Graovaz powers Patriots to Review crown
Tournament MVP John Graovaz (15) drives to the basket in the final of the 42nd Annual Niagara Falls Review High School Boys Basketball Tournament.
Saint Paul’s John Graovaz was enjoying the moment Friday after he was named the MVP of the 42nd Annual Niagara Falls Review High School Boys Basketball Tournament.
The 6-foot-5 forward netted 18 points to help the Patriots record a 70-47 victory over the Greater Fort Erie Gryphons.
“It feels really good. I am young so it is all good,” the 16-year-old said.
Saint Paul head coach Frank Capretta feels Graovaz is a work in progress.
“He is progressing,” he said. “He has a lot of tools and we, at times, have gotten after him because sometimes he gets away with things because of his size and the tools that he has.
“When he focuses and puts his mind into the game, you saw some of the things he could do. There are things he can do that other people can’t do strictly because of his size and his athleticism. And he can shoot the ball”
The Grade 11 student knows exactly what Capretta is referring to when discussing him.
“He is talking about my lack of effort on defence because sometimes I just walk,” he said. “He pushes me extra hard.”
Graovaz likes his coaches getting on his case.
“It means people care about me and it makes me better.”
He wants to get improve in all facets of the game.
“I want to work harder on defence and be a better defender.”
Having two years of senior ball under his belt has been a big help.
“I am more used to the fast pace because last year I wasn’t prepared for the speed,” he said. “But it was good practice for this year.”
Named to the tournament all-star team were Jerywn Tutanes and Jacob McLeod from Saint Paul and Zack Tyrell, Kyle Barrett and Austin Ladouceur from Greater Fort Erie.
Fort Erie ended losing by 23 points but the game seemed a lot tighter than the final score suggested.
“It felt closer than that and we played them tough,” Fort Erie head coach Dave Adamek said. “They are a great team, they are well coached and they have a couple of great players.
“Their point guard is fantastic, their No. 15, the MVP, is a great player inside and outside and they have a couple of other guys that hit shots and made life difficult for us.”
Adamek was also impressed with Saint Paul’s defence.
“They shut us down,” he said. “We like to shoot the ball a ton and that’s what we need to work on next week. We have to figure out how to get open and how to get threes against tight defences like that.”
Capretta complimented Greater Fort Erie on its play.
“It almost exactly the same game as we played them the last time,” he said. “The spread ended up more this time. We got out on them last time and they came back and we got out on them this time and they came back and that’s kind of the way basketball is.
“They’ve got some pretty good players and they made a run and hit some tough shots.”
Capretta likes what Friday’s final says about his squad.
“What we are starting to show is that we have multiple guys on our team that can hurt you at any one time,” he said. “We are not just a one-man team.”
Capretta is pleased with where his team is heading as the season heads towards crunch time.
“What we have asked these guys to do from the beginning they have done,” he said. “They have committed to the process and that can only help moving forward.”
STATS PACK
Patriots 70 Gryphons 47
Mick and Angelo’s/Johnny Rocco’s/Cracker Jacks Player of the Game: Saint Paul’s John Graovaz with 18 points and plenty of rebounds.
For the Saint Paul Patriots: Jerwyn Tutanes 22; Graovaz 18; Noah Jordan 15; Jacob McLeod 11; Devon Schiller-Cleveland 4.
For the Greater Fort Erie Gryphons: Zack Tyrell 14; Austin Ladouceur 13; Kyle Barrett 11; Avery Steinbach-Parker 5; Novontay Brown 2; Kyle Barrett 2.
Marauders 54 Mustangs 39
Nathan Lefebvre scored 12 and Kory Costantino netted 11 points Friday to help the A.N. Myer Marauders knock off the Saint Michael Mustangs 54-39 in the third-place game of the Review tournament.
Also scoring for the Marauders were Ben Tait (10), Jordan Hilliker (6), Jeffrey Day (5), Cole Joudrey (4), Jashon Carter (2), Noah Sharp (2) and Aaryan Siddiqui (2).
Scoring for the Mustangs were Ben Lockhart (11), Jomer Mateo (10), Saim Haseeb (5), Markes Mateo (5) Yan Svidler, Josh Duncombe (2) and Adrian Pasternake (2).
Spartans 70 Cougars 54
Jacob Firlotte netted 16 points Friday to lead the Westlane Spartans to a 70-54 victory over the Centennial Cougars in the fifth-place game of the Review tourney.
Also scoring for Westlane were Waleed Al-Basha (15), Enrico Gibson (13), Aaron Nguyen (11), Ethan Smith (9), Taylor Firlotte (6).
Scoring for the Cougars were Nick Yioldassis (13), Ryan Stark (10), Jadin Baldwin (9), Dalton Slack (7), Jackson McNeil (6), James Goodfellow (4), Kyle Clarkson (3) and Jackson Collin (2).
