Spartans punch ticket to SOSSA
Dylan Klassen did his best to ensure history did not repeat itself.
The 18-year-old, Grade 12B guard poured in a game-high 25 points as the Westlane Spartans held off the Stamford Hornets 62-53 to capture the Niagara Regional High School Athletic Association Zone 4 senior boys AA basketball championship before a packed gym at Westlane.
“Last year we were up 20 points in the first quarter (to E.L. Crossley) and we blew it and I was not letting that happen again,” Klassen said.
The Spartans now advance to the Southern Ontario Secondary Schools Association (SOSSA) playdowns in Hamilton Thursday.
“It means a lot, especially because we haven’t won in a while, so I really wanted to win something for the school,” Klassen said.
The Spartans last won a zone title in 2012 and Klassen is eager to get to SOSSA.
“Yeah, it’ll be my first time ever there so I can’t wait for it,” he said.
Klassen, who plays at the club level for the Pelham Panthers, was on the bench for the final three minutes of the game after injuring his leg while falling hard driving to the net.
“It was very, very hard. It was a close game with three minutes left and I just wanted to be on the court, make sure we had the best possible chance of winning,” Klassen said. “It was hard to sit out.”
Klassen said keeping calm during such a tight, physical game was paramount.
“I went to a lot of camps that teach us how to control our emotions when the calls are bad,” he said. “The hardest part is actually just my teammates and making sure they’re calm because it’s better with them on the court than off the court.”
Westlane head coach Jeff Klassen, Dylan’s father, tipped his cap to his son for a gutsy effort.
“He came out on fire tonight. He had two four-point plays,” Jeff Klassen said. “He really did a good job for us tonight. He wanted to come back in, but his knee was hurt pretty bad and I figured maybe we can hold on to the 12-point lead for three minutes.”
Jeff Klassen said he knew the Hornets would give the Spartans all they could handle.
“They played us really tough. We played them last week and it was a one-point game,” he said. “We won right at the end so the thought process was clog up the gaps because they drive a lot, they don’t shoot a lot. They had 16 or 18 second-chance points the first time we played. They didn’t get near that tonight.”
The Spartans will take on host Sir Allan MacNabb at SOSSA Thursday.
“I don’t know this team, but I know they beat Saltfleet, who’s their AAA in Hamilton. They’re putting up 80, 90 points a game. I think we’re going to be in a tough, but we haven’t been out of out our zone for a long time so it’s good for the kids.”
Stamford coach Keveshan Padachey had no issues with his club’s effort level.
“We kind of came out a little bit flat in the beginning and let them have some opportunities in the three-point line that we didn’t capitalize on,” he said. “But the one thing that I know about my Stanford guys is that they don’t give up. These guys worked hard all year. They gave me everything they could and I appreciate them for that.”
STATS PACK
Spartans 62 Hornets 53
Cat’s Caboose Player of the Game: Westlane’s Dylan Klassen with 25 points.
Westlane Spartans: Dylan Klassen 25; Ashton Gidney 12; Noah Del Mundo 10; O’Shane Hall 9.
Stamford Hornets: Eli Stefanic 14; Tayshawn Johnson 11; Caleb Putzman 9.
Up next: The Spartans advance to the SOSSA AA playdowns Thursday in Hamilton.
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