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www.oakvillebeaver.com The Oakville Beaver, Friday January 11, 2008 - 27 Sports Oakville Beaver SPORTS EDITOR: JON KUIPERIJ Phone 905-845-3824 (ext. 255) Fax 905-337-5567 email sports@oakvillebeaver.com · FRIDAY, JANUARY 11, 2008 Raiders remain undefeated after topping Assumption Senior boys' basketball team improves to 8-0 By Herb Garbutt OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF LIESA KORTMANN / OAKVILLE BEAVER HAWK BLOCK: Leah Franco of the Loyola Hawks leaps to block the spike of White Oaks' Shannon Stack in Wednesday's Halton senior girls' volleyball game. The teams came into the match tied for third place in the Volpe Division but it was Loyola that scored a 25-23, 25-17 victory to improve to 6-1. The St. Thomas Aquinas Raiders got their toughest test yet but they emerged from the Assumption Crusaders' gym as one of only two undefeated teams in the league. The Raiders ran up an early lead but needed a fourth-quarter rally to down Assumption 55-47 and improve its Halton senior boys' basketball record to 8-0. Assumption fell to 6-2. Its only other loss was a last-second overtime decision against Loyola, the league's only other unbeaten team. "We knew it was going to be a tough game. We respect each other's game and the kids have a rivalry," said Aquinas coach Mark Maga. "They never want to lose." It must have been that desire that kickstarted an 11-2 run in the final four minutes to turn a two-point deficit into a seven-point lead. While both teams came into the game averaging more than 70 points per game, neither side expected to shoot the lights out because both teams are also among the league's best defensively. Instead of a runand-gun game, it turned out to be more about making adjustments as each team dominated at times. Aquinas, in particular, seemed to favour a slower pace. "We could run with teams but we believe we have a better chance to win in the half court," Maga said. Aquinas came out of the gate strong despite playing in its first game since the Christmas break. John Silver scored eight of his 14 points in the opening quarter as the Raiders stormed to a 15-5 lead. "We like to push the ball more but it's a difficult thing to accomplish when you start slowly," said Assumption coach Anthony Cordeiro. Aquinas extended its advantage to 22-9 early in the second. "We were excited. We've been playing over the holidays," said the Raiders' Trevor Williams, who had a game-high 20 points. "We were underdogs. Everybody was saying we can't beat these guys." Assumption was not about to let them run away with the game, though. They climbed back within five with a 10-2 run before Williams and the Crusaders' Tarik Mercurius exchanged threes in the final minute. The Crusaders carried the momentum into the third quarter, using good pressure on the ball to force turnovers that allowed them to rack up 12 straight points in less than two minutes. "We knew it would be like that," Williams said. "We were going to have our runs, they were going to have theirs. We just had to stop their runs." Assumption would lead by as much as seven thanks to some outstanding threepoint shooting. It would be a three-pointer by Aquinas' Ryan Thomson, who did most of his work closer to the hoop, that would turn the tide near the end of the third, starting an 11-2 burst that put the Raiders back in front. Assumption would regain the lead for the final time after some good rebounding by Chadrack Lufile, who staged a spirited battle on the boards all game with Thomson. That's what made the matchup intriguing is that both teams have the personnel to play a variety of styles -- a power game, perimeter game or fast break. Aquinas showed its ability to open things up down the stretch, utilizing the speed of Williams, Ryley Wright (six points, all in the final quarter) and Kyle Enright (seven points) to put together another 11-2 run to seal the victory. "I thought we dominated in the second and third quarter but they dominated the first and fourth," Cordeiro said, "and the first and fourth are more valuable." The Loyola Hawks also remained undefeated with a 75-45 win over Christ the King. The Hawks and Aquinas will meet in the final game of the regular season on Feb. Call 1-877-510-510-2 and talk to a Registered Dietitian for free. EatRight Ontario ontario.ca/eatright Paid for by the Government of Ontario