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STA earns another hoops medal Blades back in league final Four hours after their reign as provincial high school boys' basketball AA champions ended, the St. Thomas Aquinas Raiders hit the court again. Coming off a 60-58 semifinal loss to the Herman Griffins that ended their bid to become repeat champions, the Raiders rebounded to down Timmins last week and earn a medal at the Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations (OFSAA) AA tournament for the third straight year. "The senior leadership really came through for us," said Aquinas coach Joe Polizzi. "They wanted to leave with a medal. They wanted to leave with a win, not a loss." It was three players who have been a part of all three of Aquinas' medal wins that led the way in the 69-64 victory. Matt Blaha dropped 26 points while Charlie Drouin had 15 and Tashawn Ricketts had 10. The trio now has a gold and two bronze medals to its credit. Aquinas took an eight-point lead into the half of the semifinal but Herman, which hailed from the host city of Windsor, outscored the Raiders 20-9 in the third quarter to take the lead. Trailing by two points in the final seconds, Aquinas set up for one last shot. It didn't fall and although the Raiders got the rebound, they couldn't get another shot away before time expired. Ricketts missed the semifinal due to school commitments for the apprenticeship program he is enrolled in. "Missing him was a key factor," Polizzi said. "He's usually good for eight to 10 rebounds and eight to 10 points." Undaunted, the Raiders came back against a difficult opponent in Timmins. Aquinas held a narrow 33-32 advantage at the half as it battled a much bigger team. "They had size down low and we struggled with that early," Polizzi said. "They were a physical team." But Timmins also had an outside threat in Eric Ducharme, who hit six three-pointers in the game, meaning Aquinas couldn't focus all of its attention around the basket. "We just made sure we contested all of (Ducharme's) shots," Polizzi said, "and because we were undersized, we had to give extra effort and box out to get the rebounds." Though Aquinas, which went into the tournament as the No. 1 seed, didn't achieve its ultimate goal of defending its title, Polizzi said the team still had every reason to be proud of its season. "It's a tough road to get to OFSAA, but we proved capable of being up with the best of the best," Polizzi said. -- Herb Garbutt The Oakville Blades have earned a championship rematch with the Kingston Voyageurs. Oakville and Kingston will square off in the Ontario Junior A Hockey League final, a best-of-seven series that begins tomorrow (Thursday) in Kingston. The Voyageurs defeated the Blades 4-2 in last year's league championship series, when the loop was known as the Ontario Junior Hockey League. Oakville advanced to this year's final by defeating the Georgetown Raiders in the semis. The Blades finished Georgetown off Friday at Joshua's Creek Arenas, posting a 52 win to claim the series in five games. See tomorrow's edition of the Beaver for a preview of the league final. 19 · Wednesday, March 17, 2010 OAKVILLE BEAVER · www.oakvillebeaver.com Providing Recreational House League, Competitive Select and Rep Programs 2010 Player Registration To register visit our clubhouse at 1236 Speers Road, Unit #4 Saturdays from 9 AM to 2 PM Or visit our website at www.baseballoakville.com and download our registration form and drop off with payment to 1236 Speers Road, Unit #4, Oakville, Ontario L6L 2X4 Spots are still available in most divisions. Do not be disappointed. Register now. 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