Fighting Irish fend off Cyclone in OT
David Jones wasn’t going to let a painful leg problem get in the way of coming through in the clutch for his team.
The 16-year-old, Grade 11 student netted 19 points, including a pair of clutch free throws to send the game into overtime, as the Notre Dame Fighting Irish edged the E.L. Crossley Cyclone 73-67 in overtime in a championship round semifinal game Friday at the 64th Annual Welland Tribune Basketball Tournament.
The Fighting Irish now take on the Governor Simcoe Redcoats Saturday at 7 p.m. at Notre Dame for the tournament championship.
“My calves were cramping up a lot but obviously I’m going to play through it in a game like this,” Jones smiled.
Jones hit a pair of dramatic free throws with seven seconds remaining to tie the game at 62-62.
“When I was shooting them my mind was blank. I wasn’t thinking of anything,” Jones said. “I was relaxed all game.”
Notre Dame coach Mark Gallagher marvelled at how calm and collected Jones was under the circumstances.
“He’s an unbelievable athlete and an unbelievable competitor,” Gallagher said. “He’s learning to be a point guard but he’s not afraid of the stage. The crowd noise and size doesn’t bother him whatsoever and he went to the foul line and hit those two shots.
“For a Grade 11 kid to show that kind of poise in that kind of environment is unbelievable.”
The Irish used the momentum from those shots in the extra four minutes where they quickly took the lead on a three-point play from Shammar Campbell.
“It felt so good. It was so exciting to do that for my team,” said Campbell, who finished with 16 points.
Campbell said he was able to step back from the tension and savour the moment.
“I enjoyed it a lot. It was so much fun,” he said. “Now all we have in our minds is win, win, win.”
The Irish have a shot at redemption after losing in the finals of last year’s tournament.
“This tournament is very important to everyone on the squad,” Jones said. “I’ve been thinking about this all year. After we lost last year, this is all I can think about. That’s the goal, to get the gold.”
Gallagher looked spent when it was all over.
“Someone congratulated me and I told them it was a much better game from the stands than it was from the sidelines,” he said. “It was very difficult to watch. We played well in stretches and then played poorly. We got up and got down and then got up again.
“It was a super-gutsy performance. It was one of those games where we played eight or nine guys and we don’t win if they don’t all do something for us.”
Crossley coach Aaron Belding, while disappointed in the outcome, had high praise for his charges.
“I went into the change room and told the guys, ‘Do not to hang your heads,’ ” he said. “This was a fantastic game of basketball and the new starting block.
“We have come together as a team, we are working hard as a team, and this is going to prepare us to go into the playoffs and into SOSSA (Southern Ontario Secondary School Association) and hopefully be competitive with St. Francis.”
The Fighting Irish will be looking for their 41st tournament title. The Redcoats have five championships to their credit.
Mountainview Homes Stars of the Game: Notre Dame’s David Jones with19 points and E.L. Crossley’s Josh Lahn with 26 points.
Notre Dame Fighting Irish: Jones 19; Shammar Campbell 16; Anthony Cimino 12; Andrew Zezella 12; Brandon Markowski 10; Nelson Collee 4.
E.L. Crossley Cyclone: Lahn 26; Jason Carter 12; Owen Dobbie 11; Aiden Belding 7; Durieal Bell 6; Carter Teal 3; Eli Taylor 2.
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