CP Allen Cheetahs are Metro Basketball Kings, 1st Ever Capital Region Title!
What’s up everyone?
I’ve been on a basketball reporting hiatus as I coach and develop my own daughter, but I was able to make it out of for The Capital Region Championship Game.
And I must say WOW, CP Allen and Halifax Grammar treated me and many other fans to an excellent game that needed OT to decide a new king of Metro basketball.
The Grammar School came out of the gate strong with Will Colpitts providing the punch as they jumped out to an 11-4 lead six minutes into the game. Then CP Allen locked down on D and went to the three ball behind strong play off the bench from Jayden McMullen–CP Allen left the first quarter with the 21-14 lead.
The second quarter proved to be typical playoff basketball as each team contested everything that the other did and made it difficult for each team to put points on the board. Demeric Mercer played hero at the end of the quarter banking in an difficult step around three as the buzzer sounded for the half to cut the lead to five at 31-26.
Out of the locker room Halifax Grammar exerted it’s presence through Vernelle Johnson who was held scoreless in the first half. Johnson went to work and completely controlled the paint, while Conor Foran delivered on huge jump shot after huge jump shot to allow Grammar to surge ahead by five after three quarters.
Through strong play from Tristan Hyde, Alex Muise and Dawson Bungay in the fouth, CP Allen managed to push the game to OT.
With big man Tristan Hyde fouled out, Grammar continued to give a steady diet of Vernelle Johnson in the paint and he also worked on the O boards to create his own.
In the last minute of OT, the game belonged to Alex Petropolis.
With 1:03 remaining, AP attacked the paint and pitched the perfect pass to Alex Muise for the corner 3 ball to give CP Allen the 70-69 lead.
With the game tied at 70 and 44 seconds left he scored on a sweet left handed lay up off a high ball screen to get his team a two point edge. The 2016 PG then grabbed the defensive board on the missed back end of the free throws by Grammar and calmly walked 90 feet to swish two FTs with 3.5 seconds remaining to give CP Allen the deciding edge 74-71.
Seniors Alex Petropolis and Tristan Hyde both echoed “its fantastic to leave this legacy for future CP Allen players” with grade 11 Alex Muise chiming in saying “we’re not done, we have to keep practicing and keep getting better to compete in provincials”.
Congrats to CP Allen on winning the schools first ever Capital Region Championship and a likely #2 seed for NSSAF Provincials at Horton High School on March 3, 4 and 5.
