Condensation leaves battle of the best at stalemate

AJAX,ON– In what started off as an exciting elite matchup between NPH #1 and #2-ranked teams in the country, Vaughan and J.C Richardson, ended knotted up 43-43 due to condensation build up.

The two teams will not meet again until the Ontario provincial champions, (OFSAA) given both teams qualify. At the pace they’ve been playing this season, it shouldn’t be a problem.

While fans were disappointed to see such a close game get cancelled, it was decided between both sides including the tournament host that it was in the best interest of the player’s health to pull the plug.

“It’s tough but we had to do it; we tried opening the doors to take care of the problem, but ultimately it’s about the health of the players,” said Mike Gordensky, Pickering High Head Coach and host of the Hoops4Heart event.

These respected squads exert a tonne of energy throughout the course of a season in terms or practice and games combined.

“We practice too hard to get to our ultimate goal being OFSAA, to throw it away,” said Gus Constantine, Vaughan Head Coach.

“If guys like Andrew Wiggins get injured, we’re screwed,” he continued.

While a very blunt statement, it’s the undoubted truth. The Vaughan Voyageurs rely heavily on the grade ten phenom along with other key players like Henry Tan and Troy Reid-Knight for production on both ends of the floor

However, in the action that was played, Vaughan ran out to an early 14-4 run propelled by the lefty point guard, Henry Tan.

Yet, J.C Richardson responded, beginning with Leon Alexander throwing the hammer down on an alley-oop which saw the gym erupt in cheer. Alexander’s cram was the start of an 8-0 run.

In addition, Jalen Babb-Harrison of JCR impressed, showing his continued development and confidence.

The match see-sawed as they traded baskets, leading up to three players slipping in a matter of two minutes. On the final spill that saw Troy Reid-Knight hit the deck, the game was called.

Although the rankings won’t change for Vaughan & JCR, NPH did take away some insightful information on the development of certain players.

Their head-head record remains at 2-1 in favour of Vaughan. The next time these two square off could potentially be in March at OFSAA. Stay tuned!

Follow Tariq Sbiet on Twitter: @Tsbiet