OAKVILLE BEAVER · Wednesday, March 4, 2009 26 Loyola, Aquinas qualify for basketball provincials Titans bounced with loss to St. Thomas More By Jon Kuiperij BEAVER SPORTS EDITOR One team will be venturing into uncharted waters, while the other will be marching back into familiar territory. The Loyola Hawks and St. Thomas Aquinas Raiders have different mindsets as they prepare "We're really to compete in their respective excited. We're O n t a r i o young and don't Federation of have much School Athletic experience there." Associations (OFSAA) boys' Loyola coach basketball tour- Gary Laurin naments. Loyola has surprised many by reaching the provincial AAA championships, while the Raiders were expected to return to the AA tournament and attempt to improve on last year's OFSAA bronze. "We're really excited. We're young and don't have much experience there," Loyola head coach Gary Laurin said of qualifying for OFSAA, which the Hawks did by winning qualifiers Friday and Monday. "Myself as a coach, I don't have much experience there. I don't have any, actually." The Hawks defeated Hamilton's St. Mary's 70-63 Friday, then rallied from a halftime deficit to down Mississauga Secondary 72-60 Monday and clinch their OFSAA berth. Loyola scoring in both games was balanced between starters Rohan Boney, Mike L'Afraican, Adam Presutti, Ostap Choliy and Peter Rusic. Laurin said he was optimistic that the Hawks -- who have posted wins over several notable teams this year -- will be one of the top five seeds at the OFSAA tournament, which begins Monday in Ottawa. Raiders making return trip Aquinas qualified for OFSAA Friday with a 62-46 victory over Mississauga Ascension, breaking open a close game in the fourth quarter. Charlie Drouin poured in 24 points to lead the Raiders, who are making their third trip to the provincials in the past four years. "We've been through the tournament and know a bit about the teams," Aquinas head coach Mark Maga said. "Last year, a lot of our guys didn't understand the HIGH SCHOOLSPORTS pressure of OFSAA and what's at stake. It's having to come out and play your best game every single time. Having gone through that (last year), our guys are a bit more comfortable." Maga believes the Raiders should be one of the top three seeds at the tournament, which starts Monday in Timmins, but isn't convinced that OFSAA organizers will agree. "What I think we should get and what we will get will probably be two different things," said Maga, noting that a 20point loss to Waterloo Westminster at the beginning of the season (when the Raiders were playing without three starters) could drop Aquinas' ranking. "It's always hard to seed teams. These are people who haven't seen you play before." The Raiders were seeded fourth at last year's tournament. Trinity `getting closer' The Holy Trinity Titans hoped to become Oakville's third OFSAA-bound boys' basketball team, but were denied a trip to AAAA provincials with a 63-48 loss to Hamilton's St. Thomas More Friday at Trinity. Troy Stevenson had 14 points and Kent Bray added 12 off the bench for the Titans. The game attracted more than 600 spectators, according to Trinity head coach Andrew Saulez. This is the fourth consecutive year the Titans have been Halton's AAAA representative in the Golden Horseshoe Athletic Conference OFSAA qualifier, and the fourth straight year a Hamilton school has eliminated them from OFSAA contention. "I think we're getting closer. Four years ago, we lost by 40 points," Saulez said. "(Oakville's) rep programs are getting stronger, but (Hamilton) has great rep programs and their players are tough. St. Thomas More and Cathedral are always two quality teams." The defeat ended an up-and-down year for the Titans. Trinity was eliminated in the Halton semifinals, but then upset the Assumption Crusaders in the regional AAAA playdowns. "Our goal every year is to win Haltons so, from that standpoint, it was a disappointment," said Saulez. "The win against Assumption and to be able to play in front of that crowd (Friday)... to be the Halton AAAA rep was an accomplishment." Hockey playoffs take centre stage this week Last week, Halton high school champions were decided in boys' basketball and girls' volleyball. This week, it's hockey's turn to take centre stage. The Halton girls' hockey Division 1 championship was contested yesterday (Tuesday) at Burlington's Appleby Ice Centre, with the Loyola Hawks taking on the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Results of that game were not available at press time; see Friday's edition of The Oakville Beaver for coverage of that contest. Also yesterday, Division 1 finalists were being determined in boys' hockey. The Holy Trinity Titans were home to Notre Dame while the St. Thomas Aquinas Raiders traveled to Georgetown for a clash with the Christ the King Jaguars to conclude the teams' two-game semifinal series. Trinity and Christ the King both carried 1-0 series leads into yesterday's action. Results from yesterday were not available at press time. The Halton boys' hockey Division 1 final is scheduled for tomorrow (Thursday). If Christ the King eliminated Aquinas, the Jaguars would host the contest. Regardless of its outcome against Christ the King, Aquinas will play Burlington's Lester B. Pearson Patriots in a game that will determine Halton's representative for the upcoming Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations AA tournament. If Aquinas did not reach the Halton Division 1 final, that game would be played tomorrow. Friday, the Halton girls' hockey Division 2 championship game will be played. Finalists for that contest will be determined tomorrow. The busy hockey playoff schedule will continue next week. Monday will feature the Golden Horseshoe Athletic Conference championship games in both boys' and girls' hockey, and the regional boys' Division 2 championship will be played the following day. Appleby College March Break Sports Academies March 16-20, 2009 · Ages 7 to 15 Exploring The Sports Introduction to volleyball, swimming, softball, basketball and many more fun indoor games! Appleby girls win one hockey title, after another It took little time for Appleby College's girls' hockey program to ascend from the outhouse to the penthouse. Appleby recently won the North American Prep Hockey Association championship, completing a dramatic worst-tofirst turnaround for Appleby in NAPHA play. The Blue Dogs were winless two seasons ago and finished sixth overall last season. Appleby will shoot for another title, the Canadian Independent Schools crown, today (Wednesday) when it hosts Buffalo's Nichols School for a 4 p.m. start at J.S. Gairdner Arena. The Blue Dogs lead the best-of-three series 1-0. Appleby won the NAPHA championship with three straight playoff victories. The Blue Dogs blanked their first two postseason opponents (downing Nova Scotia's KingsEdgehill 3-0 and Port Hope's Trinity College 2-0) before defeating Pennsylvania's Wyoming Seminary 5-2 in the final. Brianne Jenner scored twice for Appleby in the final, with singles going to Anissa Gamble, Rio Flynn and Kelly Eustace. Blue Dogs goalie Nicole Paniccia earned the victory, her second win of the playoffs. Jenner, Gamble and Eustace had the Appleby goals against Kings-Edgehill, when Rachael Kennedy earned the shutout. Hailey Browne and Courtney Power tallied versus Trinity. Also contributing to the championship were Kristyn Capizzano, Sara Ginson, Ellen Brandt, Leanne Gallant, Natasha Fryer, Erika Pyke and Delaney Cox. Bradi Cochrane and Rebecca MacDonald coach the team. Hockey School Half-day hockey school, Power Skating, Female Hockey Academy, and Rep. High-Tempo Conditioning. Basketball Madness Skill-building, with a focus on ball handling, shooting, offence and defence. For more information and to register online, visit www.appleby.on.ca or call 905-845-4681, ext. 113