Ten School Performances That Were Tough To Beat

I know, a bit early and so you're asking - how can I put together a Top Ten list for the week?

Well, quite simple. With no games scheduled for Friday, and that's because teachers really don't want to coach the night before the start of a March Break. They're off on vacation or whatever. 

And for the people who are complaining why we have names on several times, why not? If athletes do well, and coaches like to keep us informed, it's shall we say academic. Here we go, heavy on basketball and because we don`t hear from volleyball and curling coaches with specific accomplishments of players. Some choices on the list are quite obvious.

Justin Bakuteka, Martingrove. Five provincial playoff games and five double-digit scoring performances  culminating in a gold medal at the Triple-A level in Kingston. He had 11 points in the first game, 20 in the next, 21 in the quarterfinal, 27 in the semifinal and 11 in the final - a two-point win over the top-ranked team from Loyola in Oakville.

Julian Clarke, Oakwood. No. 24 on his jersey but it's really the number five that people will remember. The sensational Barons guard put up five three-point baskets in the final few minutes to give Oakwood a 47-34 win over St. Thomas More of Hamilton in the Ontario Quad-A basketball gold medal game. Let's see, those 15 points were the difference,

Melissa Goodwin, Corpus Christi. The school struggled to get a hockey team last year. Now, they're Halton Region Tier Two champs and going to the provincial playoffs in Wingham. Goodwin scored twice in an 8-1 trouncing of St. Thomas Aquinas for the league bragging rights. A big part of the team success, which finished undefeated this year, the Longhorns had to forfeit four games because of a player's eligibility issue.

Thea Imbrogno, St. Basil. Yes, she's been here before and the two-time Toronto Star hockey all-star deserves it again. All she did was score three goals in a 7-0 pounding of Michael Power/St. Joseph in the Toronto District Colleges Athletic Association final. Off to the Ontario playoffs where the Barons hope to win a second provincial title.

Duane Notice, St. Michael's. Alright, well he did serve notice early in the year that he was someone to watch. In 16 games, he scored 25 or more points. Well, at the Ontario playoffs, he had 28 points in a nine-point quarterfinal loss to Mother Teresa. Another 19 in a round robin win over St. Marguerite d'Youville and 23 points in a loss to Beal. Good player, trust me. 

Kevin Pangos, Denison. This grade 11 kid is a good basketball player, but when people start comparing him to a young Steve Nash - please. Yes, he was the youngest player ever to dress for Canada's National Senior team. Same player who helped Canada win a bronze medal at the FIBA Americas under-17 playoffs last summer. He was very good at the Ontario playoffs, but no medals this year.

Adika Peter-McNeilly, Mother Teresa. He's a grade 11 guard on a team that won an Ontario silver medal last year in basketball and a bronze this year. Not bad at all. He scored 13 points in a 67-65 come-from-behind win over Vaughan of Thornhill to finish No. 3 in the province. He also had 26 points in a five-point semifinal loss to Oakwood. Yes, his team went undefeated in league play. That's 11-0.

Aaron Redpath, Richardson. Another basketball player. Give him a ball and room, and he`ll bury the three-pointers. At first glance, he looks average. Not so, the kid is electrifying. He had 25 points, many from outside the line, in a three-point nail-biter - a quarterfinal overtime loss to Oakwood. Toss in 24 in a three-point win over Campion and 22 in a victory over Nantyr Shores.

Filip Todorovic, Richview. His hockey team finished 8-2 in the Toronto league standings. And his name always seemed to appear on the scorers sheet. He had the only goal in a 6-1 quarterfinal loss to Birchmount Park. Funny things do happen in these strange playoffs. Birchmount was eliminated in the final, but Todorovic scored in a 3-0 qualifying win over Forest Hill to advance to the Single/Double-A provincial playoffs.

Kristos Tsilfidis, Humberside. They talked about him as an athlete even back at Runnymede Public School. Now, he's the kid who contributed in a solid game beating Birchmount Park 3-0 in the Toronto boys' hockey final. He also scored in the1-0 win over Mowat in the semifinal. Statistics show he was always scoring in league games too. He must be in good shape because he's a distance runner when not on skates.

Have a good March Break.

Comments

[Gordon]

They all deserve the recognition. Great list of athletes. As for the people who complain, you can't with this list.

[Lewin]

There has to be several times that I have read on this blog comments about coaches and I would get all alarmed. But after reading so much about basketball and hockey, I have to agree with pointing a finger at other coaches. Come on, there has to be one player who stands out on a volleyball team and curlers too. It's quite disappointing that coaches just don't get it.

[Whyte]

Richview gets beaten in the "Toronto" playoffs but then gets a chance to go to the "Ontario" playoffs by beating Forest Hill.
What a ridiculous format.
Why all the second chances.
Maybe the last place team should also get a second chance as well.

[Filip]

Richview is a AA school who lost in the AAAA loop. Figure it out bud

[Dan]

Amazing to see young athletes featured and mentioned!
Love this section! Go Richview Go!!!