Immersion course in basketball
Standard Tournament gives coaches chance to put teams to the test
When it comes to getting high school teams to start coming together on the court, the Standard Girls Basketball Tournament is an immersion course in hoops.
Teams that so far have played only two regular-season games get the chance to play as many as four in four days,
Teams also get the opportunity to play — and learn from — larger schools they wouldn’t normally see in league play.
“We want to showcase the Niagara area talent that is here,” said Jill Stiefelmeyer, tournament chair and head coach of the Governor Simcoe Redcoats.
“It’s a good indication for other
teams to see who’s good this year in the league and elsewhere from this area.”
Sixteen senior or varsity teams from high schools in the circulation areas of the three Niagara daily newspapers will be competing for basketball bragging rights starting today.
There are six teams from St. Catharines — Denis Morris, Eden, Governor, Holy Cross, Saint Francis, Sir Winston Churchill — and three from Niagara Falls — A.N. Myer, Saint Michael, Saint Paul.
Grimsby has two teams in contention for a championship — Blessed Trinity, Grimsby — as does Welland — Jean Vanier, Centennial.
E.L. Crossley from Pelham, Greater Fort Erie and Thorold round out the field.
Teams are guaranteed two games but only those winning qualifying-round games on opening day can go on to capture the overall championship.
Best losing teams on Day 1 can hope for is going 3-0 the rest of the way to win the consolation championship.
Churchill, Denis Morris, Eden and Simcoe each host two opening-round games today, with Churchill and Simcoe the sites for four quarter-final games apiece Wednesday.
All four semifinals will be played at Simcoe on Thursday and action in the 19th Standard Tournament wraps up Friday with a championship doubleheader at Simcoe where the B final is scheduled to tip off at 6 p.m. and the gold medal game 90 minutes later.
High schools in Ontario are classified by enrolment to level the playing field as much as possible for sports. Schools with up to 500 students are single A, 501- to 950-enrolment schools are double A and schools with more than 951 are triple A.
Blessed Trinity, Denis Morris and Myer are the triple A team in the Standard Tournament field this year. With the exception of the Jean Vanier Lynx, all the other squads are double A.
Far from being intimidated, the Lynx relish the opportunity to play teams from much larger programs.
“We don’t go in with fear, we are always very realistic about who we have on our squad,” said assistant coach Tricia Poulin. “But we go in every game wanting to win and trying our best.
“But definitely the reason we want to face these bigger schools, and these bigger threats so to speak, is to learn.
“We feel like when we play a better team then we have to up our game, we have no choice, so by playing better teams we learn.”
Such an approach has returned remarkable dividends come playoff time. Vanier has won four Ontario titles since 2011 and last year settled for the silver medal at provincials.
In 2016 the Lynx defeated the Eden Flyers 46-38 becoming the first single A team to win the overall championship at the Standard Tournament. They dethroned the reigning champion Notre Dame Fighting Irish 41-39 to win the Tribune Tournament two weeks later.
High-calibre hoops isn’t the only thing the Standard Girls Basketball Tournament gives to the community. Proceeds from buy-ins for opening-round games and from the gate the rest of the week fund bursaries.
Between $2,000 and $3,000 is given back to players annually through bursaries and more than $30,000 in bursaries have been awarded since the tournament’s inception. Last year seven bursaries ranging from $200 to $500 were awarded.
Admission is $3 for adults, $2 for students. Eden, Blessed Trinity, Churchill and Myer are top four seeds.
Myer and Grimsby are the defending overall and consolation champions, respectively.