In the opening round, held in Toronto: …………………………………………………… The top-seeded Hamilton Cathedral Gaels defeated the 11th-seeded Toronto St. Michael’s Blue Raiders 81-48 as Clay Colquhoun scored 19, Mihai Raducanu 16 and Lloyd Cockett 16. The Gaels led 23-12 after one quarter and 47-20 at the half. Mihai Raducanu told the Hamilt Spectator that “it was mostly revenge for me. Their big guy (6-8 Chris Clarke) made the provincial junior team over me last summer. If you have personal battles, it makes you play harder. Besides, this is my third year as a senior and I have to step up.” Amos Ignatavicius led St. Michael’s with 17. The Blue Raiders (coached by Greg Paolini, assisted by Jeff Zownir) also included Chris Clarke, Mike Labinjo, David McQuaid, Paul Ricketts, Tommy Grochmal, Simon Radwan, Beau Younker, Mike Cueva, Blair Hogg, Jeff Cruz and Peter Obweng. …………………………………………………… The 2nd-seeded Guelph St. James Lions dumped the 12th-seeded Ottawa Woodroffe Tigers 92-52 as Mike King scored 21. Jonathan Bell led Woodroffe with 17. St. James took an early 11-point lead, and then extended the margin to 24 at the half and 28 after three-quarters. Mike King dominated the boards as he scored 21 in three quarters of play. Neil Collier added 14 for Woodroffe. Mark Halfpenny and Chris Scott each added 10 for St. James. “At this level of competition, when you fall behind by eleven right off the bat, some of the guys try to take the game into their own hands,” and take poor shots, Woodroffe coach Dino Pezoulas told the Ottawa Citizen. “In Ottawa, you can get away with that, but you can’t here.” The Tigers’ lack of depth and experience showed. “I think we were taught a big lesson today. This game might have brought us back to earth.” Pezoulas said this year’s trip to the championship is “a bonus” for a young team that should have up to eight regulars back next season. …………………………………………………… The 3rd-seeded Toronto Eastern Commerce Saints whipped the 9th-seeded Ajax Pickering Trojans 86-46 as Cordell Jeanty scored 19. Andy Mitchell led Pickering with 14. …………………………………………………… The 10th-seeded Windsor Catholic Central Comets nipped the 4th-seeded Toronto Runnymede Redmen 54-53 as Bill Davis scored 15, Sean Radowski 13 and Fhonze Shreve 8. “We were down 12-1 in the first quarter but we were up 24-22 at halftime,” Comets coach Pete Cusumano told the Windsor Star. “Our press really hurt them. That’s what won the game for us. We pressed them really well and they turned the ball over.” Chibuzoh Ehirim led Runnymede with 17. …………………………………………………… The 5th-seeded Thornhill Vaughan Voyageurs nipped the 15th-seeded London Central Golden Ghosts 86-85 as Shane Dennie scored 25. Mark Gregoire led London Central with 24. …………………………………………………… The 6th-seeded St. Catharines Denis Morris Redmen dumped the 16th-seeded Scarborough Collegiate Woburn Wildcats 90-76 as Kevin McKenna scored 33, including eight treys, Mike Ponikvar 25, along with 15 boards, Chad Neurether 10, Sean Perdue 10 and Chris Sims 9. The Redmen led 40-39 at the half and 64-59 after three quarters. Kevin McKenna Jr told the St. Catharines Standard that “they had some good individual players but in the long run, the team wins, not the individual guys.” Mike Ponikvar said “either they were playing great offence or we were playing bad defence.” Redmen assistant coach Pat Sullivan said “we weren’t working very hard on defnece. We made them look good. They’ve got some talented players, and when they got hot, they started thinking, ‘hey, we can win this’.” Redmen point guard Curtis Seeley, who played while recovering from a torn ankle ligament, said “I can’t slash as much. But if they put me in the high post, I can still distribute and not turn it over. And I can still shoot.” Jeff Brooks led Woburn with 26. Jerome Brooks added 16 and Jason Lake 14. Wildcats coach Brian Fogarty said “nobody’s going to defend against that (eight treys). He was hot.” …………………………………………………… The 13th-seeded Scarborough Sir Winston Churchill Bulldogs defeated the 7th-seeded Mississauga Morningstar Mustangs 63-43 as Jon Joseph scored 14. Safraz Denhart notched 15 for Morning Star. …………………………………………………… The 8th-seeded Kingston Bayridge Blazers defeated the 14th-seeded Sudbury Lasalle Lancers 82-7 as Jeff Huddleston scored 21, Jeff McDonnell 17 and Jay Fraser 16. The Blazers scored 33 in the second quarter, including six treys. “It’s our first triple-A basketball win. We got the monkey off our back,” Blazers coach Doug Fraser told the Kingston Whig Standard. “The kids played well, really well. Our veterans really came through. They were just awesome. The big three led the way. Jay had 11 points in the first quarter. He really established himself. “They were just shooting so well in practice, it brought the enthusiasm level back up. You could tell they were ready. We had buckets of enthusiasm and adrenalin. We defended really well.” Alex Fillion led Lasalle with 24.
In the second round: …………………………………………………… The top-seeded Hamilton Cathedral Gaels defeated the 16th-seeded Scarborough Collegiate Woburn Wildcats 96-60 as Simon Jones scored 19. Jeff Brooks led the Wildcats with 22. The Wildcats led 10-6 early. Wildcats coach Brian Fogarty told the Hamilton Spectator that “we made them pucker – for a second. We knew when they called that second timeout … that things might change.” The Wildcats also included Jeff Brooks, Jerome Brooks, Jason Lake. …………………………………………………… The 9th-seeded Ajax Pickering Trojans dumped the 8th-seeded Kingston Bayridge Blazers 64-42 as Andy Mitchell scored 17. Bayridge took an early 11-point lead and were ahead 32-27 at the half. But they managed just 10 points in the second half. “I guess the lid just went on the basket,” coach Doug Fraser told the Kingston Whig-Standard. Jeff Huddleston led the Blazers with 11. Jay Fraser added 8. The Blazers (coached by Doug Fraser, assisted by Bob Freeman) also included Matt Young, Ryan Bertrand, Ryan McLean, Darren Molleson, Scott Bradshaw, Joe Fraresso, Mike Stevenson, Dave Dempster, Jeff McDonnell and Sheldon Weekes. …………………………………………………… The 5th-seeded Thornhill Vaughan Voyageurs dispatched the 12th-seeded Ottawa Woodroffe Tigers 75-55. The Voyageurs ripped off a 23-9 run in the second quarter to take a 42-23 lead at the break. Shaun Lewis paced the Voyageurs with 27. Shaun Clarke added 18. Philippe Jeanty paced the Tigers with 20. Neil Collier added 9. The Tigers (coached by Jim Langis, Dino Pezoulas, Max Pollard and John Soden) also included Jonathan Bell, David Charbonneau, Abdi Mubarak, Paul Ifill, Guled Aden, Joe Hoskins, Ed Hislop, Hassan Ali, Dave Haarsma, Seth Quashie and Leo Fashola. …………………………………………………… The 10th-seeded Windsor Catholic Central Comets dumped the 7th-seeded Mississauga Morningstar Mustangs 56-52 despite nearly relinquishing a 23-point lead at the end of three quarters. Mark Vassell led the Comets with 11. Sean Rudowski added 10. The Mustangs (coached by John Rodger, assisted by John Kristiansen), included Keith Brissett, Laszlo Molnar, Trevor Allen, Dean Chong, Steve Henry, Dave McColl, Cory Nesbitt, Deeoh Fraser, Safraz Denhart, Collin Bennett, Gurpreet Dhillon and Jermaine Littlejohn. …………………………………………………… The 3rd-seeded Toronto Eastern Commerce Saints clocked the 14th-seeded Sudbury Lasalle Lancers 57-47 as Vidal Massiah scored 23. Dabuz Raml led the Lancers with 11. …………………………………………………… The 4th-seeded Toronto Runnymede Redmen dusted the 13th-seeded Scarborough Sir Winston Churchill Bulldogs 80-56 as Joseph Palmer scored 17. Atiba Nelson and Rich Phillips each noted 11 to pace the Bulldogs. The Bulldogs (coached by Emanuel Moura) also included Mike York, Shawn Kerr, Chris Palmer, George Benjamin, Mustafa Jiwani, O’Neil Watson, Aaron Belleth and Mark Mgaya. …………………………………………………… The 2nd-seeded Guelph St. James Lions edged the 15th-seeded London Central Golden Ghosts 55-52 as Mike King scored 25, Mark Halfpenny 12, James Gillingham 7 and Paul Larson 7. Mark Gregoire (McGregouire?) led the Golden Ghosts with 23. …………………………………………………… The 6th-seeded St. Catharines Denis Morris Redmen whipped the 11th-seeded Toronto St. Michael’s Blue Raiders 89-58 as Mike Ponikvar scored 24, Kevin McKenna Jr 21, Sean Perdue 21, Chris Sims 9, Chad Neureuther 6, Paul Marshall 2, Emil Alhadric 2, Derek Spry 2 and Curtis Seeley 2. Chris Clark led the Blue Raiders with 12. The Blue Raiders (coached by Greg Paolini, assisted by Jeff Zownir) also included Mike Labinjo, Paul Ricketts, Thomas Grochmal, Beau Younker, Kip Watts, Blair Hogg, Colin Chan, Michael Cueva, Jeff Cruz, Andre Newell and Aras Ignatavicius.
In the quarterfinals, the top-seeded Hamilton Cathedral Gaels defeated the 9th-seeded Ajax Pickering Trojans 62-50 as Mihai Raducanu tossed in 14, Brian Taylor 10 on 7-8 from the line, Clay Colquhuon 9 and Markus Jankus 9. With Taylor hobbled by an ankle injury, Jankus with a knee injury, in came Lloyd Cockett for the Gaels, whose coach, Mark Walton, told the Hamilton Spectator that “we talk about a blue heart at Cathedral. Well, sometimes it’s black and blue. … It’s life in the CFL. You can’t win without a quarterback. And I can’t think of any other team that has had a 16-year-old in grade 11 starting at the position in OFSAA.” But Cockett hurt his back late in the first quarter forcing the Gaels to insert Taylor and Jankus. Taylor said “I didn’t feel as quick as usual. But we have some younger guys playing like they are seniors.” Jankus said “it was a little shaky. I can’t do certain things. I have to play smart.” Andy Mitchell led Pickering with 20
The 10th-seeded Windsor Catholic Central Comets upset 5th-seeded Thornhill Vaughan Voyageurs 58-56 as Bill Davis scored 21. Shaun Lewis led Vaughan with 16. The Comets rallied down the stretch despite losing Davis to fouls with just over three minutes to play. Coach Pete Cusumano switched from a man-to-man press to a 2-2-1 zone which forced a series of turnovers, including a steal by Liem Mach for the winning bucket with 15 seconds to play. Mach added 10, John Mastromattei 10 and Phonzie Shreve 9, all on treys in the final quarter. “I think we’ve managed to prove that Windsor basketball is as good as any in the province,” coach Pete Cusumano told the Windsor Star. “If we’re a 10, then a bunch of teams in Windsor are a nine. Our competition in Windsor all season has prepared us for the intensity of the games down here.” The Voyageurs (coached by Steve Richardson, assisted by Mike Foster and Lorne Manett) included Shaun Clark, Shane Dennie, Shaun Lewis, A.J. Simmonds, L.J. Simmonds, Andrew Stewart, Kirk Harris, Jason Walcott, Edward Dottin, Joel Smith, Mike Taylor and Noah Plener.
The 3rd-seeded Toronto Eastern Commerce Saints defeated the 6th-seeded St. Catharines Denis Morris Redmen 77-56 as Vidal Massiah scored 17, Kiroh Peterkin 14, Andre Noel 14, Gary Gaynor 12 and Cordell Jeanty 10. The Saints led 9-8 after one quarter and their full-court pressure promptly ignited a 17-2 second quarter run in four minutes of play. They led 33-21 at the half. Mike Ponikvar led Denis Morris with 16. Sean Perdue added 12, Chad Neureuther 10, Chris Sims 9, Kevin McKenna Jr 6 and John Zivcic 3. The Redmen (coach Kevin McKenna Sr) also included Curtis Seeley, Chris McKaig, Scott Russell, Brian Hermiston, Emil Alhadric, Derek Spry and Paul Marshall. Ponikvar told the St. Catharines Standard that “we did all we could do. We played as hard as we could.” Curtis Seeley said playing with an injured ankle is “not fair. The coach said tough things happen that make you strong and I guess I’ll learn from it but it doesn’t make sense.” Coach Kevin McKenna Sr said “once we got down, they were just too much for us – too athletic, too quick.” Assistant Pat Sullivan said “I thought we outplayed them in the first quarter and we didn’t have much to show for it. Once we fell behind, it was difficult.”
In the last quarterfinal, the 2nd-seeded Guelph St. James Lions defeated the 4th-seeded Toronto Runnymede Redmen 74-63 as Mike King scored 23. Brian Hamilton led Runnymede with 14. The Redmen (coached by John Petruschak, assisted by Paul Melnik) also included Duane John, Chibuzoh Ehirim, Jamaal Fyffe, Leslie Prince, Mesfin Watt, Joe Palmer, Craig Sherwood, David Ashley, Mark Damon, Cory Lattimore, Sedin Heric and Leon Crosby.
In the semis, the Hamilton Cathedral Gaels defeated the 10th-seeded Windsor Catholic Central Comets 67-53.
In the other semi, the Toronto Eastern Commerce Saints pounded the Guelph St. James Lions 71-49 as Vidal Massiah scored 21. Mike King led the Lions with 20. Paul Larson added 10. The Lions led 30-29 at the half.
In the bronze medal match, the 2nd-seeded Guelph St. James Lions defeated 10th-seeded Windsor Catholic Central Comets 55-47 as James Gillingham scored 19. Bill Davis led the Comets with 18. The Comets (coached by Pete Cusumano, assisted by Lloyd) also included John Mastromattei, Alphonso Shreve, Liem Mach, Ali Karnib, Matt Vassell, Chris Menard, Shem Rudowski, Fadi El-Saghir and Michael DeCandido.
In the final, the top-ranked Hamilton Cathedral Gaels defeated the 3rd-seeded Toronto Eastern Commerce Saints 50-49. The Gaels won their 4th OFSAA crown under Mark Walton. They opened in a 3-2 zone which temporarily derailed the high-powered offence of the Saints. Cathedral led 16-5 after a quarter, largely on a series of excellent entry passes to lost post Mihai Raducanu. Eastern Commerce rallied to within four at the half by sealing off the entry passes to Raducanu and then tied the game by scoring the first four points of the second half. Gaels coach Mark Walton responded with a half-court trap defence, which seemed to spark the Gaels. A few Saints turnovers and some excellent ballhandling by Markus Jankus on offence, as well as strong inside play by Phil Martin, gave Cathedral a nine-point lead. But Vidal Massiah showed his mettle in the final quarter, drilling a series of three to keep Eastern Commerce in the contest. Still, the Gaels maintained a seven-point margin into the final minute of play. Massiah hit a trey. The teams exchanged free throws, leaving Cathedral ahead by 4 with 15 seconds to play. With six ticks on the clock, Commerce hit a pair of free throws and then bounced one off the rim. Raducanu grabbed the rebound but amidst the shoving and arm-waving, the ball came free and the Saints managed two frantic put-back attempts. In the frenzy, Massiah was fouled and given a chance to send the game into overtime. With no time on the clock, no players lining the key and thousands of screaming fans, many from Cathedral, Massiah nailed the first but bounced the second off the back of the rim. Massiah led all scorers with 21. Phil Martin led the Gaels with 10. Jankus and Raducanu each added 9. The Gaels finished (32-0) on the season.
The bronze medalist Guelph St. James Lions: James Gillingham; Mike King; Mark Halfpenny; Chris Scott; Darren Veira; Paul Larsen; Mark Melehes; Dave Veige; Mike Rafter; Dan Anstett; Sean Byrne; Dave Grant; coach Jim Mombourquette; assistant Bob Sharpe; assistant Mark Tonizzo
The silver medalist Toronto Eastern Commerce Saints: Vidal Massiah; Cordell Jeanty; Kiroh Peterin; Dwayne Beckford; Gary Gaynor; Shawn Dwyer; Calvin Celestine; Andre Noel; Chris Otorro; Steve Allen;
The gold medalist Hamilton Cathedral Gaels: Mihai Raducanu; Lloyd Cockett; Matt Erdman; Brian Jeremie; Dave Stala; Marcus Jankus; Brian Taylor; Leigh Taylor; Simon Jones; Reggie Akrong; Clay Colquhoun; Phil Martin; Dave Sterling; Mike Lawton; coach Mike Walton; assistant Saeed Al-Naji; assistant Nat Felice; assistant Jack Maga
Thanks to: Runnymede coach John Petrushchak’s family for the provision of newspaper clippings.