Trib holding court
Tribune Girls Basketball Tournament tips off today at three high schools in south Niagara
After 22 games, 16 teams, four days and two champions at the Standard Girls Basketball Tournament, are high schools in the region ready for even more hoops?
In south Niagara, the answer is a slam dunk: yes.
This is especially the case at the four schools hosting qualifying-round and quarter-final games at the 14th Tribune Girls Basketball Tournament.
Jean Vanier, home court of the overall champion Lynx, and Welland Centennial, where the Cougars hope to emerge as the top cats for the first time since winning back-to-back titles in 2013-2014, are each hosting three games today, with E.L. Crossley the site of a doubleheader.
Port Colborne joins the lineup of venues Thursday hosting three quarter-finals on the consolation side of the bracket.
All four semifinals on Friday will be played at Welland Centennial, with the consolation and championship finals tipping off at 6 p.m. and 8 p.m., respectively at Jean Vanier.
At the Tribune tourney, hometown hoops hopes rest of the shoulders are six teams from the newspaper’s circulation area: E.L. Crossley Cyclone, Lakeshore Catholic Gators, Notre Dame Fighting Irish, Port Colborne Blue Bears, Jean Vanier Lynx, Welland Centennial.
Only the Confederation Jaguars and Eastdale Eagles, both from Welland and among the smaller schools in terms of enrolment, once again won’t be taking part.
Unlike other schools, which are large enough to field junior and senior teams, Confederation and Eastdale have blended squads competing as varsity teams.
“We’re a small team,” Eastdale head coach Wanda Cook said. “It’s just not the appropriate level of competition for us.”
Officially, this is the 14th annual Tribune Tournament for girls; however, in actuality, the mid-season showcase made its debut 13 years ago.
Two tournaments were played in 2005.
The first was a single-elimination, seven-team tournament held in January 2005.
In October that year the first tournament featuring the current format — 16 teams, two brackets — was contested.
Both defending champions – Vanier, A side; Saint Paul Patriots, consolation — will take the court today as will the four finalists from the Standard Tournament that wrapped up Friday night in St. Catharines.
Vanier swept both tournaments last year, but the Lynx were unable to get past the A.N. Myer Marauders in the championship quarter-finals at last week’s Standard Tournament.
Myer went on to edge the Sir Winston Churchill Bulldogs 38-36 for the gold medal, while the Grimsby Eagles overcame a cold-shooting first half to defeat the Denis Morris Reds 51-24 to take the consolation title.
Rematches from the final four at the Standard Tournament are possible at the Trib, though not with a championship on the line.
Since both teams are in the bottom half of the draw, the best the Bulldogs and Marauders can hope for is to face each other in the semifinals, on either side of the bracket.
Same goes for the Eagles and Reds, who are also among the eight teams playing out of the bottom half.
Results from tournaments don’t count in regular season standings nor for playoff seeding, but the games are far from meaningless. Teams get to face competition they wouldn’t face otherwise, either because they are in a different athletic conference, or in a different zone.
There are two conferences in the region — Niagara Catholic Athletic Association (NCAA), Niagara Region High School Athletic Association (NRHSAA) – as well as two zones — Zone 3, south Niagara; Zone 4, north Niagara.
Enrolment also is a determining factor in which schools can play each other once they advance past the zone level. While Churchill, Zone 4; and Myer, Zone 3; are both part of the NRHSAA, they won’t be playing each other at the Southern Ontario Secondary Schools Association (SOSSA championships or at provincials for that matter because the Marauders are triple A and the Bulldogs double A.
Notre Dame, 4-6 in gold-medal games, 2-0 in consolation championships; has enjoyed the most success at the Tribune Tournament. Right behind are Myer, three overall titles; and Welland Centennial, two championships.
Top four seeds Notre Dame, Myer, Churchill and Greater Fort Erie.