SWOSSAA ‘AAA’ Senior Boys
Basketball Final
March 3, 2009
photos and highlights
by Kyle MacKinnon
The St,
Clair Colts managed to keep it close
against the Windsor Herman Green
Griffins in the SWOSSA senior boys
basketball final but it wasn't
enough as the Griffins hit key shots
down the stretch to win 72-63.
" (The other coaches and I) asked
after the game what we could have
done differently and we said,
'nothing,'" Colts coach Peter Kaija
said after the game.
"We executed our game plan and keyed
on their three top players. We
didn't expect their other guys to
hit the shots they did. And them
going 95 per cent from the free
throw line didn't help."
Again the Colts were led by fifth
year players Jim Purves (13 points),
Joel Clarke (14) and Karel Van
Klaveren (17).
The Griffins were led by Matt Barker
with 17 points.
The Colts actually led after the
first quarter 14-13. But trailed by
two at the half 33-31.
Both teams came out flying in the
third quarter running the floor and
attacking the basket.
The Colts even took the lead with
2:36 left in the quarter 46-45.
But the Griffins drained a three
points just seconds later and never
relinquished the lead.
Herman (from Windsor) out scored the
Colts 20-18.
In the
fourth the Colts began to close the
gap but they couldn't get over the
hump.
The Griffins will now move on to
compete for the Ontario
championship.
"We
probably aren't going to be here (in
the SWOSSA finals) for a long time,"
Kaija said.
"By no means are we disappointed we
got this far."
The fact that the Colts lose Purves,
Clarke, Van Klaveren as well as
Nathan Page and Stephen Nickels
doesn't help with the loss to
Herman.
The Colts coach said that each
senior played a different role on
the team but their talent and
leadership was what led their team
to the SWOSSA finals.
In the junior boys SWOSSA finals the
St. Christopher's Cyclones lost the
the Kennedy Clippers (score not
available at time of posting).
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