`We knew we were ready for the win'
Holy Names Knights take senior boys AAA basketball title after perfect season
The St. Anne Saints knew trying to take down the Holy Names Knights would be a daunting task.
St. Anne stayed close early, but the Knights capped a perfect WECSSAA season with a 79-54 win on Sunday at the St. Clair Sportsplex to capture the senior boys' AAA basketball title.
“We came in thinking we were going to win,” said the Knights' Austin Brown, who led all scorers with 22 points.
“We were confident after the 9-0 season and all the tournaments we played. We knew we were ready for the win.”
The average margin of victory for the Knights during the regular season was just under 40 points, but St. Anne was within four after the first quarter.
“They're undefeated, so we knew we had to come in and try to set the pace, but they're a great team,” St. Anne's Daniel Riggi said.
“They're all amazing players and they're huge. They all have a lot of size on them, so it's hard for rebounds, hard to box out and they're also a good three-point shooting team.”
By halftime, the Knights had a double-digit lead and opened it up to 31 points in the third quarter.
“We think we did a good job at the beginning, but they hammered us down low,” said Riggi, who had 10 points along with Evan Schwerer.
Brown was one of four Knights to finish in double figures, with Arnez Kerr finishing with 18 points, Arlind Avdo adding 17 points and Keilan Laporta chipping in with 12 points.
“This is a young group coming in, they compete and we've got guys ready to go,” said Knights head coach Ryan Steer, who has guided the team to back-to-back titles.
“We stayed focused for the most part, a couple lapses here and there, but you can't complain with that kind of effort for four quarters.”
KENNEDY 63 VISTA ACADEMY 52
A one-point game after three quarters, the Kennedy Clippers dominated down the stretch to beat the Vista Academy Vortex 6352 and capture the senior boys' AA basketball title on Sunday.
The Clippers, who fell in last year's final, got 18 points from Jesse Moffat. Mangar Dakbai finished with 15 points, Yousef Issa had 11 points and Kabbashi Ibraham added 10 points.
Filip Malovic paced the Vortex with 16 points while Adam El-mokdad added 14 points and Luka Knezevic finished with 12 points.
LAJEUNESSE 86 MARANATHA CHRISTIAN 45
The Lajeunesse Royals poured it on in the second half to defend the team's WECSSAA senior boys' A championship on Sunday.
The Royals held a four-point lead over the Maranatha Christian Academy Panthers at the half, but outscored the opposition 52-15 in the second half, winning 86-45.
Lucas Kwapisz had 26 points to lead the Royals. Jack Zhang finished with 18 points, Daniel Ngendabanga finished with 14 points and Connor Lacoursiere 13.
Joseph Albano paced the Panthers with 17 points and Micah Huisman added 13 points.