AAAA OFSAA Day Two: Louis Riel’s Cinderella Story Comes to Close, H.B Beal Displays Resilience, Heavy Hitters Meet Again!
- Marial Shayok (St. Patrick’s)- 30 points
- RJ Ramirez- (Father Goetz) -29 points
- Duane Notice (St. Mike’s) – 24 points
- Justin Jackson (Eastern Commerce), Roshane Roberts (Vaughan), Dele Ogundukun (Westmount) – 23 points
- Jamal Reynolds (Pineridge) – 21 points
OTTAWA, ON–The 2011-2012 AAAA OFSAA championships have proved to be one dedicated for the underdog. First, #3-ranked Holy Trinity falling to #18 Bill Crothers on day one, followed by #15 Louis Riel slaying #2 Henry Carr.
As Louis Riel point guard, Warsouma Youssouf puts it, “it’s our job to prove the critics wrong, they will always doubt.”
#15 Louis Riel Upsets #2 Henry Carr
And that they did as #15-ranked Louis Riel out of the host city, Ottawa pulled off the the biggest upset victory of the tournament over #2 Father Henry Carr 58-50. Riel was lead by Youssouf, who posted 15 points, however it was a total team effort with virtually the entire team contributing including 6’3 Christian Kadima, Afi Ahmed, Raphael Riche, & 2014 6’10 Michael Quinn.
While Henry Carr controlled the majority of the game, Louis Riel remained within striking distance with Youssouf taking the team over the top in the final minutes. The Ottawa contingent carried their energy toward the quarter-finals where they were simply outmatched by a young and hungry H.B Beal team.
Beal Displaying Resilience in Comeback Overtime Victory
#7 H.B Beal (London, ON) entered their battle with Riel coming off an emotional overtime comeback win over Westmount (Hamilton, ON) 2015 stand out point guard, Michael Provenzano willed his team to a victory playing with the catalyst role, with several contributors. Provenzano was the high point man in both game wit h16 and 18 points respectively.
The #7 seed has dominated basketball in the city of London all season as well as securing some quality victories in the Greater Toronto Area, however haven’t received the same type of attention. Despite their lack of prominence, it is evident that Head Coach Tony Marcotullio and the gang have opened many eye by advancing to championship day and taking their run a step further than last years quarter-final finish.
Expect the young Blue Raiders to be sharp tomorrow against the Toronto powerhouse Eastern Commerce.
Heavy Hitters Meet in Semi-Finals
Here’s the big show, before the big show…a battle between #1 Vaughan and #5 St. Mike’s, who some believe deserved a higher OFSAA seeding. Despite this, St. Mike’s have manage to cruise to the final four with their only test coming at the hands of #4 Pineridge.
This could arguably be the best match up of the tournament, between two well-coached and organized teams possessing a load of talent on both ends. While Vaughan has more overall depth with several snipers, St. Mike’s has enough pieces of the puzzle including two star in Duane Notice & Malcolm Duvivier. Add in the fact that the Blue Raiders have 6”7 Ryall Stroud who will be the x-factor along with several capable shooters on the perimeter.
With this being said, prepare yourself for a physical and mental battle for 32 minutes! The OFSAA final four is going down in the nation’s captital! Canadian March Madness at it’s finest!
For Full Day 2 OFSAA results, please visit the OFFICIAL tournament website, click here
