Sports Oakville Beaver By Kevin Nagel SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER SPORTS EDITOR: JON KUIPERIJ Phone 905-845-3824 (ext. 255) Fax 905-337-5567 email sports@oakvillebeaver.com · FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2008 35 Titans repeat as Sr. champs After slow start to season, Trinity got better and better With three starters gone from last year's Halton championship team, the Holy Trinity Titans lost two of their first three games of the season before regaining their form. They avenged both losses, the latest coming Wednesday against the Nelson Lords at the Halton high school senior boys' Division 1 championship game at Sheridan College. Outshooting and outdefending the perennially strong Lords, Holy Trinity cruised to a 53-37 victory. The Titans will face Hamilton's Cathedral or St. Thomas More in a AAAA Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations qualifier today (Friday) in Hamilton. "We hit a couple of shots -- that always helps," was Titans coach Vic Juzenas' response when asked the key to the victory. "I thought we were a little bit deeper." Bad start when Doyley injured Things got off to a rocky start for Holy Trinity when Tim Doyley, one of the Grade 11 starters whose improvement over the season helped the team go this far, planted his face against the floor in the first minute. He played little the rest of the way. "I've got his tooth right here," said Juzenas, reaching inside his shirt pocket. "He didn't play much. I wasn't sure if he was focused or not. He's a tough kid, though. He'll be back (today)." The Lords, shooting for their 11th Halton title in 16 years, trailed by four at the half, and nine after three quarters. "A very uncharacteristic team of mine," said Lords coach Bob Stacey. "It looked like we had panic in our eyes. They had more energy. Normally our defence is scrappier, but I gotta give them credit -- they outscrapped us." Nelson's shooting was horrendous in the second half. Nelson's big shooter Brady Heslip was banged up, managing only one three-pointer early in the game and finishing with just seven points overall. Titans' perimeter offence opened up several three-point opportunities and six were converted, two each by Danny Foster-Roman and Pat Moskal. Nelson, meanwhile, had two, one with the game already out of reach in the last minute. "I like their 5-out (offence)," said Stacey. "But honestly, (my players) didn't do what I asked. We wanted to concentrate on their big fellow (Jahmal McQueen) early and contain and occupy him with a couple of fouls and we didn't do it. So guess what happens at the end? He rolled. He can be real good or great. Tonight, he was great." McQueen, the Titans' six-foot-five captain, scored 14 points to lead all scorers, but he credited the team's dedication to defence for the victory. "We're a very good offensive team -- we can score -- but what we had to do is work on our defence," he said. "We know what it takes to win. We've won back-to-back now." Moskal contributed 12 points to the Titans' cause and Foster-Roman and David Ozimec had 10 each. For Nelson, Sharif Wanas collected a dozen points and Calvin Turnbull had 10. The Lords' season isn't finished with the loss. As a AAA-size school, Nelson plays Bishop Tonnos today with the winner facing a Peel region representative Monday for an OFSAA AAA berth. MICHAEL IVANIN / SPECIAL TO THE OAKVILLE BEAVER LAYING IT UP: Holy Trinity's Jordan Catteral (in black) goes in for a layup while Nelson's Aaron Campbell contests the shot during Wednesday's Halton high school senior boys' basketball Division 1 final at Sheridan College. Crowd support, defence lifts King's to Division 2 crown GOING UP: King's Christian Collegiate centre Ray Spithoff (50) skies for a rebound over Acton's J.D. Hartnagle Wednesday at Sheridan College. Spithoff and George Foty were major inside presences as King's defeated the Bearcats 28-21. LIESA KORTMANN / OAKVILLE BEAVER By Jon Kuiperij BEAVER SPORTS EDITOR Richard Stewart experienced plenty of basketball highs and lows during his days with the Canadian junior team and at St. Joseph's University. But even he had a difficult time putting into words what it meant for his King's Christian Collegiate Cavaliers to win the Halton high school senior boys' basketball Division 2 title, following a 28-21 victory over the Acton Bearcats Wednesday at Sheridan College. "It's immeasurable," said the Cavaliers coach. "For a six-year-old school... it brings so much joy to everyone and the community comes together. It goes to show you the joy we all feel for each other and the love in the school. They have something to hold onto now." The importance of Wednesday's game to the small north-end school was evident even before tipoff. All students and staff were excused from their last period classes to attend the game, and they packed the entire right side of the Sheridan gymnasium stands. The support made a major difference for the Cavaliers players, according to King's forward George Foty. "I think it was a reason we were able to keep playing defence and keep the score so low," said the 17-year-old, who dominated the third quarter offensively as King's built a 19-8 lead entering the final frame. "The crowd gave us energy." Foty scored all eight of the Cavaliers' points in the third quarter. Meanwhile, he and his teammates blanked the Bearcats throughout the entire eight-minute session, something they also accomplished in the opening quarter to take a 40 lead. With the 6-foot-4 Foty and the 6-foot-8 Ray Spithoff patrolling the interior at both ends of the court, King's slowed the game to a crawl in order to minimize mistakes and make the most out of each possession. It's something Stewart has preached to his students all year, and they obviously bought in to his system. "I want a slow-pace game because our strength is our big people," Stewart said. "Why run up and down and have turnovers and (bad shots) when See Acton page 37