In the opening round, held in London: …………………………………………………… The 8th-seeded Windsor W.F. Herman Green Griffins edged the 9th-seeded Thornhill Vaughn Voyageurs 48-44 as Jim Law scored 15 and John Pierce 14. Sheldon Jones led Vaughn with 17. The Griffins trailed 26-19 at the half. “But we picked up our defence. It took approximately two minutes to go up one point in the third quarter,” Griffins’ coach Royal Church told the Windsor Star. “We relied on our balanced scoring. We played at least three great quarters of defence.” …………………………………………………… The top-seeded Hamilton Cathedral Gaels clipped the 11th-seeded Niagara Falls A.N. Myer Marauders 51-42 as Chad Colquhoun scored 17, Joe Martin 12 and Steve Maga 9. Colquhoun played while on antibiotics for bronchitis. He told the Hamilton Spectator that “I wasn’t sure how long I would be able to go today because I thought I might be tired.” Colquhoun notched a putback with 29 seconds to play to ice it. The score was tied at 11 after one quarter but Bata Zelic came off the bench to hit two treys in the second quarter to give the Gaels a 25-21 lead at the half. They led 42-31 aftre three quarters. Colquhoun said “everybody knows we have great shooting guards but we also have a really deep bench. I think we showed that tonight.” Gaels coach Mark Walton said “I didn’t plan to play him (Colquhoun) that much. But he was playing so well, I had to leave him in. … We didn’t play that well. I think we played to the level of the opposition.” Nick Medic led the Marauders with 24. Clark Wincott added 8, Jamie Coull 3, Jeff Scherle 3, Dave Scremin 2 and Kris Kuhn 2. …………………………………………………… The 3rd-seeded London John Paul II Jaguars edged the 13th-seeded Kitchener Cameron Heights Golden Gaels 69-65 in overtime as Micah Bourdeau scored 21, Aaron Volkman 15, Adrian Smith 11 and Dino Zirtilides 10. Shane Nicely led the Golden Gaels with 23 (also reported as 25). Will Christey added 21, Tom Vukovic 10, Karim Simon 5 and Peter Komazec 4. Golden Gael Shane Nicely forced overtime by hitting 2-3 from the line and 5 seconds on the clock. Three of five Gael starts (Karim Simon, Will Christey and Jamal Benoit), while a fourth (Vukovic) followed them in the bench in overtime. Gaels coach Bruce Deacon told the Kitchener-Waterloo Record that “it was tough to have my veteran backcourt duo on the bench because we could have used their poise and outside socring in the stretch and in the overtime. … It might have been the first time we’ve come up against a team as big as John Paul who were also as fast as they were.” ………………………………………………… The 6th-seeded Toronto Eastern Commerce Saints smacked the 16th-seeded Cornwall St. Joseph’s Panthers 68-42 as Wilton Edwards scored 12. Marco Braggio led the Panthers with 11. …………………………………………………… The 2nd-seeded Scarborough Lester B. Pearson Bengals dumped the 12th-seeded Sudbury LaSalle Lancers 46-33 as Dave Small scored 11. Carl Prescott paced the Lancers with 12. …………………………………………………… The 7th-seeded Mississauga Morning Star Mustangs edged the 10th-seeded Scarborough Blessed Mother Teresa Titans 49-46 as Craig Morgan and Colin Poponne each scored 12. Mike Moore led the Titans with 16. …………………………………………………… The 5th-seeded Toronto Runnymede Redmen nipped the 15th-seeded Peterborough Kenner Collegiate Vocational Institute Rams 45-44 as Delawn Grandison scored 12. Josh Rice led the Rams with 14. …………………………………………………… The 14th-seeded London Central Ghosts stunned the 4th-seeded Ottawa Sir Robert Borden Bengals 61-55 as Ryan Bend scored 13. Steve Dynie led the Bengals with 19. The Bengals led by 11 at the half but the Ghosts took command early in the third quarter by draining four consecutive treys.
In the second round: …………………………………………………… Karim Simon heaved a buzzer-beating over-the-shoulder desperation shot to give the 13th-seeded Kitchener Cameron Heights Golden Gaels a 54-53 win over the 8th-seeded Windsor W.F. Herman Green Griffins with 0.7 seconds on the clock. “Lady Luck finally said, ‘No more for you’,” Griffins coach Royal Church told the Windsor Star. “It’s been a good run, though.” Initially, luck still seemed to be with the Griffins as they rallied back from a four-point deficit with 1:14 on the clock to take a 53-52 lead on a John Pierce basket with 12 seconds remaining. Karim Simon and Shane Nicely had 16 apiece for Kitchener. Will Christey added 8, Tom Vukovic 8, James Benoit 4 and Peter Komazec 2. “We scored too early as it turns out,” Church said. “They got the ball at halfcourt with seven seconds left and we played good defence and had the guy trapped on the baseline.” The ball popped loose out of the corner and went right to Simon about 15 feet. With his back to the basket, Simon threw the ball on a line over his shoulder and it dropped in. “I talked to Simon after the game and the kid admitted he actually had his eyes closed when he threw it at the basket,” Church said. “It was incredible. The ball had no arc on it at all.” John Peirce paced the Green Griffins with 26. The Green Griffins (coached by Royal Church) also included Lance Matthews, Kevin Cote, Jim Law, Dave Olujic, Damian Adjodha, Karsten Lange. …………………………………………………… The 9th-seeded Thornhill Vaughan Voyageurs stunned the 3rd-seeded London Pope John Paul II Jaguars 52-45 in overtime as Sheldon Jones scored 22. Micah Bourdeau led the Jaguars with 15. The Jaguars (coached by Dennis Dakin, assisted by Joel Howard and Steve Broadfoot), also included Mark Eys, Chris Brown, Aaron Volkman, Adrian Smith, Tom Jansen, Mark McHenry, Juan Romero, Matt Montcreiff, Sean Willis, Mike DiPierro, Jerome Miller, Dino Zirtilides, Jon Pulitano and Sebastian Rozdzynski. …………………………………………………… The 14th-seeded London Central Ghosts whipped the 10th-seeded Scarborough Blessed Mother Theresa Titans 68-42 as Ryan Bend scored 21. Jaybo Smith led the Titans with 10. The Titans (coached by Ron Burrows and Tom Oliveri) included Winston McDonald, Jaybo Smith, David Fitzpatrick, Mike Moore, Jay McNeilly. …………………………………………………… The top-seeded Hamilton Cathedral Gaels dumped the 16th-seeded Cornwall St. Joseph’s Panthers 59-43 as Chris Clarke scored 15, Steve Maga 14, Bata Zelic 12 and Ed Martin 10. The Gaels led 24-22 at the half and broke the game open with a trio from beyond the arc in the third quarter. Kevin McDonald led the Panthers with 11. …………………………………………………… The 2nd-seeded Scarborough Lester B. Pearson Bengals clipped the 15th-seeded Peterborough Kenner Collegiate Vocational Institute Rams 61-45 as Germaine Bruce scored 13. Josh Rice led the Rams with 16. …………………………………………………… The 4th-seeded Ottawa Sir Robert Bengals smacked the 7th-seeded Mississauga Morning Star Mustangs 62-45 as Steve Dynie scored 23. Colin Poppone led the Mustangs with 16. The Mustangs (coached by Jorn Kristiansen) also included Craig Morgan, Brian Harris, Patrick Nelson. …………………………………………………… The 5th-seeded Toronto Runnymede Redmen whipped the 12th-seeded Sudbury Lasalle Lancers 70-55 as Damian Cain scored 18. Sean Thibeault led the Lancers with 16. …………………………………………………… The 6th-seeded Toronto Eastern Commerce Saints dusted the 11th-seeded Niagara Falls A.N. Myer Marauders 80-51 as Mark Ambers scored 23. Jamie Coull led the Marauders with 11. The Saints led 241-2, 43-27 and 63-37 at the quarters. Clark Wincott added 9, Nick Medic 8 and Jim Ruddell 8. The Marauders (coach Bob Coull, assistant Jerry Gibbs) also included Jeff Scherle, Andrew Johnson, Bill Davis, Dave Scremin, Dave Stockton, Kris Kuhn and Mike Pirker (who quit the during the regional playoffs).
In the quarterfinals, the 9th-seeded Thornhill Vaughan Voyageurs defeated the 6th-seeded Toronto Eastern Commerce Saints 47-41 as Sheldon Jones scored 13. Collin Charles led the Saints with 8. The Voyageurs held the Saints off the scoreboard for 9 minutes and 13 seconds. Meanwhile, Vaughan ripped off 19 unanswered points. Patrick Lewis ignited the run with 2:35 to play in the first half when he gave the Voyageurs their first lead at 25-23. “It was a tough one to lose all right, but we just didn’t recover from that serious lapse and fatigue got to us,” Eastern Commerce coach Simeon Mars told the Toronto Star. Vaughan coach Mike Foster credited his team’s success to hustle. “Our aggressive defence was great, we gambled a few times but even then, it all came together and they just sagged.” Eastern Commerce shot an uncharacteristic 17-56 from the floor. The Saints (coached by Mars) included Vidal Messiah, Robert Hakaj, Collin Charles, Wilton Edward, Jason Dawkins, Victor Herbert, Elton Ruddick, Andre Noel, Mark Ambers and Doug Johnson.
The 4th-seeded Ottawa Sir Robert Borden Bengals stunned the 2nd-seeded Scarborough Lester B. Pearson Bengals 45-44 after hitting five treys in the final quarter. John Doherty led Borden with 17. Richie Lyte paced Pearson with 16. Pearson coach Dave Lake told the Toronto Star that “we haven’t been able to play with intensity for four quarters all year and when you get to this kind of level you just have to. We were forcing our shots and defensively just fell apart in the stretch. They got stronger and we kept making mistakes.” The Bengals (coached by Dave Lake, assisted by Phil Lawn) also included Dave Small, Dwayne Hopkinson, Kingsley Robinson, Jermaine Bruce, Ryan Mitchell, Dwayne Perry, Marco Zezevic, Tyson Bahadur, Courtney Hunte, Shawn Rose, Leslie Isaac, Mark Pantliz and Damien Dominque.
The 5th-seeded Toronto Runnymede Redmen nipped the 14th-seeded London Central Golden Ghosts 64-57 in overtime as Delawn Grandison scored 22 and nabbed 11 boards. Mark D’Andrea paced the Golden Ghosts with 18.
In the last quarterfinal, the top-seeded Hamilton Cathedral Gaels notched their 35th consecutive win by clocking the Kitchener Cameron Heights Golden Gaels 65-50 as Joe Martin scored 23. Martin told the Hamilton Spectator that “we didn’t come all this way to lose. The guys are hungry for it.” Shane Nicely led the Golden Gaels with 13. Karim Simon added 12, Jamal Benoit 9, Will Christey 8, Tom Vukovic 4 and Petre Komazec 4. The Golden Gaels (coach Bruce Deacon) also included Todd Sachs, Ed Samms, Kevin Johnson?. Deacon told the Kitchener-Waterloo Record “that team just had too many weapons for us. … I’m not sure we realized how tough, big and poised they are. They are by far the best team we’ve seen this year.”
In the semis, the top-seeded Hamilton Cathedral Gaels defeated the Toronto Runnymede Redmen 59-47 as Steve Maga scored 18. Trevor Challenger led the Redmen with 20. Toronto Star reporter David Grossman claimed that London referee Mike Foubert “made a series of controversial calls that periodically thwarted Redmen spurts.”
In the other semi, the Ottawa Sir Robert Borden Bengals defeated the 9th-seeded Thornhill Vaughan Voyageurs 39-33 after rallying from an 11-point first quarter deficit. John Doherty paced the Bengals with 11. Steve Dynie added 9. Shawn Clarke led the Voyageurs with 12.
In the bronze medal match, the 5th-seeded Toronto Runnymede Redmen defeated the 9th-seeded Thornhill Vaughan Voyageurs 76-67. Runnymede led 21-11, 39-27 and 58-42 at the quarters. “People doubted us and that made us hungry to work harder,” said Trevor Challenger, who scored 18, including a trio from beyond the arc, told the Toronto Star. Kwasi Asamoah added 15 and Damian Cain 14. Patrick Lewis and Sheldon Jones had 15 and 13, respectively, for the Voyageurs, who rallied from a 19-point deficit halfway through the third quarter. “A Durham-York title, the Final Four in Ontario, a medal and some gutsy performances . . . I’m very happy for the guys,” said Vaughan coach Mike Foster. The Voyageurs (coached by Mike Foster) also included Shaun Clarke, Richard Stewart, Chris Wright and Dean D’Aguilar.
In the final, the Hamilton Cathedral Gaels defeated the 4th-seeded Ottawa Sir Robert Borden Bengals 54-29 to cap an undefeated (36-0) season. Joe Martin scored a game-high 24 and excelled on defence. “There’s always someone on this team who rises to the occasion but this has been the sweetest season we have ever had,” coach Mark Walton told the Toronto Star. “The defensive strategy was to put pressure on them and eat the clock. These kids went one step better. It was certainly the best defensive game this season.” Borden was limited to 13 points in the second half. The Gaels led 15-8, 30-16 and 39-21 at the quarters. Gaels coach Mark Walton told the Hamilton Spectator that “I think if we were in the United States, we would be a top 25 team.” Steve Maga said “this is the best team that I have ever played on. If somebody was off, somebody else stepped forward. Overall, we wanted to prove our team was a step ahead of everybody else and I think we did that.” Joe Martin said “I come ready to play hard every game but I think I get a little more pumped up when it’s a big game.” Bengals coach Ted Edwards told the Spectator that “it’s really difficult to play a team as talented and as big as they are if you can’t practise for it.” Edwards told the Toronto Star that “we knew we were in trouble going in, and under the best of circumstances we don’t score much, but they are a smooth team and just did all the right things.” Martin, with 18 of his team’s 30 points in the opening half, said “we have one talented team and a special unity with all aspects of the game covered and this time we really wanted to win badly.” Cathedral led 15-8 after a tough opening quarter, took control at the half with a 30-16 edge and stymied the Borden scoring with a variety of defensive manoeuvres. The Gaels were coached by Mark Walton, a three-time all-star at Guelph (1970-72) and an All-Canadian in 1972. Edwards told the Ottawa Citizen that “Cathedral is an awesome ball club. They have a starting five who average over 6-3 and Mark Walton has done a great job of coaching. The employed a half-court trap and 1-3-1 zone which took away our three-point game, and that’s our forte. We don’t have the size to battle the trees they have on the inside, and their awesome display of team defence just shut us right down.” Steve Dynie paced the Bengals with 10.
The bronze medalist Toronto Runnymede Redmen: Trevor Challenger; Kwasi Asomoah; Damian Cain; Kurt Henry; Dean Williams; Tyrone Smith; Delawn Grandison; Gerald Amponsah; Dean Williams; coach John Petrushchak
The silver medalist Ottawa Sir Robert Bordon Bengals: John Purdy; Steve Dynie; John Doherty; Wayne Thompson; Hugh Irwin; James MacLean; Steve Presser; Ryan Bell; Brock McNabb; Davin Davison; coach Ted Edwards
The gold medalist Hamilton Cathedral Gaels: Joe Martin; Steve Maga; Chris Clarke; Matt Gruhl; Chad Colquhoun; Bata Zelic; Mark Buist; Dan Thwaits; John Thompson; Roger Powel; Darrell Hicks; Vojo Rusic; Joe Wade; Andrew Jankowski; Derrick Sherrin; coach Mark Walton; assistant J Maga; assistant N Filice