Crossley top seeds at Tribune tourney; Mountainview returns as title sponsor

Aiden Belding (left) is one of two seniors in the starting lineup for the E.L. Crossley senior boys basketball team. Crossley is the top seed in the 65th Annual Welland Tribune Basketball Tournament.

E.L. Crossley’s Aiden Belding has been eagerly anticipating the start of this week’s 65th Annual Welland Tribune Basketball Tournament.

“It’s the biggest competition in the Niagara region and it’s all the big names for high schools competing. It is the most important tournament, in my opinion,” the Grade 12 student said Tuesday.

He is most looking forward to playing Notre Dame in the event. In the 2019 tourney, the Fighting Irish recorded a 73-67 overtime victory in the championship semifinals. Notre Dame would go on to win the tournament.

That defeat didn’t sit well with the 6-foot-2 forward.

“I thought we should have won that game and I thought we had them, but unfortunately we didn’t,” Belding said.

The Cyclone enter this year’s tournament’s as the top seeds.

“It is pretty amazing because I didn’t think we would be going in as the No. 1 seed,” he said. “Usually they have Notre Dame as No. 1 but this year I think that we will upset them.”

The 17-year-old and Jason Carter are the two seniors in Crossley’s starting lineup and Belding knows he’s needed to be a steadying influence and a leader.

“It is a new role for me and I didn’t really do any leadership last year or anything, but it’s nice showing the guys the ropes.”

Apart from leadership, his role on the floor is well defined.

“My main role is rebounding and just being a presence on the floor,” Belding said.

Crossley head coach Brian Bleich likes what he brings to the court.

“He and Jason Carter bring a lot of experience because they have played travel basketball in Pelham and they have played together,” he said. “Aiden can shoot the three, he also has size, he can shoot and handle the ball, and his basketball IQ is fairly high.

“When you put the whole package together, he is a complete player.”

Bleich is excited to have the top seeding in the tournament.

“It is our biggest tournament because it is the local tournament and over the years there has been a lot of camaraderie between Crossley, Notre Dame and Centennial,” he said. “It is something that Crossley looks forward to every year.”

He would love to meet up with Notre Dame in the final Saturday night.

“It would be great for local basketball in the southern part of the region.”

Bleich feels his team has improved since losing to St. Francis in early December in the Standard tournament.

“We have had an extra month to practice and things are coming together as a team,” he said. “The boys have had an opportunity to play more together. We had another tournament at Guelph and that helped us jell together better.”

For the first time in memory, Crossley will host Tribune tournament games. Greater Fort Erie will play Denis Morris at 9 a.m. Thursday followed by Crossley and Port Colborne at 10:30 a.m.

To celebrate that first, a press conference to launch the tournament was held Tuesday morning at Crossley.

“It’s a very exciting time with the tipoff of the 65th tournament,” co-chair Don Larman said. “It is going to be fantastic and where else would you rather be at this time of the year?”

Larman and his fellow committee members are passionate about the tournament.

“I love the camaraderie with the community, players, coaches and sponsors,” he said. “It is just a great fun time for four days and it is compressed into three days this year.”

Mountainview Homes was announced as the title sponsor of the tournament for the third straight year.

“They have renewed their agreement and they are on board with us for another three years,” Larman said. “Great things are happening.”

Mountainview Homes’ continued sponsorship is a big deal for the tournament not just because it allows the tournament to fund more scholarships for the participants.

“Their involvement helps us to continue to grow and provide a great tournament for the players, school and community,” Larman said.

Rick Podrebarac, CFO of Mountainview Homes, was on hand for the announcement.

“We like to give back to the communities, especially the communities we build in and do a lot of business in,” he said. “Right now, in particular, Welland and Pelham are two of our biggest sites.”

Podrebarac, who played in the tournament three years in the early 1970s as a member of the Eastdale Eagles and won a Tribune championship in 1970, said the tournament has a special place in his heart.

“I basically grew up with all the guys who are running it (co-chair John Witlib is his wife’s cousin), I know a lot of the referees and they are just a good bunch of guys who are doing a really good thing for the kids and the community.”

Because of the labour disruption at the District School Board of Niagara, Wednesday’s games have been moved to Thursday morning and Larman is confident things will run smoothly.

“We have done this before,” he said. “We have moved games over because of snow days and we have moved games over from Wednesday to Thursday morning and it has worked out quite well.”

The championship games will be played Saturday at Niagara College with the consolation final going at 5:30 p.m. and the championship game starting at 7 p.m.

“Michelle O’Keefe and the college have been very enthusiastic about hosting our tournament,” Larman said. “A huge thanks goes out to them for everything they have provided the tournament.”