Irish punch ticket to Tribune finals
Kurt Augustin was all world for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish Friday night.
The 16-year-old, Grade 11 student was a force at both ends off the floor helping the Irish to an exciting 68-57 triumph over the A.N. Myer Marauders in a championship round semifinal game before an exuberant crowd at ND at the 68th Annual Welland Tribune Basketball Tournament.
Augustin not only poured in 21 points, but was also a monster on the boards as the Irish took charge of a tight game in the fourth quarter.
“I started off slow, I was in my head a little bit at the start of the game, but I got back to it in the second half,” Augustin said. “It felt amazing.”
Augustin said he loved being in the centre of the intensity.
“I love the competition, I love when the energy is packed,” he said. “It really hypes me and it just gets me going.”
Augustin also enjoys crashing and banging on the boards.
“I just kind of get up there and get the rebounds from my team, pass it out to the shooters,” he said.
Notre Dame coach Andrew Lucchetta is a big fan of Augustin.
“He’s a bull and he plays so hard. Doesn’t matter where you put him. Obviously we love him inside because that’s where he gets the rebounds and he just finds a way to the net and he scores those crucial points,” Lucchetta said. “He had an off game yesterday but he came out today with a vengeance and he wanted to prove to the coaches and to himself that he’s the guy and showed it for the whole game.”
The Irish also benefitted from a strong effort from forward Trent Groulx, who tied with Augustin for the team lead in points with 21.
“We didn’t have him the other day because he was injured. He came back from a quad injury and to be honest with you, he told me yesterday he had a brutal game against Denis Morris,” Lucchetta said. “We talked today at lunch. I told him to forget about yesterday. You are our guy. You need to play the way we need you to play. And he showed up today.”
The Irish trailed 48-46 heading into the fourth but buckled down on defence, which Lucchetta said was the difference.
“We shut them down and caused chaos. We created turnovers, we created scoring opportunities off of team defence,” he said. “We don’t play defence, we’re not going to win because that defence that the guys showed today, it led to offensive scoring chances, and that made the difference.”
The Irish now take on Saint Paul in the championship final Saturday at 7 p.m. looking for their first Tribune title since 2019.
“We’ve played St. Paul twice. We’ve split those matches, one in exhibition, one in tournament play,” Lucchetta said. “They’re a very tough team. I think we match up well, but again, it’s going to be a close one for sure.”
Myer coach Herdy Christian lamented his team’s poor fourth quarter.
“Just lack of hustle and not wanting it more than they did,” Christian said. “We learned we have to make sure that we’re in the right shape and condition to complete a full game. As you can see, we sort of ran out of gas at the end and that hurt us.”
STATS PACK
Irish 68 Marauders 57
Policella Homes Players of the Game: Notre Dame’s Kurt Augustin and Myer’s Jonas Kpanabom.
Notre Dame Fighting Irish: Kurt Augustin 21; Trent Groulx 21; Aidan Lucchetta 15; Will Benko 9; Sean Paul Imosikeme 2.
A.N. Myer Marauders: Isaiah Cosaro-Oteng 16; Cole Taylor 11; Jonas Kpanabom 8; Jonas Kpanabom 8; Ryker Cain 6; Noah Walters 2; Caleb Elysee 2.
Up next: Notre Dame battles Saint Paul in the championship final Saturday at 7 p.m. at Notre Dame.
Tournament admission: Cash-only admission for the games on Friday and Saturday is $5 for adults and $3 for students.
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