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HIGHSCHOOL 41 Getting on court biggest challenge for undefeated Eagles A bbey Park Eagles In danger o f not having a team, Abbey Park wins junior basketball title HERB GARBUTT hgarbutt@burlingtonpost.com Andre Adam had no doubt the Abbey Park Ea­ gles could succeed. What they needed was a chance to prove it. "We had the talent, we just didn't have a coach," he said. With their options at the school exhausted and the season quickly ap­ proaching, the Eagles were in danger o f not hav­ ing a junior basketball team for the second year in a row. When Keegan M erner told his dad, Ste­ phen Merner decided he had to do something about it. "I couldn't let my kid not have a team," he said. Complicating matters, though, was the fact that M erner taught at Iro­ quois Ridge. He talked to administration at both schools and they worked out a plan that included later practices that would allow him to coach the team without missing any teaching assign­ ments. With a coach in place, Abbey Park showed there was no lack o f interest. Fifty-five players tried out for the team. With the roster set, the Eagles had cleared their biggest hurdle o f the sea­ son. They opened with a tight 60-58 victory over the Aldershot Lions and then won 10 straight games by 20 or more points. That run landed the Eagles in the Halton junior tier 2 final where they held o ff a late charge by Aldershot to capture the championship with a 48-43 victory. "We knew we could do this," said Matteo Zagar, who led the Eagles with 28 points, including the last- minute bucket that sealed the victory after A lder­ shot closed within two. "We have high expecta­ tions. By Grade 12, we want to be up there at the top." The first half played out much like the season opener, with the Eagles holding on to a slim 23-21 lead at the half. Up five in the fourth quarter, Zagar hit back- to-back to threes to give Abbey Park its biggest lead o f the game, 41-30. A l­ dershot refused to give in, though, answering with a 6-0 run that Adam stalled with a three o f his own, giving him nine points for the game. The stubborn Lions got back within two when Jack Vandenbarselaar made his shot from be­ yond the arc with 58 sec­ onds left. "They're young kids. They're still learning how to secure a win," Merner said. "This was an enjoy­ able team to coach. They were always at practice willing to work." And though Zagar took centre stage in the final, Merner said the contribu­ tions came from through­ out the lineup. "We had all 14 guys score (in a 74-34 quarter­ final win over Burlington Central) and nobody had more than eight points," he said. "We teach a sys­ tem and everyone knows where they can excel." And in the case o f the Eagles, the team effort went beyond the court. Merner said Abbey Park's staff took on many o f the duties a coach would usu­ ally handle - secretaries arranging travel, staff or­ ganizing scorekeepers - to ensure the team could play. The Eagles rewarded that effort by bringing a championship back to Abbey Park. because you asked... 51% of Metroland readers say environmental issues are very/extremely important to them •* m etro lan d m ed ia • Connected to your community® ( ^ ) B r a n d S p a r k 13 HOURS ON-ICE THiS PROGRAM iS SPECIFiCALLY DESIGNED AROUND THE TRYOUT SEASON TO ENSURE ALL PLAYERS ARE COMPETING AT THEIR HIGHEST LEVEL. CANLAN SPORTS _ I AN LANHocice CAM PS • f icesports.com/oakville905-845-6989 LOCATION 2300 Cornwall Road Oakvlle ON L6J7T9 ClO3" O3 b0 mailto:hgarbutt@burlingtonpost.com