Six straight SOSSA A titles for Phoenix
The Saint Francis junior boys basketball team continues to dominate the local hardcourts.
A 64-25 victory over Hamilton District Christian this week at Saint Francis gave the program its sixth straight Southern Ontario Secondary Schools Association A championship.
The Phoenix, who ended the year with a overall record of 24-1, defeated Saint Paul in the Niagara Catholic Athletic Association final and also recorded victories at the Mike Sullivan, Notre Dame Blue and Gold and Resurrection (Kitchener) tournaments.
Richard Alderson is the head coach of the team with help from assistants Mike Lucas, Jack Riddell and Mark Mesiha.
“The junior program is so successful because we have high expectations every single year. Mike and I have been coaching together since 2008 and have built a positive, nurturing and demanding program,” Alderson said. “We practice extremely hard, every day, and demand excellence. We try to instil the love of the game by keeping things exciting and fun.”
It doesn’t hurt the junior program knowing what’s above it.
“We also have had a ton of success at the senior level so our players know and trust that what we are doing produces fantastic results.”
The two programs mesh nicely.
“Our program is successful because we have a common vision with our senior counterparts,” Alderson said. “We work together and try and do the best we can for all our players. Continuity in coaching is also huge for our program. We have been doing this for a long time.”
The program’s overall philosophy is simple.
“Work hard every day, honour your commitments to the team and develop a love and hunger for the game of basketball.”
The team starts tryouts at the end of October and it practises or plays five days a week when in season.
“We don’t do much in the off-season as we promote getting involved in all our other activities our school has to offer,” Alderson said.
Leading scorers for Saint Francis in the SOSSA final were Farouk Akasha 20, Eljiah Quissua 9, Austin Hinds 9, Carter Ethier 9, Trent Dobson 8, Nawaf Kigab 7 and Awab Ali 7.
The Phoenix advanced to the final with a 77-38 semifinal victory over Brefeuf. Leading scorers in the semifinal were Akasha 14, Quissua 12, Ali 12, Kigab 8 and Adriaan Alderson 8.
Other members of the championship team were Aidan King-Conway, Marley Smith, Mike Arewa, Josh Othman, Sadiekie Hayden, Sam Riddell and Lucas Mason.
Top scorers for Zone 3 champion Brebeuf in the semifinal were Enzo Aka 14, Ronan Stark 8, Jayden Brisebois 6, Braven Williams 4 and Taiten Stifter 4.
