Phoenix shooting for 11th Standard championship
The Saint Francis Phoenix rebounded from a sluggish start to defeat the Eden Flyers 68-41 in a championship round semifinal game at the 61st Standard High School Basketball Tournament Thursday night at Ridley College.
The top-seeded Phoenix now take on the No. 2 seed Governor Simcoe Redcoats in the championship final Friday at 7:30 p.m. at the St. Catharines Collegiate.
Phoenix player of the game Elijah Quissua netted six of his 11 in the second half as the Phoenix pulled away from the third-seeded Flyers with a strong third quarter.
“It feels absolutely great,” said Quissua, a 17-year-old, Grade 12 student. “In the first half, we had our worst offensive outing I think in a long time but we banded together as a team and I couldn’t have done it without my guys.”
Eight players hit the scoresheet for the Phoenix, which Quissua said was crucial to their victory.
“Honestly, it’s the team,” he said. “I don’t do it if I don’t have Nawaf (Kigab), Jack (Ciocca), Austin (Hinds), my guys.”
Quissua is a high energy point guard who distributes well and can also score when needed.
“Just be myself and bring the energy for my team,” Quissua said when asked about his role. “That’s what I continue to do and honestly just be a point guard, just a leader.”
Saint Francis coach Rich Alderson was thrilled with the effort put forth by his charges.
“We did a good job on Kai (Shatz),” Alderson said. “We were trying to send some pressure every time he tried to touch the ball and just tried to get up and down the court quick.”
Indeed, the Phoenix did a superb job of pressing the Flyers who had difficulty matching their athleticism.
“It takes good kids, kids that are gonna lay it on the line every night and put in the hard work in practice and they do,” Alderson said. “I call them dogs. They grind, grind, grind and work. That’s my philosophy, it’s my style, and they’re making it happen.”
The Phoenix now have an opportunity to capture their 11th Standard title. The last time the Saint Francis met Simcoe for the championship was in the early 2010s when the Phoenix prevailed by three points.
“We take pride in the Standard,” Alderson said. “We do love winning that one. We have a chance tomorrow to be recognized as one of the top schools, so that’s a goal, but throughout the tournament and throughout our season we really focus on us.
“We know what we have. We know what we can do. So it is another game and we play our game — we run, take care of the ball, and play for one another. I think that’s what our main focus is, but the Standard is always a nice one to post in our gym.”
Alderson is not taking the Redcoats lightly.
“They have Noah (Budgell) and Ari (Steenhuis) and they’re athletic as heck. Noah shoots the ball very well and Ari can get to the hole. We’re going to have our hands full.”
Flyers coach Jonathon Thorpe was proud of his club’s effort.
“There was no quit in them at all,” he said. “Our defensive intensity was fantastic and I think holding them to 25 in the first half is proof as to how solid we played.”
Shatz finished with 25 points despite being the centre of attention for the Phoenix as well as being visibly exhausted. The big centre could also be seen limping between plays and immediately removed his shoe following the game.
“Kai was incredible tonight,” Thorpe said. “He was a leader in every way possible. I can’t say enough of how much he has matured as a player and as a leader over the last three years that I have had the privilege of coaching him at Eden.”
STATS PACK
Phoenix 68 Flyers 41
Cat’s Caboose Players of the Game: Elijah Quissua of Saint Francis and Kai Schatz of Eden.
Saint Francis Phoenix: Jack Ciocca 17; Andrew Ens 11; Elijah Quissua 11; Awab Ali 11; Austin Hinds 9; Jalen French 4; Nawaf Kigab 2; Sadiekie Hayden 2.
Eden Flyers: Kai Schatz 25; Francesco Forte 8; Dominic Olesin 5; Josh Sanecki 2; Noah Whyte 1.
Up next: The Phoenix square off versus the Governor Simcoe Redcoats Friday at 7:30 p.m. at the St. Catharines Collegiate in the championship final. Admission is $5 for adults and $2 for students. Watch the game on Livestream at https://vimeo.com/event/4772870.
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