Carter Teal the real deal
Carter Teal doesn’t like to play favourites.
The 16-year-old, Grade 11 student is a standout on the track as well as the basketball court.
Teal, who missed out on a medal at OFSAA (Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations) in the 100 metres, showed Monday he can get it done on the hardwood as well.
Teal poured in a game-high 22 points to lead the No. 6 ranked E.L. Crossley Cyclones past the No. 11 ranked Eden Flyers 60-49 in an opening-round game of the 57th Annual Standard High School Basketball Tournament before a packed house at Crossley.
“It was awesome to see all the people and fans in the stands like that. It was fun,” Teal said.
Teal, who placed sixth at OFSAA last season, has a tough time picking his favourite activity.
“I really love track and I’m starting to train more but I love basketball and track the same,” he smiled.
Teal, who also plays on the school volleyball team, played travel baseball as well until a couple of years ago.
“After baseball went away, I was able to concentrate more on other things,” he said.
Crossley coach Aaron Belding loves how well rounded Teal is as an athlete.
“Any athlete that plays multiple sports gives you different facets to look for, that’s why I encourage them to play multiple sports,” he said. “You get different things from different sports.
“If you focus on one sport, you don’t learn different skills. With him being in volleyball and baseball and all that, it’s definitely an asset.”
Teal was on fire early, scoring 12 points in the first half as the Cyclones built a 30-27 lead heading into intermission.
“It’s good to get the adrenaline going. It really makes you motivated,” Teal said.
Teal can fill a variety of roles for the Cyclones.
“Usually I’m a point guard and I play at the top or on the wing as well,” he said. “I can take up the ball and be a secondary.”
Belding said the Cyclones often take advantage of Teal’s blazing speed.
“He is usually one of our top players,” Belding said. “He’s a good outlet man. He’s fast on the floor. He is someone everyone else forgets about and then all of a sudden, he’s gone.”
The Cyclones took a couple of quarters to get settled before taking over in the second half.
“Overall, we played decently,” he said. “We played three games at Myer Tournament and one league game and one team practice so there’s definitely some feeling out. “We’re trying to get everyone working together.”
Eden coach Brian MacIssac had no complaints how his young squad performed.
“I thought we really played well,” he said. “Overall, I’m pretty happy. It’s nice start to the season for us.”
MacIssac said the Flyers’ lack of experience was a factor.
“We had some matchup problems with their size that they took advantage of in the second half,” he said. “Just the inexperience and we haven’t had a lot of practice time yet showed. In crunch time we turned the ball over.”
He feels the future is bright for basketball at Eden.
“We have a nice junior team going at Eden and I have an awesome bunch of kids here. They love basketball. They are committed and dedicated. We don’t have anyone who plays outside of school any more, but they just love being in the gym.”
Stats Pack
No Limit Performance/Kully’s Player of the Game for Crossley: Carter Teal.
No Limit Performance/Kully’s Player of the Game for Eden: Luke Reinaerts.
E.L. Crossley Cyclones: Teal 22; Josh Lahn 10; Jun Song 9; Aiden Belding 6; Jason Carter 4; Durieal Bell 4; Andrew Learn 3; Liam Sodtke 2.
Eden Flyers: Reinaerts 21; Peter Pilling 6; Ashton Nieuwets 6; Austin Belanger 4; Winston Doppenberg 4; Trent Thorpe 3; Ryan Ghosh 3; Carter McMaster 2.
TIGERS 51 GRYPHONS 41
Nolan Crawford pumped in 17 points to pace the Ridley Tigers past the Greater Fort Erie Gryphons in an opening round game played at Governor Simcoe.
Also scoring for Ridley: Afam Akaraiwe 13; Sisan Tuedor 11; Alula 4; A.J. Adeyemi 3; Jayden Kidd 3.
Scoring for Greater Fort Erie were: Austin Ladouceur 18; Micah Stewart 8; Donovan Morgan 5; Novontay Brown 4; Ethan Vanatter 2; Avery Parker 2; Keegan Mitchell 1; Joseph Paonessa 1.
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