Patriots cruise to Review title
Led by an MVP performance from Grade 11 point guard Jerwyn Tutanes, the Saint Paul Patriots blasted the A.N. Myer Marauders 69-31 Friday night in the championship game of the 41st Annual Niagara Falls Review Basketball Tournament.
The 5-foot-7 guard averaged 20.7 points a game in the tournament and led all scorers with 31 points in the final.
“It’s a big honour to win the trophy,” the 16-year-old said of his MVP award. “I put so much hard work into my game and this is just a reward for all that hard work.”
That hard work starts early in the day for Tutanes.
“I’ve been going hard in the gym and every day I am at the school at 6 a.m. shooting up shots until class starts,” he said. “Then I work hard at practice too.”
Saint Paul head coach Jeff MacDonald was impressed by Tutanes’ performance.
“He had a fabulous game,” he said. “He couldn’t have done any better.”
MacDonald likes a lot of things about Tutanes’ game.
“His mental and physical toughness is supreme,” he said. “In Grade 11, he has those attributes and you can’t really teach it. It’s innate and he’s gotten better and better by working harder and harder.”
Myer head coach Paul Grummett was impressed with Tutanes and surprised he is only in Grade 11.
“He’s a very solid player,” he said. “I had no one who could step up and cover him. We couldn’t contain him and he has a good head on his shoulders. He is a good little point guard.”
Saint Paul had plenty of contributions from everyone to win the third Review tournament in the school’s history, the last coming in 2016. Grade 10 player John Graovac emphasized the balanced aspect of the Patriots by pouring in 31 points in the semifinals.
“Everyone believes in each other and we know we can get the job done,” Tutanes said. “We work hard and we play defence.”
Tutanes feels the most important ingredient is belief in each other.
“It’s very important for us because if we don’t believe in each other, who is going to believe?”
Myer edged Saint Paul in pre-season play, but it was a far different story Friday night.
“Back then, we just weren’t ready and prepared,” Tutanes said. “As the season has progressed, we have worked really hard and gotten better.”
Saint Paul grabbed a big early lead Friday and never looked back, building quarter leads of 18-8, 34-15 and 56-26.
“We gave them opportunistic pressure,” MacDonald said. “We didn’t go at them full bore, we picked our points to attack them and we played well.
“We were very happy. I guess when you win by 38, that’s a great win.”
Grummett agreed Saint Paul’s quick start doomed the Marauders.
“Kudos to the coaches, Frank (Cappretta) and Flex (MacDonald),” he said. “They did a good job. Their guys came in prepared and we were flat. That’s what happens when you don’t practice for two weeks.”
The game was a reversal of the pre-season win by Myer. In that game, it was the Marauders who got off to the quick start.
“It was payback,” Grummett said. “They got the jump on us this time. It was ugly basketball and I don’t like ugly basketball.
“I tried different looks and combinations, but we were flat.”
Named to the tournament all-star team were: Saint Paul’s Will Schmahl and Graovaz; A.N. Myer’s Cormac McMahon; Centennial’s Reese Radobenko; and, Niagara Christian’s Rock Benjamins.
Schmahl averaged 13.3 points a game in the tournament, including 14 points in the final. Graovaz averaged 17.7 points a game in the tournament, including 11 in the final. McMahon averaged 17.7 points a game in the tournament, including 24 in the semifinals and nine in the final. Radobenko averaged 25.7 points a game in the tournament including 23 in the semifinals and 34 in the third-place game. Benjamins averaged 11.3 points a game in the tournament, including seven in the consolation final.
STATS PACK
Patriots 69 Marauders 32
Niagara River Lions Players of the Game: Saint Paul’s Will Schmahl and A.N. Myer’s Christian Kuriata.
For the Saint Paul Patriots: Jerwyn Tutanes 31; Schmahl 14; John Graovaz 11; Sandro Guarasci 3; Justin Crisiti 2; Dylan Paolone 2; Jarrel Pappin 2; Houssein Alayan 2; Nick Cristelli 2.
For the A.N. Myer Marauders: Nick Murdaca 12; Cormac McMahon 9; Adam Lamb 5; Jorge Rodriquez 2; Kuriata 3; Matt Garrett 1.
