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32 Sports Oakville Beaver United Way of Oakville 2007 Campaign Total Amount Raised 40% Our Goal $2.25 Million www.uwoakville.org SPORTS EDITOR: JON KUIPERIJ Phone 905-845-3824 (ext. 255) Fax 905-337-5567 email sports@oakvillebeaver.com · SATURDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2007 Dynamic duo has Raiders thinking Haltons and beyond DANGEROUS RAIDERS: St. Thomas Aquinas guard Trevor Williams (near right) and centre Ryan Thomson give the Raiders a potent one-two punch in Halton high school senior boys' basketball. PHOTOS BY RON KUZYK / OAKVILLE BEAVER Aquinas coach believes Trevor Williams, Ryan Thomson form region's best basketball tandem By Jon Kuiperij BEAVER SPORTS EDITOR The Halton high school senior boys' basketball season tipped off this past week, with many coaches picking the St. Thomas Aquinas Raiders as one of the early favourites for a regional Tier 1 title. The Holy Trinity Titans are also expected to be strong, returning a few players from last year's Halton quad-A championship squad, while Burlington's Assumption, Notre Dame and Nelson should be in contention as well. In this edition of The Oakville Beaver, we assess the potential of four local squads: Aquinas, Trinity, the T.A. Blakelock Tigers and Abbey Park Eagles. Outlooks for other Oakville squads will appear in a future edition of the Beaver. St. Thomas Aquinas The return of a dominant post player and the addition of a star guard has the St. Thomas Aquinas Raiders excited about their chances. "We've got probably the best big (man) in the conference in Ryan Thomson, and probably the best guard in the conference in Trevor Williams," said Aquinas assistant coach Rob Nacevicius. "This is the year we're going to try and take a run at double-A OFSAA." Williams transferred to Aquinas this year after moving to Oakville in the summer, and his athletic abilities have already made an impact at STA. He was one of the Raiders' top football players this fall, and he has helped the basketball team be extremely competitive against powerhouse programs like Cathedral, St. Marguerite D'Youville and West Hill in tournament and exhibition play. "He just fell into our lap," said Nacevicius, "and he's been a great addition to our club." The Raiders' starting five is rounded out by 6-foot-4 sharpshooter Kyle Enright, first-year senior Matt Blaha and fifth-year player Jon Silver. Nacevicius said Aquinas' strength is its size, noting the club runs an efficient half-court offense and hopes to slow down its faster opponents by trapping. The Raiders, whose head coach is Mark Maga, won their season opener Monday in Milton, routing the Bishop Reding Royals 71-34. Aquinas then got past the Abbey Park Eagles Wednesday, pulling out a 59-54 win. Holy Trinity Not surprisingly, last year's quad-A regional champion Holy Trinity Titans are widely seen as another of the top teams this year in Halton play. See Tigers page 33 Welcome to Spice Your Kitchen. Making Your Cooking Fun & Easy ing Fu · Knives and Garnishing Tools · Spice Racks · Small Appliances · Cookware and Tableware · Linens, Aprons and Mitts · Bakeware · Barware · Espresso Makers and Accessories Hours: Monday-Friday 10am - 6pm Saturday 10am - 5pm Sunday CLOSED River Glen Mews Plaza 2530 6th Line, Oakville (905) 257-3500