Mustangs take care of Lynx
Luka Dermott stole the show for the Saint Michael Mustangs Wednesday.
The 17-year-old, Grade 12 student poured in a game high 24 points to lead the Mustangs past the Saint Jean-de-Brebeuf Lynx 88-57 at Brebeuf in one of eight opening round games at the 67th Annual Welland Tribune Basketball Tournament.
“It’s good, it’s the best feeling, honestly,” Dermott said when asked about his performance. “It’s great for me to have success myself but it’s more important for our team to succeed.”
St. Mike’s coach Keith Bomberry couldn’t say enough about what Dermott brings to the Mustangs.
“He’s a one through five guy. We can play him anywhere on the court,” Bomberry said. “He’s got exceptional skills to get the basket, spot up and shoot, a great post player. He’s confident when he’s bringing the ball up too running the offence and he can flow within the offence.
“He’s also a leader. He’s always in there encouraging guys to move the ball, get the extra touch.”
Dermott, who plays at the club level for the Niagara Red Raiders, enjoys being versatile.
“I’m more of an all-around player. I need to do whatever my teammates need me to do. I just hope for my team’s success the most,” he said.
Dermott, who also plays on the school’s football, badminton, soccer and baseball teams, is eager to see how the Mustangs fare this week.
“It’s something we looked forward to all year. We’re all very excited and all think we have a chance at making the finals.”
Bomberry was generally pleased with his club’s effort.
“We just wanted to play our game, be efficient, play good defence,” he said. “We didn’t want our guys playing maybe down to a team we didn’t know anything about. We were hitting some great shots. Nick Karagiannis, our point guard, ran our sets perfectly. Great execution.
“We definitely played well in the first half. I must say we did a great job offensively but defensively they were able to get to the basket, they definitely out-rebounded us in the first half and that’s definitely things we have to clean up for tomorrow’s matchup.”
Lynx coach Eric Labonte was well aware his team was at a huge disadvantage against the AAA Mustangs.
“I told the kids it’s a bracket and the top seeds usually play the lower seeds,” he said. “I figured we were maybe about 12.
“You have to take out the positive things out of the game. It gave us a chance to see a higher calibre, which I adore with this tournament. It just makes you better.”
The Lynx, who are hosting the Ontario Federation of School Athletic Association (OFSAA) A championships this year, now turn their attention to the consolation bracket.
STATS PACK
Mustangs 88 Lynx 57
Mountainview Building Group Players of the Game: Luka Dermott of Mustangs and Daniel Charest of the Lynx.
Saint Michael Mustangs: Luka Dermott 24; Nicholas Karagiannis 19; Hagen Genearo 12; Brandon Bell 9; Arwin Chima 8; Jakob Jacks 6; Max Marinas 4. Six points unaccounted for on game sheet.
Saint Jean-de-Brebeuf: Daniel Charest 21; Taiten Stifter 8; Nicholas Roberge 6; Enzo Aka 5; Stephane Tambekou 5; Braven Williams 3; Brydon Tshowa-M’baya 3; Mitchell Morden 2; Ewandje Mpondo 2; Ronan Stark 2.
Dear reader. If you liked this story or one of the 5,600 other stories found on our website, please consider hitting the Support Us button on the right-hand side of our home page and making a PayPal contribution to our website. Your support would be much appreciated. If you are a business owner, please consider advertising on our site. Our rates are reasonable and we provide plenty of exposure for your business. Contact bpotrecz@outlook.com for more information.
