Bishop Reding Takes 1st Place At Junior Rim Rocker In Down To The Wire Final
MISSISSAUGA, ON–Xavier Rim Rocker convenor, Jason Cormier called it the best finals that has ever happened at the Junior Rim Rocker in nine years running. Father Henry Carr Crusaders coasted through to the finals where they were finally tested by Bishop Reding; the one and only Catholic School in a newly developed Milton, Ontario. These teams were neck and neck all the way to the final seconds. Christian David and Xavier Ochu hit some big shots in the fourth that kept his team in reach of regaining a lead. Clutch free throws from Tristan Walter is what ultimately iced the game. Milton’s own would go on to take first place at the Xavier Rim Rocker with Jordan Brathwaite earning tournament MVP.
There were many factors that gave this finals such an exciting environment and I believe that it starts with the support of family and friends that had come out to support. Moreover, from an in game perspective the match ups were nearly perfect in terms of the size of the players, their athletic ability at par and a high tempo offense.
To start the game, Anthony McNish was in attack mode, finishing strong in the paint by emulating the Andrew Wiggins spin move to the best of his abilities. McNish set the standard for the Crusaders on defense as well, starting the game with two blocks in the first quarter. If there was a sixth man of the tournament award Tristan Sadler would get it for the way he comes in the game off the bench and builds on leads with his three point shooting.
Turnovers and tough shots from FHC gave Bishop Reding an opportunity to get in rhythm, and that was seen on both ends of the floor as a result of Payne Wood and C. David’s efforts. They slid over and on time while playing help defense to block shots and create tough ones. David ending up with a game high 17 points.
Tournament MVP was taken by Jordan Brathwaite, finishing with 12 points and four steals. His overall performance in seven games is what gave MVP honours. Brathwaite is a play maker with a good motor and speed in the open court. Although he had his share of breakdowns in one on one situations, this PG expresses, “I want to improve my handle and be able to beat guys off the dribble with consistency.”
Perhaps the most consistent player in this tournament besides McNish, was Grant Audu and he came in clutch to give his team one last chance. Off a missed layup by Carlo Dubria, Audu had snatched the ball off of a rebound and put FHC up one. The closer of this game, Tristan Walker, hit two important free throws under pressure to seal the deal for Bishop Reding.
Now that tournament play is done for this week, it’s time to add new 2016 and 2017 prospects to the database.
