Henry Carr Crusaders Take Junior Rim Rocker Championship, Jalen Poyser Displays Dominance
MISSISSAUGA ,ON–There is no exaggeration when we say that the month of January is jam packed with the best highschool tournaments in the country all happening around the same time from coast-to-coast. Things kicked off in the West Coast with the BRIT Invitational, and moved into Ontario with three senior boys tournaments including: Silver Fox, St. Michael’s and the Brampton Centennial. Nova Scotia also had its share of showdowns, but we can’t forget about some of the youngest and most talented crop in the country; the junior boys that particpated at the Rim Rocker.
On championship day, the Father Henry Carr Crusaders went up against a tough and relentless St. Marguerite D’Youville in a gold medal game, while the Father Goetz Gators tore apart the Holy Trinity Titan for bronze.
Championship Game
NPH Top Performers
Father Henry Carr
- Jaylen Poyser – 16 points, tournament MVP
- Dillon Brooks – 14 points, 9 rebounds
D’Youville
- Keshon Montague – 14 points, 3 assists
MISSISSAUGA,ON–The way things were going in the first quarter it looked like D’Youville was trying to put the Crusaders to shame picking up an early 21-7 lead had a lot to do with the dazzling first quarter performance of Keshon Montague who hit four tre balls along with two made free throws.
The coaching staff of FHC recognized that adjustments were needed coming into the second quarter. They expressed after the game that “Keshon is a very good shooter, and he handles the ball well and if you cheat on him he’ll split the screen, he’ll dump the ball when he’s double teamed and if you give him enough space he’ll light it up, as you saw in the first quarter.”
Coach Rono Miller was thoroughly happy with his big three, mentioning in post-game conversation, “Dillon worked really hard, he’s been solid all tournament; so have the other guys, Ty Nelson and Jalen Poyser did a wonderfull job. It was a great effort from all three guys.”
After the splurge by Montague, Ty Nelson and the Crusaders had strapped up and shut him down the rest of the game. Montague would sturggle the rest of the way and not make another basket.
On the other end the trio of NPH #5-ranked Jalen Poyser, Nelson and Dillon Brooks went to work on the Panthers. The Crusaders picked up 6 steals in the game as a collective unit; 4 of which they finished while in transition. Moreover, defensive rebounding by Brooks gave the Crusaders extra possessions and second chance opportunites; this was the difference in the game.
If D’Youville was going to make a push, the third quarter would’ve been the time to do it because this is when they were playing their best defence, sliding and switching on opponenets and forcing FHC to take tough shots.
Although Josiah Riley, tried to help his team make some sort of a push, it wasn’t enough and the Panthers would go on to lose 57-50 after two free throws made by Poyser in the final seconds.
These young guns all played with their heart on their sleeve. It was a great way to close up the weekend since it’s always nice to get a glimpse of the future talent that’s in the area.
NOTE: Inhis previous game, Jalen Poyser had an outburst of 43 points, including 10 threes!
Bronze Medal Game
NPH Top Performers
Father Goetz
- Danylo Kostecki – 19 points, 5 rebounds
Holy Trinity
- Kimbal Mackenzie – 31 points, 3 assists
The Father Goetz Gators are “going to be a problem” for opposing teams, as stated by Naz Long. This Iowa State commit has a younger brother, Eli Long who is part of a solid Gator bunch that has a fairly balanced floor with regards to their roles and positions.
Eli, who is playing the point, went to work in the first two quarters especially, registering 14 points and racking up assists as his teammates Andre Kelly and Danylo Kostecki ran the lanes and made their cuts.
On the other end, Kimbal Mackenzie was a sight to see, putting up 31 points in the loss, yet doing all the little things that aren’t seen on the stat sheet, such as making the extra pass or setting screens. Moreover, Mackenzie is years beyond his competition in terms of his composure on the floor. This young Titan has a calm demeanour that allows him to read the defence and feed off of their mistakes.
At halftme, Mackenzie would be the reason that the game was so tight at 36-35, Gators having the one point lead going into the second half.
The Gators stepped on the gas pedal and went full throttle in the third shooting a very high percentage that was spearheaded by perimeter man Matthew Caratang and MVP for the Gators, Andre Kelly.
Although they were upset about not advancing to the final, they took the bronze in a 74-53 win and sure showed that their generation would be the start in the revival of Father Goetz’s basketball.
