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36 Sports Oakville Beaver SPORTS EDITOR: JON KUIPERIJ Phone 905-845-3824 (ext. 432) Fax 905-337-5571 email sports@oakvillebeaver.com · FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2009 Loyola sharpshooters lead Hawks to basketball crown By Jon Kuiperij could win a championship." Laurin, who said he felt all along that Loyola could win its first Halton title since Chants of `Can't Stop Ostap' ran through back-to-back crowns in 1989 and 1990, added, the jam-packed Sheridan College gymnasium, "We kind of liked sitting in the weeds and letreferring to the shooting of Loyola's Ostap ting it unfold. We had a good feeling and knew Choliy. we had a chance. The fact our league is so The Nelson Lords had a difficult time stop- strong made us better, too." ping Choliy's teammates as well. The Hawks jumped on Nelson early, openLoyola won its first Halton senior boys' bas- ing the game with an 11-2 run and leading 17ketball championship in nearly 20 years 10 after the first quarter. Wednesday, downing the Lords 69-59 in the The Lords got to within 31-29 early in the AAA/AAAA final. second half, but Presutti hit two "We didn't have Choliy, the Hawks' captain, three-pointers and Choliy added knocked down outside shot after an answer for another trey to key a 16-6 Loyola outside shot on his way to a 28- (Choliy) and their run and balloon the Hawks' lead point outing. Teammate Adam other guys shot it to 47-35. Presutti added 15 as Loyola's well, too." Loyola then opened the perimeter game proved too much fourth quarter by scoring 11 of for Nelson to handle. the first 13 points, again using Nelson coach "Give them full credit. They Bob Stacey the three-point shot to key the shot the ball well and we didn't," run, to open up a 58-41 lead. said Lords head coach Bob Stacey. "We didn't Nelson's Brady Heslip, playing on an have an answer for (Choliy) and their other injured ankle, almost single-handedly got his guys shot it well too." team back in the game. Heslip scored 18 of his The victory was only the latest accomplish- 26 points in the final quarter, helping the ment for a Hawks club that wasn't even seen Lords narrow the gap to 62-54 with 1:27 to go as one of the top three teams in Halton at the in regulation, but the Hawks' Mike L'Afraican beginning of the season. The Assumption locked up the win for Loyola by hitting seven Crusaders, Holy Trinity Titans and Nelson of eight free throws down the stretch. were the favourites to win the regional cham"(Heslip) hurt his ankle (in the Halton pionship, but the Hawks quietly and steadily semifinals against Holy Trinity) and I think it improved throughout the campaign. bothered him," Stacey said. "He didn't have They shocked previously-undefeated the square-up stroke going. He didn't tell me Assumption in the semifinals, then shut down how bad it was, but that's not an excuse." a strong Nelson club that was gunning for its Max Bjurd scored 16 points and Aaron school's 11th Halton title in 16 years. Campbell had 11 for Nelson. "It was just great coaching. Our coaching is Rohan Boney and L'Afraican countered top notch," Choliy said of Gary Laurin and with 11 each for the Hawks, who will host Reno Malisa. "We also have great team chem- Hamilton's St. Mary's tonight in an Ontario istry. We never get down on each other and try Federation of School Athletic Associations to help each other improve. By the end of the AAA qualifier. Game time at Loyola is schedyear, we knew we'd be a competitive team that uled for 7 p.m. BEAVER SPORTS EDITOR RIZIERO VERTOLLI / OAKVILLE BEAVER UNDERHANDED APPROACH: Loyola's Ostap Choliy (left) attempts to scoop a shot up around a Nelson defender during Wednesday's Halton high school senior boys' basketball AAA/AAAA championship game at Sheridan College. Loyola downed the Lords 69-59 to win its first regional title since 1990. Titans survive late scare from Irish Trinity avoids collapse to win first-ever junior boys' basketball title By Kevin Nagel point run starting near the end of the first quarter erased a 6-4 Irish lead. The defeat was Notre Dame's first of the year in The Holy Trinity Titans won their first Halton jun- Halton play. ior boys' high school basketball championship Titans coach Vic Juzenas didn't pretend he wasn't Wednesday at Sheridan College. nervous. When the players dashed toward one "I kept looking at the clock thinking another at the buzzer, however, relief "I kept looking `can we hang on?'" he said moments after rather than jubilation might have been the at the clock the final buzzer. "Maybe it's just junior dominant emotion. thinking `can we boys in this situation... all of a sudden we Hidden from the stat sheet in the hang on?'" were a little bit too patient." Titans' 38-36 win over the Notre Dame The Titans were 71-56 losers in the Fighting Irish was the fact with about Trinity coach regular-season matchup with the Irish, five minutes remaining in the AAA/AAAA Vic Juzenas but second-semester transfer student final, the Titans led 36-20. Shakeel Walker from Hamilton The Irish scored 16 straight points -- including 10 Cathedral didn't play in that game. He led the by Greg Owens -- to tie the game in the last minute, Titans with 11 points Wednesday, including eight in only to have Alex Foster-Roman score the winning bas- the first half when the Titans took a 25-12 lead. ket for the Titans. Trevon McNeil, Foster-Roman and Paul Brey added Holy Trinity was in control of the game since an 11 See Trinity page 39 SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER DRIVING BY: Trevor McNeil of the Holy Trinity Titans (with ball) dribbles around Notre Dame's Greg Owens Wednesday during the Halton high school junior boys' basketball AAA/AAAA final at Sheridan College. Trinity survived a late 16-0 run by the Fighting Irish to win 38-36 on a last-minute basket by Alex Foster-Roman. LIESA KORTMANN / OAKVILLE BEAVER