St. Anne School advances to Catholic board finals in intermediate boys basketball
St. Paul defeated in St. Peter Family of Schools tourney final
St. Anne held on to its lead in the final minutes to edge St. Paul of Peterborough 48-44 to win the St. Peter Family of Schools intermediate boys basketball tournament Tuesday afternoon and advance to the board-wide finals next week.
St. Paul of Peterborough made it close – twice drawing to within two points in the final minute of the game before free throws from fouls in the final seconds allowed St. Anne to extend the lead ever so slightly.
St. Anne held a 20-17 lead at halftime before St. Paul – last year’s winner – clawed back to make the score 44-43 with just over a minute left in the game. St. Anne controlled the ball with a throw-in with six seconds left to play to put it away.
“Hustle really won us the game. And not giving up,” St. Anne player Benny Buell said, pointing out how the team will have to continue to get everyone on the floor involved in the play and maintain a positive attitude to do well at the board-wide finals.
The value of that confidence cannot be overstated, coach Julian Castiglione said. “It’s all about being positive. The best team in the league is only as good as they feel.”
Tournament round-robin play saw each team play three games before being seeded based on the points for a playoff format that included regular and consolation brackets so thateach team played an equal number of games.
St. Joseph of Douro topped Pool A with a record of 3-0, followed by Immaculate Conception (2-1), St. Paul of Lakefield (1-2) and St. Martin’s of Ennismore (0-3).
St. Paul of Peterborough topped Pool B with a record of 3-0, followed by St. Anne (2-1), St. Teresa (1-2) and MonseigneurJamot (0-3).
St. Paul of Peterborough defeated Immaculate Conception and St. Anne defeated St. Joseph of Douro to advance to the ‘A’ championship final. St. Joseph of Douro then edged Immaculate Conception 20-19 in the B’final.
On the consolation side, St. Teresa defeated St. Martin of Ennismore 40-8 in the C final, while St. Paul of Lakefield defeated Monseigneur-Jamot 37-5 in the D final.
Monseigneur-Jamot and St. Teresa tangled in one consolation semi-final, while St. Martin of Ennismore and St. Paul of Lakefield met in the other.
The tournament is always competitive, convenor Mike Martone said, noting how teachers and students take much time to prepare each year.
“It’s a great stage for students to learn valuable lessons that you can’t necessarily learn in the classroom,” he said, pointing out how the intermediate competition fosters all-important skills and attributes like teamwork, determination and resiliency.
The Holy Cross Family of Schools girls basketball tournament postponed due to Monday’s weather will take place on Thursday, while boys will compete on Monday. The board-wide intermediate elementary finals take place April 26 – at St. Peter for boys and Holy Cross for girls.