DJ Smith Leads Citadel to Metro Championship
HALIFAX,NS–Senior point guard, Deontay “DJ” Smith, picked a great time to have arguably his best game of the season. Smith scored 37 points (23 in the second half), grabbed 12 rebounds, and dished out 7 assists as he led Citadel to a 95-91 victory over the Cole Harbour Cavaliers in the Metro Division 1 Basketball Regional Championship.
Other top performers for Citadel included power forward Travis Adams, who scored 17 points and snatched 13 rebounds, as well as guard, Jayden Nordin, who added 13 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists.
Fresh off a 50-point outburst last night in the Semi-Final, Cole Harbour’s Mandrez Downey, picked up where he left off, dropping 35 points on Citadel in the Final. However, Downey diisplayed his versatiliy by adding 7 rebounds, 5 assists, and 4 steals in the loss.
Roberto “Bert” Beals, scored 20 points and added 13 rebounds for Cole Harbour. On a team that is outsized every night, Bert plays much bigger than he is, and does great job defending and rebounding against the top big men in the province. Tonight was no exception. Cole Harbour does not have any size on their roster, but they always play extremely hard, and their toughness combined with their athleticism allow them to frustrate and usually defeat their much bigger opponents.
Tonight though, it was Citadel’s night. The game was tight for most of the game, as Citadel led 41-39 at the half, and 69-65 after three quarters. “It was a game of spurts,” said Citadel Head Coach, Mark Parker. “We had the last spurt. Both teams played hard and that’s all you can ask for.”
Both Citadel and Cole Harbour will advance to Provincials next weekend in Truro, as will Auburn Drive, who defeated Dartmouth High in the 3rd place game. However, Dartmouth will undoubtedly receive one of two wild card spots that are up for grabs. The Metro league could have as many as five teams in the provincial championships next weekend.
