Halton, UPlay Pull off Upsets as Signature League’s Final Season Session Takes Place
The signature league held its final session before the all-star game and the start of the playoffs Saturday with a very competitive end to both divisions.
In the grade 7 division, Halton was able to put together a furious rally, stunning the Mississauga Monarchs 59-56.
The Mississauga Monarchs owned the first half as they lead 34-23, using their overwhelming size inside to beat up a much smaller Halton team.
The Monarch’s point guard Anthony Wrzeszcz was especially effective scoring 12 of his team high 15 points in the initial half.
Wrzeszcz has a very good hesitation game in the lane that he uses to set up his teammates with precision passing, and very advanced playmaking.
Wrzeszcz also used his strong change of pace to get to the freethrow line and set himself up for outside shots, converting on three of three attempts from the land beyond.
The second half, however, was a completely different story, as behind coach Brain Lopez instruction, this undersized Halton club started using their size to their advantage in other way.
Halton was relentless, going to a series of traps, which then fueled their transition, eventually capture the momentum of the game.
Halton’s Augustus Brazdeikis and Naylon Williams were a big part of this push as both players combined for 15 of Halton 25 fourth quarter points.
Augustus Brazdeikis, younger brother of standout Ignas Brazdeikis, was a stud in the fourth, as Halton regularly ran their offence through him.
Making good decisions, Brazdeikis showed very good diversity in his game using his body to finish inside, all the while fighting through contact.
Brazdeikis also has a very feathery touch in the lane, and from behind the arc, with good form and arc on all his jumpers.
He finished with 16 points in total.
Naylon Williams on the other hand was the spark plug for Halton.
After coming back from a bloody nose he sustained in the second, Williams did his best Draymond Green impression affecting every part of the game.
From steals, to rebounds, to timely three point baskets, Williams displayed the right amount of grit and fight that helped rally his Halton defense, holding the Monarchs to only 7 points in the fourth quarter.
In other news within the grade 7 division, SBA Willock played their hearts out despite only having 9 players at their disposal.
SBA finished atop of the standing in the league with a 10-1 record overall.
Brother’s Keeper and NuStep finished in 2nd and 3rd respectively in a very tight race all the way until the end.
The final standings for the grade seven division can be viewed here.
In the grade eight division UPlay finished one game over .500 with a impressive 72-67 win over the third ranked Vaughan Panthers.
In typical UPlay fashion, the club does not pride itself on how they start the season but always on how they finish.
They have built their reputation on developing team chemistry and players as the season continues, always making a push at the end.
Sharpshooter Peyton Consigli leads UPlay in PPG, scoring 13 a game while converting on nearing 2 threes a game.
Noah Otshundi is also a force for this UPlay team, as he ranks 16th in league scoring putting up 9 PPG.
The game was a back and forth affair, with Vaughan coming up stort in terms of their energy and urgency, especially to start the contest.
This session will be one to forget for Vaughan, who went 0-2 and now are sitting in third place.
Union remained undefeated and will be the favourites going into the playoffs for Signature League.
On the sleeper side, Markham is a very competitive team and is looking to come together more so then in the first half of the season, so watch out for them going forward.
The final standings for the grade eight division can be viewed here.
Stay tuned to find out all the information leading up to the signature league all-star game and playoffs taking place March 4th and 5th.
