In the opening round, held in London: …………………………………………………… The 4th-seeded Ottawa Sir Robert Borden Bengals thrashed the 10th-seeded Kitchener Forest Heights Trojans 80-54 as Dave Munro scored 26, Brian Lee 22 and Steve Anderson 21. The Bengals led 21-17 after one quarter and 40-25 at the half. Bengals coach Ted Edwards told the Kitchener-Waterloo Record that “I thought it was good first game effort but I think we can play even better.” Mark Bullock and Lloyd Newman each scored 15 to pace the Trojans. Wayne Johnson added 10. Trojans coach Don Page said “when you shoot 18 for 65 from the field, you’re not going to beat a team the calibre of the Bengals. They have the total package (inside and outside scoring, rebounding and speed) and we just never recovered after making 2 of 17 shots from the floor in the second quarter.” …………………………………………………… The top-seeded Toronto Runnymede Redmen clipped the 11th-seeded London H.B. Beal Raiders 58-33. The Redmen broke free with a 12-0 run in the third quarter. The Redmen lacked intensity, which left coach John Petrushchak fuming to the Toronto Star. “It’s tough, the intensity level wasn’t there and we all knew it; they’ll get better, it has to come. These kids have a habit of getting fired up for the big games. I told them in the dressing room (at halftime) that they had no desire and to stop feeling sorry for themselves. If I only had five players, I’d be in deep trouble. I guess they’ll be all right but it hurts watching them play flat.” Runnymede opened with a 7-0 run but went into a freeze leading 14-8 after the opening two quarters. “We lost the ball game in 90 seconds of the third quarter, that’s it,” Raiders coach Dan Colfax said. “Our game plan was to keep them tight, not let their kids get relaxed and play the quick pace game. That third quarter (Runnymede outscored Beal, 20-6) was the killer and when that kid got the two three-pointers, that was the turning point.” Dave Sherwood led the Redmen with 13. Cory Williams added 11. Powell Hoppe led the Raiders with 12. …………………………………………………… The 6th-seeded Dundas Parkside Panthers whipped the 16th-seeded Pembroke Champlain Dragons 61-45 as Dan Vandenburg scored 16, Glenn Lapp 10 and Paul Maga 8. The Panthers led 35-14 at the half. Panthers coach Paul Baker told the Hamilton Spectator that “the game was pretty well in hand by halftime.” Blaine Rutland and Mike Rosewych each scored 10 to pace the Dragons. …………………………………………………… The 3rd-seeded Toronto Oakwood Barons defeated the 9th-seeded Oshawa O’Neill Redmen 75-65 as Greg Francis scored 21. Jason Podrats led the Redmen with 26. …………………………………………………… The 8th-seeded Brampton Cardinal Leger Lancers defeated the 14th-seeded Toronto St. Michael’s Blue Raiders 65-39 as Chris Baldauf scored 20. Dwight Donald led the Blue Raiders with 8. …………………………………………………… The 7th-seeded Windsor Lowe Trojans clipped the 13th-seeded wildcard London Westminster Wildcats 61-45. The Trojans fell behind by five in the third quarter but Chad Curley drained a trey as the frame expired to give Lowe a 40-38 lead. He then blocked two shots at the start of the fourth quarter within 10 seconds. “That was the turning point of the game,” Wildcat coach Andy Stothart told the Windsor Star. That broke the Trojans out of their doldrums and they pulled away down the stretch. “I was tired of losing and going home early,” said Curley. “I want to have a chance to play a few games down here.” The 6-6 forward led the Trojans with 20 points and a number of blocks. “I think the blocks picked us up more than it hurt them,” Curley said. “It inspired everyone out there. We really wanted to play defence after that.” Trojans coach Gerry Brumpton said “our defence definitely is what won the ballgame.” Mike Oravsky led the Wildcats with 13. …………………………………………………… The 5th-seeded Belleville Moira Trojans clipped the 15th-seeded Sault Ste. Marie St. Mary’s Knights 56-43 as Bob Hilchon and Dave Irwin each scored 13. Pat Lucarelli led the Knights with 9. Larry Zanatta added 8 and Paul Demarco 8. …………………………………………………… The 2nd-seeded Hamilton St. Mary’s Crusaders clocked the 12th-seeded Scarborough Lester B. Pearson Bengals 57-43 as Rick Wesolowski scored 23 and post Cesare Piccini 20 before suffering an ankle injury in the third quarter. Crusaders coach Joe Raso told the Hamilton Spectator that “we built up an 18-point lead but when Cesare went down, we had to do a little clutching and grabbing.”. Mark Reid led the Bengals with 23.
In the second round: …………………………………………………… The top-seeded Toronto Runnymede Redmen whipped the 16th-seeded Pembroke Champlain Dragons 76-48 as Greg Burke and Dwayne Hartley each scored 10. Blaine Rutland led the Dragons with 14. The Dragons (coached by John Zadow) also included David Walsh, Mike Rasewych, Peter Clarke, Karl Fernandes. …………………………………………………… The 8th-seeded Brampton Cardinal Leger Lancers dumped the 9th-seeded Oshawa O’Neill Redmen 68-48 as Michael Meeks scored 29. Cam Nekkers led the Redmen with 15. The Redmen (coached by Craig Andrews) included Doug Wilson, Alex Petre, Ian McGinnis, Jason Podrats and Carl Thompson. …………………………………………………… The 11th-seeded London H.B. Beal Raiders stunned the 6th-seeded Dundas Parkside Panthers 40-36 as Pawel Hoppe scored 14. Paul Maga led the Panthers with 14. The Panthers (coached by Paul Baker) also included Colin Fox, Jason Henry, Dan Vandenburg, Jeff Varey, Glenn Lapp, Jason Rizza. …………………………………………………… The 10th-seeded Kitchener Forest Heights Trojans nipped the 7th-seeded Windsor W.D. Lowe Trojans 57-55 in overtime as Lloyd Newman hit a pair of free throws with two seconds to play. “The third quarter was the killer,” Trojans guard Al Poisson told the Windsor Star. “I thought we played well enough defensively, but we didn’t score. I think we were just too pumped up. We rushed our offence. We should have just been patient enough to do the things we’ve been doing all year. If we had done that we’d still be playing.” Lowe led 34-29 at the half but scored only one field goal in the next 10 minutes. “We had people in some good scoring positions who just couldn’t finish,” Lowe coach Gerry Brumpton said. “And when we got to the foul line, we hurt ourselves. I’m tired of seeing other teams go and get the job done at the line while we make one and miss one. We had the chances, but we didn’t have any killer instinct. We’ve talked about that all year. You can’t let a team hang around when you get up on them.” The Trojans took a 40-39 lead with two minutes remaining in the third quarter and led 49-44 midway through the final quarter. In the final four minutes, the Trojan defence gave Lowe yet another chance to pull out the game. A George Chaker steal and layup combined with Chad Curley’s three-pointer tied the score at 49-49. The teams traded baskets in the final minute of regulation with Newman’s desperation shot from midcourt bouncing off the rim at the buzzer. Newman gave the Trojans the lead with 34 seconds to play in overtime. Poisson knotted the score at 55, setting the stage for Newman’s winners after being fouled by Zoran Ristic. “I don’t know why Zoran fouled him when it was a desperation shot from the corner,” Brumpton said. “He wasn’t shooting that well from the field all game. Zoran should have just let him go.” Mark Bullock paced the Forest Heights with 25. Newman added 12 (also reported as 13), Chris Miller 10, Wayne Johnson 4, Jason Meskiw 2 and Roger Schamp 2. Trojans coach Don Page told the Kitchener-Waterloo Record that “the guys believed in themselves and we knew we weren’t as bad as the whipping we took from Borden in the opener.” Newman said “no, strangely, I wasn’t nervous. I might have been but Biz (Mark Bullock) came over before I was going to shoot and it calmed me.” Page said “it’s no big thing that Lloyd is shooting better because he has been working on his deliver at the line.” Allen Poisson led Lowe with 14. Shannon Robbins added 12. …………………………………………………… The 15th-seeded Sault Ste. Marie St. Mary’s Knights knocked off the 2nd-seeded Hamilton St. Mary’s Crusaders 60-52 as David Nicholls scored 20 and Pat Lucarelli 17. The Knights hit 12-14 from the line down the stretch. Rich Wesolowski led the Crusaders with 21. Crusaders coach Joe Raso told the Hamilton Spectator that “we made a lot of mistakes in the first half and paid for them in the second. WE just didn’t play with any discipline. … Richie (Wesolowski) had some trouble running the offence. We kept going for the bad shots, hoping we’d get them back in the second half. You have to give the Knights credit though. They never stopped taking it to us.” The Crusaders (coached by Joe Raso, assisted by Jasper Naus and Fox) also included Anthony Randall, Jason Tatti, Gedis Dzieman, Cesare Piccini, Andrew Sergei, Jerry Romano, Jerry Lawlor, Kevin Redmen, Chris Nobles, Colin Benoit, John Hughes and Sean Maillet. …………………………………………………… The 4th-seeded Ottawa Sir Robert Borden Bengals edged the 13th-seeded London Westminster Wildcats 73-69 as Steve Anderson scored 26. Mike Oravsky led the Wildcats with 27. The Wildcats (coached by Andy Stothart) included Mike Oravsky, Steve Hickson, Paul Reesor, Rob Vanelslander and Leroy Hibbert. …………………………………………………… The 5th-seeded Belleville Moira Trojans defeated the 12th-seeded Scarborough Lester B. Pearson Bengals 56-51 as Scott Reid scored 12. Andrew Dixon led the Bengals with 18. The Bengals (coached by Dave Lake) included Maulvi Dowdie, Dirk Rhodes, Eustace Williams, Tony King, Mark Reid. …………………………………………………… The 3rd-seeded Toronto Oakwood Barons dispatched the 14th-seeded Toronto St. Michael’s Blue Raiders 75-63 as Patrick Johnson and Greg Francis each scored 20. Ante Pavlovic and Carlo Esposito each notched 15 for the Blue Raiders. The Blue Raiders (coached by Greg Paolini) also included Dwight Donald, Roger Thurton, Simon Gosnach, John Guccione, Greg Tanzola, Carlos Santos, Frank Mazzulla Jakob Rogalski, Bernard Chien, James Walsh and John Mockus.
In the quarterfinals, the top-seeded Toronto Runnymede Redmen thrashed the 8th-seeded Brampton Cardinal Leger Lancers 66-48. Runnymede took control when Cory Williams sank his first of a trio of treys midway through the opening quarter. They soon led by 18. “We know how to score and wanted to concentrate on defence; try and slow (Michael Meeks) down,” Clarence Porter, who paced Runnymede with 16, told the Toronto Star. Meeks scored 22 to pace the Lancers. Leger coach Steve Pettit said “it’s something I can’t explain. The way we’ve been playing lately, I actually thought we had a good chance of sticking with (Runnymede). That’s because from what I’ve seen of their outside shooting, I figured it was their Achilles heel. They proved me wrong.” The Lancers (coached by Steve Pettit, assisted by Greg Faux and Pat Rocco) included Michael Meeks, Chris Baldauf, Chris Delaney, Martin Weeks, Dan Palermo, Rui Ferreira, Ed Cocciollo, Matt Faux, Denis Milohnic, Glen Silvestri, Victor Peca, Chris Gentiles, Fab Marino, Bob Lemon and Sam Annecchiarico.
The 4th-seeded Ottawa Sir Robert Borden Bengals dumped the 5th-seeded Belleville Moira Trojans 70-65. “Moira has a lot of height and when Steve Anderson got into foul trouble early, I figured were really going to have a problem,” said Borden coach Ted Edwards. “But team captain Brian Lee and Dave Munro responded well and took charge. They kept us ahead. I think the fear of losing kept them going…. I think we were looking ahead to tonight and not paying attention to the game at hand.” Lee netted 20, Munro 19, Steve Dever 12 and Steven Anderson 10, despite being foul trouble for most of the affair. “Before Steve left the court he whispered ‘Win it for me’, Lee told the Ottawa Citizen. “We all know that each game is potentially our last together at high school so we simply refused to give up. When Belleville sends their big guys inside it can be scary without Steve around, but his request inspired me. We had to do it.” Dave Irwin led the Trojans with 23. The Trojans (coached by Ken Smith) included Bob Hitcon, Scott Reid, Matt Middleton.
The 3rd-seeded Toronto Oakwood Barons stomped the 11th-seeded London H.B. Beal Raiders 72-43 as Brendan Noonan and Patrick Johnson each scored 12. Pawel Hoppe led the Raiders with 15. The Raiders (coached by Dan Colfax) included Jim Lacey, Dallas Gentile, Mark Kearney.
In the last quarterfinal, the 10th-seeded Kitchener Forest Heights Trojans thrashed the 15th-seeded Sault Ste. Marie St. Mary’s Knights 60-38 as Mark Bullock scored 16, Johnson 12, Newman 8, Maskis 6, Miller 5, Tim Demont 2 and Tom O’Rourke 2. Don Muto led the Knights with 10. Steve Petingola added 8. The Knights (coached by Loris Tecile) also included Pat Lucarelli, Marc Lesage, Dave Nicholls, Don Muto, Larry Zanatta.
In the semis, the top-ranked Toronto Runnymede Redmen defeated the 4th-seeded Ottawa Sir Robert Borden Bengals 76-72. “We shot terribly in the first half, just 26 per cent,” Bengals coach Ted Edwards told the Ottawa Citizen. “We normally shoot around 45 per cent, and you just can’t shoot that poorly against a team like Runnymede.” Runnymede received 19 points from Dave Sherwood and 16 from Cory Williams. Guard Brian Lee led the Bengals with 24 points, while Steve Anderson had 21 and Dave Munro added 20. “We beat them up inside, that’s our game,” said Runnymede coach John Petrushchak. “And when they finally collapsed on Sherwood, we had other guys hitting from the outside. When Sherwood controls inside, we are very tough to beat.” Despite a 66-41 deficit at one point, the Bengals made a game of it, thanks largely to three three-point shots from guard Brian Lee.
In the other semi, the Toronto Oakwood Barons defeated the 10th-seeded Kitchener Forest Heights Trojans 46-45 as Brian Johnson hit the winning free throw with 15 seconds to play. On the ensuing inbounds play, the Trojans were unable to get the ball inbounded within the required five seconds. Patrick Johnson led the Barons with 19. Mark Bullock paced the Trojans with 22. Miller added 7, Johnson 6, Demont 4, Meskis 4 and Schamp 2. Trojans coach Ted Page told the Kitchener-Waterloo Record that “it was a great game and we had a shot at winning.”
In the bronze medal match, the 10th-seeded Kitchener Forest Heights Trojans avenged an opening round loss by defeating the 4th-seeded Ottawa Sir Robert Borden Bengals 71-58 as Mark Bullock scored 30, including four from beyond the arc. Lloyd Newman added 12, Wayne Johnson 10, Roger Schamp 6, Chris Miller 5, Tim Demont 5 and Jason Meskis 3. Trojans coach Don Page said that after the one-point semi-final loss, “the guys had plenty of reasons to be flat but they came out tough. I think they had something to prove about this season and what better way than to get the bronze medals.” Lloyd Newman said “we knew this was the last time we’d be playing as a team and we wanted to give something to Dennis Herakovic (who required knee surgery mid-season) and coach Page – a better memory that the opening game.” Borden finished 43-6 on the campaign. Steve Anderson paced the Bengals with 17. Dave Munro added 15. The Bengals (coached by Ted Edwards) also included Brian Lee, Steve Dever, Peter Hemstead, Mark Elliot, Chris Chircoski, Sean O’Brien, Kim Brunhuber, Steve Faught, Drake Beauchamp, Derek Firth and Gord Kritsch.
In the final, the Toronto Runnymede Redmen defeated the Toronto Oakwood CI Barons 68-66 to capture their sixth provincial title and fourth since 1985. The Barons twice had a shot to tie in the final minute but Patrick Johnson twice missed jumpers. The game wasn’t decided until Vinton Bennett scored 8, including the winning bucket off a steal with 1:47 left on the clock. Johnson, who was Oakwood’s top scorer with 20, went for the tying points with seven seconds left but his shot hit the rim. A second attempt missed at the buzzer. “That was a closer game than most expected; it shows why these kids are so good,” Runnymede coach John Petrushchak told the Toronto Star. “Foul trouble, illness and an excellent performance by Oakwood, especially with the press that killed us, and still this team refused to give up.” The score was knotted at 15 after one quarter. Good ball movement by Oakwood’s Brendan Noonan and Lui Cinello, who was forced to leave with five minutes left in the game with a badly bruised left ankle, gave Runnymede fits and the Barons a 28-27 lead at halftime. “Things were looking pretty good, especially when we neutralized their big guy and started to carry the play,” said Oakwood coach Terry Thomson. “We lost our concentration after they made those steals late in the game and with Lui out, it really hurt. Lui was the key to our game.’ Cinello added 15 points for Oakwood while Brien Campbell poured in a dozen. Cory Williams led the Runnymede scoring with 20. Vinton Bennett added 14 and Dean Oliver 11.
The bronze medalist Kitchener Forest Heights Trojans: Mark Bullock; Wayne Johnson; Lloyd Newman; Chris Miller; Tim Demant; Dennis Meskis; Dennis Herakovic; Roger Schamp; Wayne Johnson; Jason Meskis; T.J. McKenzie; coach Don Page
The silver medalist Toronto Oakwood Barons: Patrick Johnson; Brendan Noonan; Greg Francis; Lui Cinello; Brien Campbell; Wayne Clarkson; Tracy Bamfu; J.R. Powell; N. Tofting; G Marugos; R. Andrade; E Marsello; C. Douglas; M. Guido; coach Terry Thomson; assistant Ernie MacMillan
The gold medalist Toronto Runnymede Redmen: Dave Sherwood; Cory Williams; Vinton Bennett; Clarence Porter; Dean Oliver; Greg Burke; Dwayne Jacobs; Dave McCullough; Dave Dawson; Costy Dessources; Greg Leslie; Dwayne Hartley; Mike Kerr; Allan Todd; coach John Petruschak; assistant Paul Melnyk