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www.oakvillebeaver.com 32 Sports Oakville Beaver SPORTS EDITOR: JON KUIPERIJ Phone 905-845-3824 (ext. 255) Fax 905-337-5567 email sports@oakvillebeaver.com · SATURDAY, DECEMBER 20, 2008 Titans suffer first loss but still threat to repeat By Herb Garbutt OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF The Holy Trinity Titans fell from the ranks of the undefeated Thursday but showed they will not surrender their Halton senior boys basketball title without a fight. Burlington's Assumption Crusaders, ranked among the top 10 teams in the GTA by the Toronto Star, held off Holy Trinity 6559 to improve to 7-0 on the season while the NIKKI WESLEY / OAKVILLE BEAVER BOMBS AWAY: Holy Trinity's Malcolm Fisher launches a three-pointer in Thursday's Halton senior boys' basketball game. Assumption won the game 64-59. Titans fell to 6-1. Trinity has seven players back from last year's Halton championship team but just two of those were starters, and even that duo didn't take on those roles until midway through last season. "We have a lot of veterans but we're still relatively inexperienced," Saulez said. "We're gaining the experience we'll need later on. We're never happy losing but it was a good experience." Assumption had a large, noisy crowd out for the matchup of the two 6-0 teams and Saulez said that may have influenced the Titans slow start. Trinity got good looks at the basket but scored just seven points in the opening quarter. The Titans shook off the slow start after getting a spark from Troy Stevenson, who nailed a pair of three pointers. He finished the game with 13 points, 10 of them coming in the first half. Trinity would have taken a lead into the break had it not been for a three-point buzzer beater by Crusaders that tied the game 31-31. "That put a damper on a really good quarter for us," Saulez said. NIKKI WESLEY / OAKVILLE BEAVER The Titans led by two heading into the final quarter but as time ticked down on the BATTLE OF THE UNBEATEN: Holy Trinity's Jordan Catterall (left) tries to steal the ball from game, it was Assumption that led by three. an Assumption opponent in Thursday's Halton senior boys' basketball game in Burlington. Both teams The Crusaders gained possession with eight came into the game tied for first with perfect 6-0 records and Trinity had reached the final of a tourseconds remaining and the Titans were nament in Hamilton on the weekend but it was Assumption that won the game 65-59. forced to foul. Assumption hit both free throws to seal the victory. formance at the Chancellor tournament on squad. Saulez said the Titans are smaller than the weekend where the Titans knocked off Though the Titans may not be the biggest last year but compensate with improved beat two traditionally strong basketball team, they proved they can play defence speed. schools, Mississauga's Loyola and St. Thomas against larger opponents. The Titans "We like to run the ball up the floor and More -- a 52-50 overtime victory in the employed the trio of Vicrum Kayley, Salven Assumption did a good job of semis -- to reach the final, Kozul and Kevin Prescod to work on not letting us do that early in "A loss is a loss... where they lost to Campion 50- Assumption's Chadrack Lufile, a 6-foot-9 the game," he said. "We also At least now we 38. centre who made it to the final stages of the like to play a pressure defence know we have a Catterall and guard Jordan national junior team tryouts. They held the and capitalize on the shot going into Clarke, who transferred to Crusaders' big man to 21 points -- "he's turnovers." Trinity from Iroquois Ridge, going to get 20, you just don't want him to the playoffs." Leading the charge up the were named to the all-star team. get 30 or more," Saulez said. Trinity coach court is point guard Jordan Saulez said it had been more So while the Titans may not be the Catterall, who joins Tim Andrew Saulez than a decade since a Halton favourite despite last year's championship, Doyley, a strong rebounder and team had reached the final in they will be in the mix again. defensive player, as the returnthe tournament. "A loss is a loss," Saulez said. "but any ing starters. Catterall played all but one Kent Bray and Malcolm Fisher are two time you can play with a quality team like minute of the Assumption game and fin- more players taking on expanded roles this Assumption, it shows we can play with some ished with nine points while orchestrating season while Sylvano Ferreira is one of of the top teams in the province. At least now the offence. four players who moved up to the senior we know we have a shot going into the playCatterall was coming off a strong per- team from Trinity's Halton finalist junior offs." Great Place for your last minute shopping. 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