Message from Director of Education - March 27, 2020
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Reds off to OFSAA
W
inning never gets old for the Denis Morris Reds.
The Reds are perennial contenders to qualify for OFSAA and did so once again Tuesday with a pair of victories at the Southern Ontario Secondary Schools Association (SOSSA) AAA boys hockey championship at the Seymour-Hannah Sports Complex.
The Reds now head to the Ontario Federation of Schools Athletic Associations AAA championships in Windsor the week following March break.
Head coach Billy McLaren wasn’t even sure how many times the Reds have captured SOSSA.
“Maybe five or six times, I’d have to look at the trophy,” McLaren said, after posing with the Reds for the traditional championship photo.
McLaren said the difference in this title versus some of the others is he wasn’t sure exactly what he had this season.
“I was talking to the refs and I organize SOSSA and they said you said you didn’t think you would be here (SOSSA) back in October,” McLaren said. “I just thought with the guys we lost from last year we would have a balanced team, but not as strong of a team. We’re balanced all the way through and strong all the way through.”
McLaren said there was so secret to the Reds’ success.
“The guys bought in. We’re a deep team and they put in the effort they needed and we got it done.”
The Reds topped the A.N. Myer Marauders in the semifinal before edging the Bulldogs in a well-played, entertaining final.
“I talked to the guys this morning and told them we needed two wins to go to OFSAA,” McLaren said. “The hardest part is getting to OFSAA. Once you’re there, a couple of bounces and you’re playing for a medal.
“All the guys did what they needed to do.”
For whom Bell will toil
In a recruiting war that pitted son against father, Chris Rao and the Niagara College Knights were the winners of the Lexxus Bell sweepstakes.
Both Chris Rao and Chris’ father Mike Rao, the coach of the Brock women’s program, had hoped to land the talented Denis Morris basketball player, who signed Tuesday night at Niagara College.
The 17-year-old found herself smack in the middle of the friendly pursuit.
“They were always arguing and making jokes,” she said, with a laugh.
In the end, it was Niagara that emerged as Bell’s newest hoops home.
“They had the program I wanted to take and Chris’s approach to me made me want to come here,” the Grade 12 student said. “Their basketball program is a good opportunity for me and I wanted to take it.”
She was thrilled to sign Tuesday along with Juel teammate Jamira Rousseau.
“It’s amazing. I have known her for a long time and we have played basketball together for a couple years. Coming here to play with her is a big thrill for both of us.
“I am really excited looking forward to the next couple of years.”
Niagara and Brock were both in the running for her services because she preferred to remain in Niagara.
“I wanted to stay home where I was close to my family and all of my friends.”
She plans to study community social justice at Niagara with the hope of working with kids and troubled youth.
The 5-foot-8 guard hasn’t set any specific goals for her first season of Ontario University Athletics’ basketball.
Four on the floor for Redcoats
It was anything but easy but the Governor Simcoe Redcoats won the Niagara Region High School Athletic Association Zone 4 AAA senior boys basketball championship Tuesday with a 44-40 victory over the Sir Winston Churchill Bulldogs Tuesday.
“It was our third time seeing Sir Winston and they’ve kind of chipped away all year long from the first time we played them,” Simcoe coach Shaun Feor said. “I knew it was going to be a tight, grind it out game and that is definitely what happened.”
Leading Simcoe in scoring in the game were Mitch McPherson (16), Matteo Martin (10), Andrew Scott (9), Duncan Beliveau (6), Ethan Thompson (3) and Deryk Burke (2).
Top scorers for the Bulldogs were Yaseen Ali (13), Devontae Edwards (9), Oreoluwa Fowler (5), Barin Alp (4), Connor Johnson (3), Nate Butler (3) and Brendan Barker (3).
“We stuck with the game plan, we keyed in on their better players, tried to make other guys beat us and gave them less desirable shots such as corner threes and contested shots,” Feor said. ‘That worked out.”
Other members of the zone championship team, coached by Feor and Mary Ingribelli, are Joe Fusek, Hayden Zeppetella, Will Jarrett, Lincoln Ross, Danny Lewis and Ryan Segato.
The final was typical of the Redcoats’ season.