Titans beat final buzzer
Adam Scott loses to St. Theresa after three straight basketball COSSA season wins
The joy of victory and agony of defeat was on display Friday night in the COSSA AA senior boys’ basketball final.
The St. Theresa Titans’ Ryan Milligan hit a three-point basket on a broken play with 0.5 seconds left to snap the Adam Scott Lions’ three-year hold on the COSSA championship 69-66 in a packed Adam Scott Collegiate gymnasium.
The Lions went 29 years between COSSA wins before stringing three in a row together. At times they looked headed for a fourth.
“This one hurts a bit,” said Lions coach Steve Deline. “I’m not going to lie. These are young guys trying to make things happen and maybe we got a little uncharacteristic in a few situations and didn’t execute as well as we could have. We were excited about having a game at home, we’d been in Belleville the last two years.”
Deline expects to have a lot of his players back next year and they’ll use the disappointment as fuel.
“It was exciting to be a part of it and I’m so proud of these kids. They’ve worked hard and put a lot of time and effort into basketball at Adam Scott,” said Deline. “I’m disappointed they don’t get that opportunity, especially the Grade 11’s, to go to OFSAA. To gain that experience.”
The lead changed hands several times in the final quarter. Reece Muir gave the Lions the lead after the first Titans lead in two quarters. Tyrae Shaw hit a shot in the final minute to tie it 66-66. Muir and Zach Deline led the Lions with 122 points each.
Milligan said it was the biggest shot of his life.
“It means a lot, we’re going to OFSAA,” said Milligan. “It felt great to be carried around by the team. My heart fluttered with joy if I can be melodramatic. It was one of the most competitive games I have ever been a part of.”
The Titans advance to the OFSAA AA championships March 5-7 in Pembroke.
In the junior final Adam Scott avenged a 42-40 loss in the Kawartha playoffs by beating the Crestwood Mustangs 56-42.
The Titans, led by Aiden Callahan’s 25 points, came out firing and built an early five-point lead they held until the final second of the first half. Deline nailed a shot at the buzzer to put the Lions up 30-29 after trailing 29-25 entering the final minute.
The Lions built the lead to 49-45 heading to the fourth quarter on key threes from Deline and Muir late in the quarter.
The Lions reached the final by beating Centre Hastings 74-24 in the afternoon semifinals while St. Theresa’s beat the Holy Cross Hurricanes 71-36.
In the junior final, Jon Parsons powered the Lions with 24 points while Waleed Arar topped Crestwood with 14.
Lions coach Brian Smith said his team was a bit healthier than a week earlier when Crestwood beat them and it made a difference.
“We’ve played Crestwood tough all year and they’ve played really well” said Smith. “I was happy to have an opportunity to go back and have a second crack at them. I just wanted the kids to compete. They’re a really easy group to coach when they want to learn and get better and I’m proud of them. I thank all the coaches in the past who have put the time and effort into coaching those kids. (Crestwood coach) Tyler Chambers is a good friend of mine and I tip my hat to him. They have some real nice pieces and they should be proud of everything they’ve done.”
Chambers was disappointed in the result but proud of his team.
“This was the fifth time we’ve played Adam Scott and each game has been an incredible battle,” said Chambers. “Their shots were dropping and ours weren’t. They were the better team.
“We were excited to be in the COSSA final. Crestwood hasn’t been in a COSSA final in a few years now and I can’t say enough about Crestwood basketball. We’re excited for the future of our program. We’re a basketball school now.”
The Mustangs reached the final by defeating Centennial 67-47 in the semifinals and the Lions defeated St. Theresa’s 52-47.