Phoenix hold off scrappy Patriots
Anthony Heyes was a man on a mission Friday.
The 18-year-old, Grade 12 student poured in 28 points to pace the St. Francis Phoenix past the Saint Paul Patriots 68-54 to capture the Niagara Catholic Athletic Association senior boys AA basketball championship held at St. Francis.
The Phoenix advance to the Southern Ontario Secondary Schools Association (SOSSA) AA playdowns Monday on their home court.
St. Francis will play E.L. Crossley in one semifinal followed by Sir Winston Churchill versus MacNab from Hamilton. The winners meet in the final for the right to advance to the Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations (OFSAA) championship.
Heyes was a model of consistency, netting 15 in the first half and 13 more in the second half.
“It feels great,” Heyes said. “We still have some work to do but hopefully we can keep it going.”
St. Francis coach Jon Marcheterre said it was no surprise Heyes came through in the clutch.
“That’s what he’s be doing for us all year — providing stability, leadership and the offensive punch that we need,” Marcheterre said. “The guy can score. He’s tough and physical. He can score at the rim and beyond the arc.”
The Phoenix hit nine three-pointers, six by Heyes.
“It’s a security blanket. Not just Anthony, but we shoot the ball well,” Marcheterre said. “Top to bottom, it’s one of the better shooting teams I’ve had where everybody, more or less, is a shooter or has the ability to shoot.”
The Patriots gave the Phoenix all they could handle in an intense, physical, foul-filled game.
“Other times we played them it wasn’t as chippy and physical. They definitely came with a lot of energy,” Heyes said. “Coaches always say they’ll always look for the retaliation so stay positive and look for next play.”
Heyes tipped his cap to the Patriots.
“I’d say their defence is really good,” he said. “They made us turn the ball over a lot and they were causing a lot of pressure we weren’t ready for.”
Marcheterre, too, praised Saint Paul for their gumption.
“They’ve got that size and they played with a little bit of a chip the other two times we played them this year,” he said. “They were a team that came here genuinely believing they could win and compete. I give them credit for that. The coaches have worked really hard. We’ve played them at different stages of the year and they’ve definitely gotten better every time and closed the gap a little bit each time.
“We anticipated they would be coming with a little more noise that usual.”
Marcheterre said the Phoenix’ experience dealing with physical teams came in handy.
“We’ve been dealing with physical teams with size all year long in tournaments and they’re a lot tougher games than we would get normally so we’ve been preparing for that stuff. We had to make some adjustments, but ultimately, it’s just stick to what we do.”
The Phoenix are now looking forward to SOSSA.
“We just have to come with energy, stay locked in on defence and stay connected. When we play as one, I think we definitely have a chance,” Heyes said.
“I don’t want to disparage any other level, but I have to think AA SOSSA is going to be one of the most hotly contested regional championship in the province,” Marcheterre added. “All four teams have earned their way there.
“It’s going to be a great day of basketball.”
Saint Paul coach Michael Doodeman was proud of his charges.
“We wanted to work harder (than St. Francis),” he said. “We have a really good junior team coming up so next year’s looking good.”
STATS PACK
Phoenix 68 Patriots 54
Cat’s Caboose Player of the Game: St. Francis guard Anthony Heyes with 28 points.
St. Francis Phoenix: Heyes 28; Matt Futino 9; Jack Ciocca 8; Josh Smith 7; Tommy Goodwin 6; Andrew Enns 4; Jakub Labanowicz 4.
Saint Paul Patriots: Dante DeBenedetti 17; Isaac Jordan 17; Mateo Canakis 8; Shomari Hill 6; Nick Graova 3; Elijah Pappin 2.
Up next: St. Francis will host SOSSA and will play E.L. Crossley in one semifinal Monday morning followed by Sir Winston Churchill versus MacNab from Hamilton. The winners meet in the final for the right to advance to the Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations (OFSAA) championship.
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