Axemen, Colonels win openers

The host Three Oaks Axemen received a balanced offensive attack in the opening game of the 24th edition of the Christmas Classic basketball tournament.

Every single member of the Axemen scored at least one point in a 96-52 victory over the Bluefield Bobcats at the Three Oaks Senior High School gymnasium early Thursday evening.

Vlersim Musliu and Sahib Singh each contributed 11 points for the Axemen. Three players – Cameron Wall, Logan Cameron and Justin Caron – sank eight.

Matthew Mineo (13), Daniel Wills (11) and Matthew Meenink (8) were Bluefield’s top point-getters.

In Thursday’s other tournament contest, the Colonel Gray Colonels edged the Charlottetown Rural Raiders 69-66 in an all-Charlottetown clash.

Play in the eight-team tournament, which has attracted senior AAA-calibre boys’ teams from P.E.I., New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, resumes today at 12:30 p.m. The Axemen have two games scheduled against St. Malachy’s from Saint John, N.B., at 2:15 p.m., and Amherst, N.S., at 8:15 p.m.

Colonels 69 Raiders 66

At Charlottetown Rural, Yahya Sefau scored 13 points to lead the Colonels, who received 12 from John Alex Vos and 11 from Joe Thomson.

For Rural, Will Vidito (20), Zack Wall (19) and Josh Bourque (11) were the top scorers.

Gray led 38-34 at halftime.