HIGH ACHIEVERS: Ashbury aims for third OFSAA boys’ basketball title, All Saints making debut in hometown championship

By Martin Cleary

The long wait is over. The OFSAA boys’ AA basketball championship has arrived, after a two-year delay.

“We bid for the 2022 OFSAA championship and won, but with COVID it pushed the bid two years until now,” said championship convenor Mike Rowley of St. Mother Teresa High School.

“The last time we played host to the championship was in 2015 and we enjoyed that experience. I have the same team that I ran that OFSAA championship back with me now.”

The provincial high school boys’ AA basketball championship is overseen by an 11-member executive committee and 125 student volunteers from the three host high schools – St. Joseph, St. Mother Teresa and Longfields-Davidson Heights.

The student volunteers will be assigned many roles such as working the scorer’s table, providing a live broadcast feed, updating the website, announcing, cleaning the court floors and broadcasting the games on the Rogers French TV cable network.

The OFSAA motto is “education through school sport” and Rowley is keen on encouraging students to be part of high school sport excellence.

“OFSAA pushes education through school sports and being part of a great opportunity,” he added.

The championship opened Sunday night with a banquet for more than 300 players and coaches from across the province. Preliminary games in the double-elimination championship are scheduled to run Monday and Tuesday.

The full schedule and other championship details can be found at: https://www.ofsaa.on.ca/championship/basketball-boys-aa/

The championship and consolation quarterfinals will be staged Tuesday night to set up the critical final two stages on Wednesday. The consolation and championship semifinals will be played at St. Joseph and St. Mother Teresa at 10 a.m. and noon respectively.

St. Mother Teresa will play host to the final three games – consolation final, 4 p.m., bronze-medal game, 6 p.m. and gold-medal game, 8 p.m.

The OFSAA boys’ AA basketball championships will have 20 schools, which have populations of 501 to 980 students. Each of the 18 provincial regions has qualified its champion, defending champion St. Francis Catholic High School of St. Catharines has returned as the top seed, and the National Capital Secondary School Athletic Association will have two entries as the host association.

The NCSSAA will be represented by city champion Ashbury College Colts, who will be vying for their third OFSAA boys’ basketball championship, and All Saints High School Avalanche, who will be experiencing their first provincial high school basketball championship.

Tickets are available at each of the three high school sites – $20 for a tournament pass or $5 for each morning, afternoon or evening session.

This is the ninth time in the 75-year history of OFSAA that a boys’ basketball championship will be staged in Ottawa – 2012 for AAAA, 2009, 2002, 1997 and 1980 for AAA, 2024 and 2015 for AA, and 1967 and 1961 for A.

Ashbury has won OFSAA boys’ basketball titles in 2017 (AA) and 2010 (A), while five other Ottawa schools have celebrated one championship each – St. Matthew, 2009, AAA; St. Patrick’s, 2008, AAA; Lisgar, 1974, AAA; A.Y. Jackson, 2008, AA; and Ridgemont, 1966, A.

ASHBURY COLLEGE COLTS

OFSAA SEEDING: No. 5

FIRST GAME: Monday, noon, at St. Mother Teresa, against No. 15 Hon. W.C. Kennedy of Windsor, SWOSSAA, 12-9

REGULAR SEASON: 11-1 (NCSSAA), 25-7 (overall)

PLAYOFFS: Won first-ever NCSSAA overall championship in the top-level, open Diamond Division, defeating John McCrae 63-35 in round one, All Saints 78-44 in the quarterfinals, Glebe 54-51 in the semifinals, and St. Joseph 63-52 in the final

THE COLTS’ STORY: Ashbury boys’ senior basketball coach Ian MacKinnon is extremely familiar with the OFSAA championship as he enters his 16th provincial high school tournament.

During MacKinnon’s 35-year basketball coaching career, he has been the Ashbury head coach for the past 24 years and led his troops to a pair of OFSAA championships – the AA title in 2017 and the A crown in 2010.

Already the only Ottawa school to win more than one OFSAA boys’ basketball championship, the Colts could challenge for a third title as the No. 5 seed.

“If we get through the first two rounds, that will put us in the quarterfinals,” MacKinnon said in a phone interview. “It’s tough to get the seedings right, but I like our chances against anyone.”

The Colts were the fourth-seeded team at the 2023 OFSAA boys’ AA championship, but lost to the No. 5-seeded team in the quarterfinals.

“That left a bitter taste in our mouths. We hope that helps to motivate the guys,” he continued.

Ashbury is a defensive team first and foremost. The Colts’ opening lineup has four starters from last season, including three Grade 12 student-athletes.

“We spend a lot of time on defence, like to run, have a solid transition game and then put the ball in someone’s hands at the right time,” MacKinnon added. “We didn’t look at wins and losses, but just wanted to make sure we got better (every game). We stressed the little things.”

KEY PLAYERS: Point-guard Jalen Flindall is the Ashbury engine on the floor because of his scoring and passing and also is a two-sport athlete as a notable pass receiver on the football team. Winger Emmett Pindar is a pure scorer and has drawn interest from U Sports basketball coaches. Preston Schwarz is an all-around great competitor on the court as well as a high-level baseball and athletics’ sprinter, having won the boys’ junior bronze medals in the 100 and 200 metres at the 2023 OFSAA track and field championships. He recently decided to dedicate himself to pursuing an athletic career in sprinting.

ALL SAINTS CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL AVALANCHE

OFSAA SEEDING: No. 20

FIRST GAME: Monday, 10 a.m., at St. Joseph, against No. 2 Holy Trinity of Courtice, LOSSA, 22-3 (All Saints is planning to send a fan bus for a 45-student cheering section)

REGULAR SEASON: 10-1 (NCSSAA)

PLAYOFFS: Qualified for its first-ever OFSAA boys’ AA basketball championship; competed in the top-level, open Diamond Division, defeating St. Matthew 66-62 in the first round, losing to Ashbury 78-44 in the quarterfinals, and defeating Woodroffe 68-65 in OFSAA AA play-in game.

THE AVALANCHE STORY: When Krista Wilson filled the vacancy for the boys’ senior basketball head coach job for the 2021-22 season, she started with a young varsity squad (players from all grades). The core of that group is in its third and final season and became the first All Saints team to reach the OFSAA championship in basketball.

“They have played together often,” Wilson said in a phone interview about her eight Grade 12 and six Grade 11 student-athletes. “I’ve given them lots of say and they motivate each other. We’ve had a lot of scrimmages and playing time. They’ve learned how to move on the court and find each other.”

And it’s not uncommon for the players to stay after practice to sharpen their shooting skills.

“We’re successful because it’s a team that plays together and has mutual respect for each other,” added Wilson, who is excited to see how her team will compete against the second-seeded team in its opening game.

The Avalanche heavily relies on a man-to-man defence because of its quickness, good communication and ability to read what’s happening on the floor. It also has an aggressive press.

Offensively, All Saints is versatile with plenty of good shooters and rebounders and has the ability to move the ball effectively.

KEY PLAYERS: Point-guard and team captain Jordan Magembe spends a lot of time on the court and loves to motivate his teammates. Power-forward Daniel Ntumba-Kazadi plays big around the basket at six feet, six inches tall.