Trib tourney on tap
16 high schools from seven Niagara centres battling for basketball bragging rights
High school teams from seven centres in Niagara will battle for regional bragging rights at the 63rd Tribune Boys Basketball Tournament tipping off next week.
Five teams from St. Catharines, three each from Niagara Falls and Welland, two from Port Colborne and one each from Fort Erie, Pelham and Thorold make up the field at the four- day competition getting underway Wednesday in Welland.
Among the teams returning to compete in the mid- season showcase are the final four from last year’s tournament: Denis Morris Reds, E. L. Crossley Cyclone, Notre Dame Fighting Irish, Welland Centennial Cougars.
Notre Dame defeated Centennial 68- 60 to win the championship, while Crossley topped Denis Morris 64- 59 to take the B title.
Rounding out the hometown hopefuls are the Jean Vanier Lynx who, like Centennial and Notre Dame, will host at least two games in the quarter- final round.
The Eden Flyers, Governor Simcoe Redcoats, Holy Cross Raiders and Sir Winston Churchill Bulldogs are the other teams from St. Catharines, with the A. N. Myer Marauders, Saint Michael Mustangs and Westlane Spartans making up the Niagara Falls contingent.
The Lakeshore Catholic Gators and Port Colborne Blue Bears welcome an addition to their Highway 3 rivalry, the Greater Fort Erie Gryphons.
Greater Fort Erie welcomed its first students in September 2017 following the closure of Fort Erie Secondary School and Ridgeway-Crystal Beach High School.
The Gryphons made an impressive debut on the hardwood regionally by defeating Eden 57- 53 in the consolation final at the Standard High School Basketball Tournament last month in St. Catharines.
Missing from this year’s Tribune Tournament field are the St. Francis Phoenix, who defeated Centennial 69- 39 to win the overall championship at the Standard Tournament. Teams are guaranteed two games with qualifying- round winners on opening day advancing on the championship side of the bracket. Day 1 losers are only eligible to compete for the consolation title.
In all 22 games will be played, with all the action taking place at high schools in Welland. Notre Dame will host four games, Centennial and Vanier two each on the opening two days of the tournament.
All semifinal- round games will be played at Notre Dame as will the championship doubleheader Saturday, Jan. 13.
The tournament has a new presenting sponsor. Thorold- based homebuilder Mountainview Homes signed a two- year sponsorship agreement taking over from Niagara College which sponsored the tournament for seven years.
A $ 4,000 annual contribution from Mountainview Homes will help the tournament organizing committee offset such costs as hiring game officials, trophies and other tournament-related expenses, co- convener Don Larman said introducing the third presenting sponsor in tournament history.
Financial contributions from a major sponsor help tournament off the basketball court as well.
Co- convener John Witlib pointed out that the less the committee has to spend on tournament costs, the more money from admissions and program advertising can go to funding scholarships.
Scholarships worth $ 500 each are annually awarded to graduates who have either participated in the tournament as a player or as cheerleader.
Scholarships will be presented to three former players and one former cheerleader when this year’s tournament wraps up.
Notre Dame graduate Kyle Cooper, most valuable player at last year’s tournament, is majoring in kinesiology in his first year in university.
The Wainfleet resident played in three tournaments, taking overall titles in 2015 and 2017.
Cooper will also receive the Mike Mitruk Bursary.
Ehab Sati, a Centennial alum from Welland, competed in two tournaments with the Cougars. He is in his first year studying business administration at Wilfrid Laurier.
Chris Holmes, a Welland native who went to high school at Crossley, now attends McMaster doing a major in humanities.
Holmes played in three tournaments.
Notre Dame grad Raygen Dufour, top overall cheerleader in her fourth and final year participating in the Tribune Tournament, is enrolled in the social service worker program at Mohawk College in Hamilton.
First played in 1955 and contested annually since 1957, the Tribune Tournament bills itself as the oldest high school tournament in Ontario.