight minutes. Stewart was the game’s top scorer with 23, including 9 from the foul line, while Ed Reid added 15, along with 11 boards, Paris Dryden 11, Richard Rainford 2 and Everton Lewis 2. The Barons led 18-15, 34-33 and 57-41 at the quarters. Loren Guichard scored 14 to pace Leacock. Dennis Smith added 13, Finbar Strachan 12, Pat Williams 11 (also reported as 12), Everton Henry 6 and Steve Graham 5. …………………………………………………… The 6th-seeded Toronto St. Michael’s Blue Raiders beat the 8th-seeded Oshawa O’Neill Redmen 41-26 as Mike Lavelle scored 13, Jeff Zownir 8, Emile John 8, Roland Semprie 6, Bernard Jackson 4 and Jason Ciceri 2. Gary Blair and Paul Doucet each notched 7 to pace the Redmen. Dave Gomes added 4, Marlon Brand 2, Jamie Stewart 2, Brian Hill 2 and Kevin Mann 2. …………………………………………………… The 15th-seeded Kingston Regiopolis-Notre Dame Redskins defeated the 13th-seeded Sault Ste. Marie Lakeway Trojans 45-40 as Jason Raymond scored 12, while nabbing 10 boards, Pat Gilmour 10, John Besselink 6, Sean Henry 5, Dean Medeiros 4, Dave Norris 4, Chris Garrah 2 and Paul Melim 2. Lakeway led 14-9, 29-20 and 35-34 at the quarters but the Redskins rallied with a 1-3-1 fullcourt press. “We were down by 13 points at one point in the second half so we changed defences and narrowed the score to 35-34 after three quarters,” Redskins coach Paul Walsh told the Kingston Whig-Standard. “We took a lead in the fourth quarter but lost it again until there was about one minute left in the game. With 30 seconds left, John Besselink hit a pair of free throws and then we added another late basket.” Tony Coccimiglio led the Trojans with 13. Sean Roy added 10, Eric Johns 7, Dominic Del Paggio 4, Kevin Thompson 2 and Tom Van Hoof 2. Trojans coach Les Kennedy told the Sault Star that “they worked a couple of defences on us and we started dribbling the ball all over the place. We lost our intensity in the third quarter. We quit moving the ball … cutting through. We just stopped executing and the momentum shifted. I thought we should’ve done a number on this team. … We had a size advantage and we should’ve eaten these guys at the post and we didn’t.” …………………………………………………… The 12th-seeded Windsor W.D. Lowe Trojans edged the 10th-seeded Brampton Cardinal Leger Lancers 53-50 using a 1-2-2 zone to great effect when center Vince Osier picked up his fourth foul in the third quarter. “You can’t take him out of the game so we went to the 1-2-2 to protect Vince. We haven’t used it since Christmas time because we were having trouble with the guys on the wings wandering around too much and opening it up for a good shooter around the foul line,” Trojans coach Gerry Brumpton told the Windsor Star. The move worked, while also shutting down Rob Adams in the paint. Osier finished with 27 (also reported as 25) points and 10 boards to lead the Lancers. Goran Ristic added 13, Jazz Dhaliwal 9, Marvin Daley 4 and Tom Morrison 2. The Lancers led 15-12 after one quarter. The Trojans led 29-28 at the half. The Lancers led 44-41 after three quarters. “We didn’t do a good enough job on him (Osier) and we didn’t get the ball into Adams enough,” said Leger coach Stephen Pettit. Robbie Adams paced the Lancers with 17. Marc Eversley added 15, Peter Baldauf 9, Rob Mancini 8 and Sal Vella 1. …………………………………………………… The 9th-seeded Niagara Falls Stamford Hornets clipped the 11th-seeded Hamilton Scott Park Spartans 60-53 as Glenn Eastland scored 17, Steve Nicholls 16 (also reported as 18), Paul Ibey 16, Russell Field 7 and John Boyle 2, while Jim Beard nabbed 8 boards. Boyle and Ibey each pilfered 4 balls. The Hornets led 10-1 early and 16-13, 28-27 and 46-34 at the quarters. The Hornets hit 8-10 from the line in the fourth quarter. Hornets coach Bob Coull told the Niagara Falls review that “I hoped we could go the line and bury them from there. I still wanted to score more if we could.” Coull said the foul trouble of Spartan point guard Dave Ormerod “helped us. They played well without him (most of the third quarter) but that helped us put on a nice spurt. Three or four quick baskets gave us a nice cushion. … (In the fourth quarter, when Ormerod returned to the floor), we played a Y-1 (defence) on him and tried to take away his penetration as best we could. It was a good thing that he got four on him.” Ibey, who hit 5-6 from the line in the final 90 seconds said “ah, those are easy. We have a lot really good foul shooting on this team. It’s something we practiced a lot. And it pays off. …. I’m glad we just didn’t take this as a token game. We played hard and showed them what we’re made of. Everyone has been playing us down. We’re underdogs. We’ll take it. There’s no pressure on us.” Coull told the St. Catharines Standard that “we have the advantage of being the home team and we were better rested. The game strategy was to take care of (Dave) Ormerod.” Ron Schnell led the Spartans with 15 (also reported as 11). Jeremy Henry added 14 (also reported as 11), Dave Ormerod 13, Paul Szczyry 5, Grant Lehman 5, Bus Karouzakis 2 and Steve DiLoretto 2. Spartans coach Ken Ormerod told the Hamilton Spectator that “their perimeter shooting was excellent. Stamford didn’t hurt us inside, they just shot the lights out. And they were making them from a long way too.” …………………………………………………… The 16th-seeded Ottawa Sir Robert Borden Bengals defeated the 14th-seeded Peterborough Crestwood Mustangs 63-57 in overtime. The Bengals scored 5 in the final minute of regulation to force overtime and all six points in the extra session. Rob Ager paced the Bengals with 17. Leacroft Panton added 12, George Dudas 11, Larry Elliott 11, Doug Elliott 8, Kevin Lee 3 and Troy Baily 1. The Bengals led 24-6, 36-22 and 45-39 at the quarters. Steve Lang led the Mustangs with 15. Jeff Willis added 13, Terry Poole 10, Steve Mann 6, Don Crowe 5, Jason Rudd 4 and Fabio Digiovani 2. …………………………………………………… The 5th-seeded Sarnia Northern Vikings dumped the 7th-seeded St. Catharine’s Governor Simcoe Redcoats 71-62 as Steve McGregor scored 16, Sean Allen 16, Virgil Hill 13, Kevin Rome 9, Doug Toole 8, Chris Paulley 4 and Steve Partridge 3. McGregor told the St. Catharines Standard that “we were running more tonight. … The last time we played, they ran us a lot of the time and tonight, we tried to prevent the easy layups. Last time on defence, I took Bleich and tonight we put Spider (Sean Allen) on him and I helped out.” Brian Bleich paced the Redcoats with 33, along with 15 boards. John Walsh added 10, Troy Garragh 8, Steven Langendoen 5, Peter Huebert 3, Chris Yu 2 and Jon Dyck 1. The Redcoats led 18-14 after one quarter. The Vikings led 40-30 at the half and 51-42 after three quarters. The Vikings hit 27-64 from the floor and 17-37 from the line. The Redcoats hit 26-61 from the floor an d10-23 from the line. Redcoat John Walsh said “it was important for the game tonight that everyone would get to play in the OFSAA championships and everyone played hard … We could have busted our butts and beat them (after beating Sarnia Northern by 16 three weeks earlier) but blowing someone out in the first game wouldn’t do us any good.”
In the second round: …………………………………………………… The 4th-seeded Kitchener St. Jerome’s Lions defeated the 8th-seeded Oshawa O’Neill Redmen 62-49 as Alex Urosevic scored 15, Nino Miksic 10, Peter Arcand 9, Chris Troyak 7 and Gary Lankowski 7. Dave Gomes led the Redmen with 12. Brian Hill added 11 and Gary Blair 10. The Redmen also included Paul Doucet, Marlon Brand, Jamie Stewart, Kevin Mann. …………………………………………………… The 7th-seeded St. Catharines Governor Simcoe Redcoats thrashed the 15th-seeded Kingston Regiopolis-Notre Dame Redskins 67-51 as Brian Bleich scored 34, while hitting 16 free throws, Troy Garrah 12, Peter Huebert 10, Chris Yu 8, John Dyck 2 and Steve Langedoen 1. The Redcoats led 25-6 after one quarter as the Redskins were unable to contain Bleich in the blocks. They led 42-24 at the half and 49-34 after three quarters. Bleich is “big, he handles the ball and he’s a good outside shooter,” Redskins assistant Pat Murphy told the Kingston Whig-Standard. “We played man to man in the first quarter, but we couldn’t match up. We switched to a zone and that was more effective for us. Paul (Walsh, Redskins head coach) and I should’ve realized that we couldn’t match up. We should’ve changed defences. Switching defences caused some turnovers and helped get us on the board. We didn’t go back to man to man.” Dave Norris led the Redskins with 20 points. John Besselink added 8, Jason Raymond 6, Dean Madeiros 5, Sean Henry 4, Pat Gilmour 4, Mike Myers 2 and Chris Garrah 2. “We didn’t really have any other production. We just weren’t hot,” Murphy said. “At that level you can’t score six points and expect to win the game. It was a poorly played first half and we paid the price for it.” The Redskins (coached by Paul Walsh) also included Paul Melim, Deblois and Ponte. …………………………………………………… The 3rd-seeded Agincourt Stephen Leacock Lions thumped the 12th-seeded Windsor W.D. Lowe Trojans 64-41 as Everton Henry scored 21 and Pat Williams 17. The Lions quickly got their transition game on track and easily dispatched the Trojans. “It’s a little disappointing but then a lot of people didn’t expect Lowe to be here,” Trojans coach Gerry Brumpton told the Windsor Star. Jazz Dhaliwal led the Trojans with 17. Vince Osier added 10. The Trojans also included Victor Chau, Doug Payne, Marvin Dailey, Goran Rustic, Tom Morrison, Jeff Wilson, Charles Payne, Sean Murphy and John Hammond. …………………………………………………… The 6th-seeded Toronto St. Michael’s Blue Raiders eliminated the two-time defending provincial champ and top-seeded Toronto Runnymede Redmen 70-67 as Jeff Zownir and Bernard Jackson each scored 24. Mike Lavelle added 12. Taylor drove for a bucket to draw the Redmen with 68-67 but the Blue Raiders iced it at the line, included a free throw from Jackson. Runnymede’s Peter Sarellas told the Toronto Star that “we weren’t thinking basketball and that was the reason for no hustle, no rebounding, just total collapse. It was embarrassing. “What hurt more than the loss was how we let ourselves down. It’s a terrible way to end a season.” Wayne Taylor paced the Redmen with 17. Garnett Williams added 12. The Redmen (coached by John Petruschak, assisted by Bruce Mason) also included Wayne Robertson, Kert Davis, Peter Sarellas, Jamie Watt, Doug Lawrie, Wayne Pelly and Anthony Martin. …………………………………………………… The 11th-seeded Hamilton Scott Park Spartans edged the 16th-seeded Ottawa Sir Robert Borden Bengals 49-48 in overtime as Ron Schnell hit the winner with 12 seconds to play. Dave Ormerod led the Spartans with 21. Ron Schnell added 15. The Bengals fired off a shot with three seconds to play that missed and then notched a putback but officials ruled that it had gone in after the buzzer. Leecroft Panton paced the Bengals with 17. The Bengals also included Larry Elliot, Rob Ager, Doug Elliot, Kevin Lee, George Dudas, Troy Baily. …………………………………………………… The 5th-seeded Sarnia Northern Vikings clipped the 13th-seeded Sault Ste. Marie Lakeway Trojans 50-44 as Kevin Rome scored 18 and Doug Tool 13. Eric Johns led the Trojans with 12. Tom Van Hoof added 11. Trojans coach Les Kennedy told the Sault Star that “we gave it our best shot but it wasn’t enough. We were within two points until the final minute and then they pulled away.” The Trojans (coached by Kennedy) also included Sean Roy, Mario Scarpino, Toto Coccimiglio, Domenic Del Paggio, Kevin Thompson. …………………………………………………… The 9th-seeded Niagara Falls Stamford Hornets dusted the 14th-seeded Peterborough Crestwood Mustangs 52-36 as Glenn Eastland scored 18, Steve Nicholls 14, Field 6 and Ibey 6. Steve Lang led the Mustangs with 12. Jeff Willis added 10. The Mustangs also included Terry Poole, Steve Mann, Don Crowe, Jason Rudd and Fabio Digiovani. …………………………………………………… The 2nd-seeded Toronto Oakwood Barons stomped the 10th-seeded Brampton Cardinal Leger Lancers 77-48 as Richard Stewart scored 27 and Paris Dryden 14. Robbie Adams led the Lancers with 12. The Lancers (coached by Stephen Petit) also included Peter Baldauf, Roy Cocciollo, Marc Eversley, Rob Mancini, Sal Vella..
In the quarterfinals, the 6th-seeded Toronto St. Michael’s Blue Raiders edged the 11th-seeded Hamilton Scott Park Spartans 54-42. “Everyone should have a day like this; it’s simply marvelous and no one ever expected us to do so well,” said St. Michael’s coach Dan Prendergast told the Toronto Star while rejoicing after his team rebounded to outscore the Hamilton champs, 22-6, in the final quarter of the game. “We’re starting to feel it with so many pressure games in only a few days,” said St. Mike’s 6-9 Bernard Jackson, who scored 16 points and grabbed a dozen rebounds. “I think we’re running on emotions.” Mike Lavelle added 13, Jeff Zownir 12, Emile John 8 and Roland Semprie 4. The Spartans led 14-7 after one quarter. The Blue Raiders led 2-522 at the half. The Spartans led 36-31 after three quarters. Spartans coach Ken Ormerod told the Hamilton Spectator that “St. Mike’s exploded on us. They have two kids who are 6-9 (Bernard Jackson) and 6-6 (Jeff Zownir). They both on the junior national team. I’m proud of the way we played. We held them in check for a long time.” Dave Ormerod led the Spartans with 13. Paul Szczyry added 12, Ron Schnell 9, Jeremy Henry 6 and Grant Lehman 2. The Spartans had 9-point lead in each half but squandered both. The Spartans (coached by Ken Ormerod) also included Mike Drahusz, Jim Drahusz, Steve Diloreto, Gus Karouzakis, Dave Griffin, Jim Lalonde, Trevor Pamapalas, Bryan Williams and Darren Burke.
The 3rd-seeded Agincourt Stephen Leacock Lions defeated the 7th-seeded St. Catharines Governor Simcoe Redcoats 50-45 as Dennis Smith scored 22, Everton Henry 8, Finbar Strachan 8, Pat Williams 8, Steve Graham 2 and Loren Guichard 2. The Redcoats led 11-10 after one quarter. The Lions led 24-19 at the half and 37-27 after three quarters, pulling out the win by hitting nine free throws down the stretch. Lions coach James Hinkson told the St. Catharines Standard that “we expected a big game from their big guy (Brian Bleich). But we didn’t expect Simcoe to set up their whole offence around him. Only him and (John) Walsh took shots. But if somebody is that great, you’ve got to go to him. We’ve never won against a team quite like this. He has to be the best player in all of Ontario.” Brian Bleich led the Redcoats with 23, John Walsh added 12, along with 14 assists, Troy Garrah 6 and Chris Yu 4. The Redcoats (coach Pat Woodburn) also included Peter Huebert, Brent Rutherford, Colin Bruce, Steve Langedoen, Chris Brean, Richard Kiernen, Greg Smith, Dave Gergely, Jon Dyck and Steve Lang. Walsh said “the key to our whole team is role playing. Troy and Chris are the ballhandlers, and Brian, well, he is our meal ticket. And I guess my job was to get the ball to Brian because I know where he wants it and when he wants it. … And Woody was the perfect coach for our style of team. He knew what everyone could do and could live with it. We’re not loaded with talent yet he brought out the rights for everyone to play.” Woodburn said “we wanted to stick with our game plan, which was to work the ball around and get a good shot. That, and work the press and try to force a few steals. We knew they’d get more boards because they’re bigger and stronger than us, so we had to be selective with our shots.
The 4th-seeded Kitchener St. Jerome’s Lions defeated the 9th-seeded Niagara Falls Stamford Hornets 53-45 as Alex Urosevic scored 16, Chris Troyak 15, Marc Wysocki 11, Nin Miksic 9 and Gary Lankowski 2. The Lions led 13-11, 32-21 and 46-33 at the quarters. Lions coach Tom Kieswetter told the Kitchener-Waterloo Record that “maybe our execution wasn’t as good today but the guys are working hard. Nino (Miksic) and Mark (Wysocki) are doing great boardwork. Alex (Urosevic) is giving us big baskets when we need them and Chris (Troyak) is our floor lead, as he has been all year.” Glenn Eastland led the Hornets with 15. Russ Field added 14, John Boyle 8, Steve Nicholls 6 and Jim Beard 2. The Hornets hit 3-12 in the second quarter as they fell behind by double digits. “That’s what killed us,” Boyle told the Niagara Falls Review. “Once you get down by 10, it’s pretty hard to come back against a team like that. It’s not that they were great at anything but they were good at everything.” Nicholls said “they seemed really up for this.” Hornets coach Bob Coull said “I’m really happy the way we played. We showed a lot of poise for a team that should have been under a lot of pressure. (Alex) Urosevic shot extremely well. Every time we got one, he would come back down. I kept waiting for him to miss a couple but he didn’t. Just when I thought we were sneaking back in, he would hit another big hoop.” The Hornets (coach Bob Coull) also included Paul Ibey, Brad Martin, Curt Minor, Joe Scozzafava, Turi Pillitteri and Vince Rocca.
In the last quarterfinal, the 2nd-seeded Toronto Oakwood Barons defeated the 5th-seeded Sarnia Northern Vikings 59-58 as Richard Stewart, who sprained an ankle late in the game, hit a free throw with three second remaining on the clock. “These games are getting too close for comfort, so why not add a little suspense?” Stewart told the Toronto Star as he iced his foot and recalled how he missed the first of two free throws with the score tied at 40. Stewart led the Barons with 24. Ed Reid added 12, Paris Dryden 10, Jamie Procope 8 and Bob Davis 5. The Barones led 20-14 after one quarter. The scored was knotted at 36 at the half. The Barons led 49-46 after three quarters. Steve McGregor paced the Vikings with 27. Kevin Rome added 19, Virgil Hill 4, Doug Toole 4 and Sean Allen 4. The Vikings also included Chris Paulley, Steve Partridge.
In the semis, the 4th-seeded Kitchener St. Jerome’s Lions defeated the 2nd-seeded Toronto Oakwood Barons 62-60 in overtime as Alex Urosevic hit an 18-footer at the buzzer. Urosevic told the Kitchener-Waterloo Record that “they had really been in my face all day and I only took one other long jumper which didn’t go in. It was the only clear shot I had all game and the only one that went down.” Nino Miksic paced the Lions with 23. Alex Urosevic added 12, Chris Troyak 11 (also reported as 13), Marc Wysocki 9, Gary Lankowski 5 and Lance Lockhart 1. Paris Dryden paced the Barons with 23. Bob Davis added 14, Richard Stewart 10 (also reported as 12), Ed Reid 7 and Jamie Procope 6.
In the other semi, the 3rd-seeded Agincourt Stephen Leacock Lions defeated the 6th-seeded Toronto St. Michael Blue Raiders 65-52 as Dennis Smith scored 18, Pat Williams 17, Everton Henry 14, Loren Guichard 8, Finbar Strachan 6 and Fred Rutherford 3. The Blue Raiders led 18-14 after one quarter. The Lions led 35-27 at the half and 45-35 after three quarters. Mike Lavelle paced the Blue Raiders with 13. Bernard Jackson added 12, Jeff Zownir 11, Emily John 9 and Roland Semprie 7.
In the bronze medal match, the 6th-seeded Toronto St. Michael’s Blue Raiders dispatched the 2nd-seeded Toronto Oakwood Barons 75-70 as Bernard Jackson scored 22, Roland Semprie 12, Emile John 12, Mike Lavelle 11, Jeff Zonir 7, Jascon Ciceri 6, Mark Reid 2 and Eugene Basilio 2. The Blue Raiders led 15-14 after one quarter and 35-23 at the half. The Barons led 60-53 after three quarters. Richard Stewart paced the Barons with 22. Jamie Procope added 11, Ed Reid 4, Richard Rainford 4, Paris Dryden 2 and Everton Lewis 1. The Barons (coached by Terry Thompson) also included Andrew Merritt, Lance Winn, Peter Surellas, Chiadu Odiato, Bob Davis, Wendell Brereton and Justin Jones.
In the final, the 4th-seeded Kitchener St. Jerome’s Lions defeated the 3rd-seeded Agincourt Stephen Leacock CI Lions 53-51 in overtime as Chris Troyak hit a 14-foot jumper with one second left on the clock to win it. Troyak told the Niagara Falls Review “it’s just like a dream. It’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me. … I was looking for Al (Urosevic) actually. But they had him double-teamed, so I just put it up and it went in. Today, lady luck was on our side. It could have been a different story tomorrow.” Troyak also hit a 23-footer with four seconds left in regulation to force overtime. Troyak told the St. Catharines Standard that “we’re all heroes. It wasn’t just the one shot, although you’ve got to have a little luck to win a championship. Today, we got lucky and today, we’re the champs.” St. Jerome’s coach Tom Kieswetter said “it was a story book ending. A Hollywood scriptwriter couldn’t have written us a better season.” Troyak told the Kitchener-Waterloo Record that “this is just incredible. What a team, what a team of destiny. Everybody contributed and that shot of mine went it. It could just as easily have stayed out.” Alex Urosevic said “Nino (Miksic) plays big in big games and you saw it today.” Lions coach Tom Kieswetter said “I said all along this tournament could be a war of attrition and we would b eokay because we had depth. Some of my kids didn’t see a lot of court time but it was quality time that we got from them.” St. Jerome’s led 14-11 after one quarter after slowing the tempo to a crawl, while playing a 1-2-2 zone. Leacock’s 2-3 zone kept St. Jerome’s on the perimeter but Kitchener led 25-23 at the half and 39-33 after three quarters. The Scarborough Lions really made it interesting, scoring nine consecutive points in the fourth quarter after shifting to a press to rallying to 44-43 lead on a Loren Guichard steal and runout. Lions coach Jim Hinkson was outraged at five-second call against Loren Guichard, with 14 seconds to play. “When you’re talking seconds late in a game and with the score so close, you don’t pull a fast one like he did. The refs were against us and any Toronto team right from the start. I’d rather lose a game on the foul line than have the refs give it to the other team,” he told the Toronto Star. The turnabout gave St. Jerome’s control and they maneuvered the play around before setting up Chris Troyak for a game winning 20-foot jump shot with only two seconds left. But Leacock was also hurt by poor free throw shooting, especially in the closing minutes when Finbar Strachan, Dennis Smith and Guichard combined to miss five shots. “We should have hit those throws; that was really the game,” said Hinkson. “There is just no excuse for that and especially so many.” Tom Kieswetter, coach of St. Jerome’s said his (44-3) troops found a good time to peak. “We never wanted to be No. 1 during the year because it added pressure and distraction. But now’s a good time to take that title and we got better and better as the tournament went along.” Kieswetter declined comment on the officiating. “They have a job to do and it’s not for me to comment on them. They are very professional. Obviously, I am biased.” Alex Urosevic paced St. Jerome’s with 14. Chris Troyak added 13 (also reported as 11), Nino Miksic 12, Marc Wysocki 8, Ron Seftel 2, Gary Lankowski 2 and Lance Lockhart 2. Dennis Smith led Leacock with 15. Finbar Strachan added 13 (also reported as 15), Pat Williams 9 (also reported as 7), Everton Henry 8 and Loren Guichard 6.
The bronze medalist Toronto St. Michael’s Blue Raiders: Bernard Jackson; Mike Lavelle; Jeff Zownir; Emile John; Daniel Prendergast II; Roland Semprie; Paul O’Ryan; Jason Ciceri; Eugene Basilio; Emile John; Mark Reid; Alex Confalonieri; Alistair Bayley; Mike Lavelle; Stan Zoldos; coach Dan Prendergast; assistant Donald Graham
The silver medalist Agincourt Stephen Leacock Lions: Loren Guichard; Dennis Smith; Finbar Strachan; Pat Williams; Everton Henry; Calvin Green; Steve Graham; Fred Rutherford; coach Jim Hinkson
The gold medalist Kitchener St. Jerome’s Lions: Nino Miksic; Alex Urosevic; Marc Wysocki; Chris Troyak; Lance Lockhart; Darren D’Aguilar; Dave Lynch; Gary Lankowski; Joe Shoemaker; Ron Seftel; Brian Denomme; Peter Arcand; Brett Wherie; Chris Strome; Jeff Miller; coach Tom Kieswetter