Vanier place 4th in V-ball

Four Niagara high schools represented the Southern Ontario Secondary Schools Association (SOSSA) at Ontario championships earlier this week.

The host Jean Vanier Lynx placed fourth, winning the antique bronze, at the single A girls volleyball championships in Welland, while the Eden Flyers lost to the eventual champion in the quarter-finals at the double A girls volleyball finals in Belleville.

At the double A boys basketball championships in Sault Ste. Marie, the St. Francis Phoenix opened 2-0 before losing in the semifinals to Kingston-area team that went on to finish fourth..

Regional hoops hopes rested on the shoulders of the Niagara Christian Navigators at the boys single A championships in Windsor. The Navigators rebounded from an 0-2 start and found their way to the semifinals on the consolation side of the bracket before bowing out with a 54-37 loss to Philopateer Christian.

In pool play, Vanier defeated Aldershot, 2-0; Toronto District, 2-0; and Ursula Franklin Academy, 2-0; and lost to the University of Toronto Schools, 2-1; to advance to the championship quarter-finals.

The Lynx then defeated Quinte in four sets – 25-23, 22-25, 25-18, 25-15 – before falling in four to eventual gold medallist St. Marys in the semifinals. Set scores in favour of St. Marys were 1725, 25-23, 25-17, 26-24.

Vanier was awarded the antique bronze following 25-19, 25-13 and 25-15 losses to Holy Trinity from Richmond Hill in the third-place final.

Ecole Secondaire Catholique Franco Cite from Sturgeon Falls settled for the silver medal.

At Belleville, fourth-ranked Eden swept Sydenham, 25-19, 25-11; Timmins, 25-16. 25-14; and St. Theresa, 25-16, 25-12; while suffering an 0-2 setback to R.S. McLaughlin, 18-25, 20-25; in preliminary-round action.

Burlington’s Corpus Christi, which went on to win the overall championship, send the Flyers to the sidelines in straight sets – 25-11, 25-12, 25-20 – in the quarter-finals.

Windsor Riverside and Hamilton St. Mary finished second and third, respectively, while Toronto Silverthorn was awarded the antique bronze.

Tyrell MacLennan scored a game-high 18 points to help St. Francis to a 57-32 victory over Father Leo Austin, while it was Phoenix teammate Sam Braithwaite leading all scorers, with 26 points; in a 74-43 victory over St. James.

MacLennan led St. Francis with 14 points in a 51-34 loss to Frontenac.

Ashbury, Thornlea and Kennedy went home with medals, while Frontenac finished fourth.

In single A boys basketball, No. 12 seed Niagara Christian opened provincials with losses to fifth-seeded Mgr. Bruyere, 63-58; and No. 5 Nouvelle Allaince, 59-35; before defeating the 11th seed, Toronto District, 45-35.

Central Toronto went on to win gold, Louis Riel from Ottawa settle for silver and Nicholson Catholic from Belleville defeated Windsor Lajeunesse for the bronze medal.