Teams to watch
Saints Invitational high school basketball tournament
CAMBRIDGE — With three championship trophies in their possession, the Eastwood Rebels are one of the teams to watch on the second and final day of the 30th Saints Invitational high school basketball tournament.
The Rebels, who have established themselves as a top-tier squad in the Waterloo County (WCSSAA) league, advanced to the Saturday morning’s quarter-final round with convincing wins Friday over the Monsignor Doyle Mustangs and Craig Kielburger Spartans of Milton.
“I don’t know if Eastwood has ever won this tournament or not (it hasn’t) but it would be nice for our school to win another trophy,” said Rebels’ fifth-year guard Kanayo Nnadi.
“We sometimes play down to our opponents but when we pick up our intensity, we can play with anybody. I definitely think we can win this tournament.”
Adverse weather conditions forced tournament organizers to don their thinking caps Friday as six teams pulled out at the last moment, leaving just 18 teams in the senior division. The Waterloo Collegiate Vikings were the only local team to pull the chute.
The Rebels, who this season have captured tournament titles in Waterloo, Collingwood and Oakville, are attempting to make it three straight years that a local team has won the Saints Invitational. The St. Benedict Saints are the two-time defending champions and are one of eight teams still in the running to make it to Saturday’s 8:30 p.m. final at St. Benedict Catholic Secondary School.
The Rebels, who started their WCSSAA campaign with a four-point loss to the Bluevale Knights, have been perfect since and scored their biggest win of the local campaign Thursday with a 72-64 triumph over the previously undefeated Glenview Park Panthers.
“It was fast paced and high energy against Glenview,” said Nnadi. “It was a good game to play in and I’m sure it was fun to watch.”
There was a little bit of a letdown in their intensity Friday but the Rebels had comfortable wins in both games.
Nnadi led the way with 13 points in a 58-35 win over Monsignor Doyle and Tyreak Farquharson had 21 in a 71-59 win over Craig Kielburger.
The Rebels, who bowed out in the semifinal round at last year’s Central Western Ontario triple-A tournament, are loaded with veteran players that are hungry to win the school’s first WCSSAA title since 1984.
Point guard Layee Jabateh is the team’s floor general and, according to Rebels head coach Steve Martin, is also the best defensive player in WCSSAA.
Nnadi is known for attacking the basket, Farquharson is a strong outside shooter, Abdei Abdella Hamad is known to rock the rim, Tucker Sutton adds an abundance of grit and Trev Lewis provides a spark off the bench.
Martin believes he is coaching a team capable of winning a WCSSAA title but the boys will have to be at their best to achieve it. To help motivate his players, he reminds them of what can happen if they don’t show up with their “A” games.
“The Bluevale loss, it was our first game of the season, but it gave us something to rally around,” he said.
The Rebels will continue their tournament schedule at next month’s Silver Fox Invitational in Hamilton and then take aim at WCSSAA and possibly CWOSSA titles.
The Rebels’ quarter-final opponent hadn’t been determined at deadline but it was either St. Michael of Stratford, St. John’s of Brantford or John F. Ross of Guelph. In the other quarterfinals, St. Benedict faces Glenview Park, St. Mary’s takes on Cathedral of Hamilton, and Mother Teresa of London faces either Holy Names of Windsor or Nicholson of Belleville.
Semifinal games will be played at 4 p.m. at St. Benedict and Monsignor Doyle.
Visit the tournament’s website at http:// saintsinvitational.crolinks.com/ for schedules and results.