Bad weather postpones Tribune semifinals to Saturday morning
Inclement weather has forced the postponement of Friday’s semifinals games at the 63rd Annual Welland Tribune Basketball Tournament.
Weather warnings were issued Friday morning and the decision to reschedule the games was made by the Tribune tournament committee at about 1:50 p.m.
“It is for the safety of the players, the spectators and everyone involved in the tournament,” tournament co-chair Don Larman said. “We have to keep their safety in mind.”
The last time the tournament had to reschedule games was about a decade ago when the first day of games were cancelled and teams had to play twice on the second day of the tournament.
According to the Weather Network, a “drastic Arctic front is slicing through mild air across southern Ontario, causing temperatures to free fall through Friday and standing water and slush to transform into ice: a flash freeze. Roads and surfaces will quickly become icy, creating hazardous driving and walking conditions. After the freeze, a winter storm south of the border will bring some heavy snowfall to parts of eastern Ontario and Niagara.”
The four games scheduled for Friday have been moved to Saturday morning. Saturday morning’s schedule includes: Jean Vanier vs. Greater Fort Erie at 10 a.m. in the Belcastro Gym in consolation play; Saint Michael vs. Eden at 11:30 a.m. in the Belcastro Gym in consolation play; Denis Morris vs. Centennial at 10 a.m. in Dillon Hall in championship play; and, Notre Dame vs. Governor Simcoe at 11:30 a.m. in Dillon Hall in championship play.
The times of the consolation and championship finals have also been changed. The consolation final will move to 6 p.m. from 5:30 p.m. and the championship final will move to 8 p.m. from 7:30 p.m.
It is a bit of a hardship for teams to play two games in one day but that is mitigated somewhat by the extra’s day rest they will receive.
“I think it will (mitigate) and we are just hoping all the teams can get there,” Larman said. “I understand there is the potential that some of the players might not be able to get there because of other obligations and we are still in the process of reaching out to those teams.”
There are similar issues with other aspects of the tournament.
“It’s officials — because there are other tournaments going on — and it’s scorekeepers and timers too,” Larman said.
On the championship side of the draw: Notre Dame advanced to the semifinals with wins over Westlane (72-32) and Thorold (80-48); Denis Morris moved on by defeating Port Colborne (71-26) and Sir Winston Churchill (63-58); Governor Simcoe qualified for the semifinals with triumphs over Holy Cross (67-38) and A.N. Myer (63-49); and, Centennial punched its ticket to the Trib Final Four with wins over Lakeshore Catholic (66-31) and E.L. Crossley (65-34).
On the consolation side: Saint Michael lost to A.N Myer 51-42 and then advanced to the consolation semifinals with a 50-26 victory over Holy Cross; Eden fell 55-34 to Thorold before moving on in the consolation with a 52-48 shading of Westlane; Jean Vanier opened with a 64-47 loss to Sir Winston Churchill before moving on with a 70-39 romp over Port Colborne; and, Fort Erie lost 55-54 to E.L. Crossley on the first day before advancing in consolation play with a 54-45 triumph over Lakeshore Catholic.
Heading into Saturday’s action, the tournament’s top 10 scorers are Churchill’s Asim Serri (51), Vanier’s Jacob Labonte (49), Simcoe’s Rahim Bardi (38), Notre Dame’s Braidon Moore (36); Denis Morris’ Noah Honsberger (35), Vanier’s Phil Angervil (34), Centennial’s Kennan Larmand (32), Myer’s Nick Murdaca (32), Simcoe’s Darren Johnston (30), Eden’s Ryan Gilbert (29), Notre Dame’s Rovenston Jean-Baptiste (28) and Thorold’s Jacob Stirtzinger (28).
