Saints capture NRHSAA Zone 4 AA hoops title
There’s no underestimating the importance of 12B forward Clayton Thomas-Harris to the fortunes of the St. Catharines Collegiate Saints senior boys basketball team.
The 18-year-old finished with a game-high 23 points Thursday to lead the Saints to a dramatic 68-65 victory over the host Thorold Golden Eagles in the Niagara Region High School Athletic Association Zone 4 AA final.
The 6-foot-2 player was at his best in the later stages of the game to preserve the victory for the Saints. Thomas-Harris hit a three-pointer to give his team a 64-61 lead and hit another three-pointer to put Collegiate ahead 67-64. He then grabbed a key defensive rebound with 21.9 seconds left in the game and then another defensive rebound with 7.2 seconds left after the Saints threw the ball away on an in-bounds play.
“Clayton is our player who is always there,” Collegiate co-coach Allison Mauro said. “He does everything we ask of him and he brings an energy that is sometimes lacking on our team.”
She also described him as the voice of reason.
“When our tensions get high and people get going at each other, he is the one who tells them to calm down and that they need to play together,” Mauro said. “And he does all the nitty gritty plays. He is the one making the steals, grabbing the rebounds and diving on the floor.”
It was all worth it for Thomas-Harris Thursday.
“It’s an amazing feeling because back in Grade 9, my first year in high school, we made zone championships and went to SOSSA (Southern Ontario Secondary Schools Association championships),” he said. “To get that same feeling four years later, is an incredible feeling.
“I am proud of our team because we have a big heart and we play together.”
The Saints celebrated Thursday’s victory like they had won an NBA championship.
“That win felt really good,” said Mauro, who coaches the team along with Adria Campbell. “Our goal all season was to get to the finals with Thorold.
“They are a great team, well-coached and well-disciplined, but I just think our guys had unbelievable energy today.”
That energy produced a monumental result.
“They were able to do something Collegiate basketball hadn’t done in a super long time and we did it with a great group of guys,” she said.
Mauro pointed to a few specific characteristics that made this version of the Saints succeed.
“I just think we had so much heart, they all get along, they all cared and basketball is literally all of their lives” she said. “We had a ton of kids buy in, believe in what we were doing and play hard.”
But it isn’t always smooth sailing for the Saints.
“We like to fall apart very easily, but the way we stick together and play as a team, that was what made us win today and have a good season,” Thomas-Harris said.
He agrees coaching has been a big part of the Saints’ success this season.
“They have done so much,” he said. “They showed us discipline and taught us a lot.”
The Saints now go from getting a basketball cavity filled against Thorold to having a root canal against the St. Francis Phoenix in the overall Zone 4 final Friday at 3:30 p.m. at Collegiate.
“If we play like we did today, show all of our heart and play like it’s our last game, it will be a good game,” Mauro said.
Thomas-Harris echoes this sentiment.
“We have to play as strong as we did today — even stronger —and connect and keep our heads together.”
The Golden Eagles, who finished the regular season with a perfect 6-0 record in league play, trailed 18-13 after one quarter, 30-26 at the half and 49-42 after three quarters before grabbing a brief 58-55 lead midway through the final quarters. They had plenty of chances to win the game or force overtime, but didn’t execute.
“We had our chances and we talked all season long about pressure, knowing what to do and staying focused, and once again we panicked and the guys tried to be individual and do their own thing,” Thorold head coach John Kwiatkowski said. “They are seeing that we can’t do it by ourselves. It’s frustrating, but they are a great bunch.”
He credited Collegiate with the victory.
“They are a well-coached team.”
Kwiatkowski is excited about the future of Thorold hoops.
“We have eight players coming back and 10 club players coming up.”
STATS PACK
Saints 68 Golden Eagles 65
Mick and Angelo’s/Johnny Rocco’s Player of the Game: Collegiate’s Clayton Thomas-Harris with 23 points.
For the St. Catharines Collegiate Saints: Thomas-Harris 23; Tykree Llewellyn 22; Jerrell Plumadore 10; Ethan Taylor 6; Joseph Waterman 5; Sheldon Brown 2.
For the Thorold Golden Eagles: Colton Spencer 22; Devon Maltby 17; Elijah Patcheson 12; Jack Yarnell 7; Braydon Harrietha 7.
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