Decathlete leads Cyclone past Redcoats
Samuel Jeffery has quit travel basketball to focus on training for the decathlon but that doesn’t mean he can’t find time to suit up for the E.L. Crossley Cyclone senior boys basketball team.
“I just love being with the guys,” the Grade 11 student said Thursday, after scoring 13 points to lead the Cyclone to a 61-43 victory over the visiting Governor Simcoe Redcoats in Niagara Region High School Athletic Association play. “I have always played with them and I just wanted to do it against this year, especially since we have been on and off for two years ”
The 16-year-old Fonthill resident has been stung by the pandemic like all his classmates.
“It was tough. Things went downhill for a bit and now that we are back it is much better.”
The Athletics Niagara member starting training for the decathlon two years ago and finds that basketball is excellent cross training.
“It’s great conditioning and it helps my jumping too with all the layups.”
Jeffery has a clear goal in mind for his athletic future.
“I am trying to go to the States and a (NCAA) Division 1 school so I thought track was my best shot.”
He has yet to compete in a decathlon but there is one coming up in April
“That is what I am working towards right now and I have a couple of other meets coming up.
Crossley head coach Brian Bleich is a big fan of Jeffery.
“He has really stepped up his game. He is probably the quickest kid on the team,” he said. “He’s intense, he plays hard every night and he gets the guys going. I am looking forward to having him back next year.”
Bleich has seen development from Jeffery this season.
“He’s a track and field guy so he’s quick. He used to beat everybody up and down the floor because he’s a great athlete,” he said. “But he has learned to control it, slow it down and pick his times when he can blow by guys. It is a team game for him and not just a track meet up and down the floor.”
Crossley improved to 7-1 with the victory with Bleich substituting five on and five off for the entire game.
“That is my intention,” he said. “With COVID stuff happening, my goal is to play everybody fairly throughout the season. We get a season, which is great and everybody gets to play. There is no OFSSA (Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations) or SOSSA (Southern Ontario Secondary Schools Association) and all these boys deserve to play a lot and not watch.”
Crossley has a talented and deep team that could have made some noise at the SOSSA and OFSAA level.
“I find it tough but I also would have found it tough with the way the season has been broken up. You have kids not in the gym, they are sitting at home and their minds are elsewhere. It is not the same as if we would have had a full season,” Bleich said. “Most of the guys are graduating and it’s about having fun. I want them to have a memorable year.”
Governor Simcoe fell to 3-3 in league play and it was the same old story in head coach John Ingribelli’s eyes.
“We played well but we get caught up in the moment. I have tried to teach these boys to walk away,” he said. “We played Eden yesterday and it was the same scenario. The calls were going against us and our guys don’t know how to adjust and take a step back. The more you argue, you are not going to win.”
Ingribelli felt his team played hard against the Cyclone but its offence was inconsistent.
“I am not taking anything away from Crossley. They’re a good team, well-coached and balanced but we get stagnant and have lulls,” he said. “It was a five-point game at the half and then we got stagnant the last two or three minutes of the third quarter and the next thing you know we are down by 12-15 points. When we play these tough games against good teams, they don’t understand that we need to be patient and run the offence.”
STATS PACK
Cyclone 61 Redcoats 43
Cat’s Caboose Player of the Game: Crossley’s Samuel Jeffery with 13 points and a strong game from the point guard position.
For the E.L. Crossley Cyclone: Jeffery 13; Riley Bleich 11; Luke Klassen 11; Noah Minor 10; Aakash Sentil 7; Alex Lafferty 5; Connor Bleich 2; Hunter Roszell 2.
For the Governor Simcoe Redcoats: Malcolm Perrin 17; Reza Changizian 15; Matteo Martin-Hendsbee 4; Kambri Watson 3; Maddox Harrison 2; Rahiem McLean 2.
