Junior Boys Basketball
Lancers lose junior
Tier 2 championship at the foul line
By Fred Sherwin
Orléans Online

Ken Zhen puts up a three point shot in Sir Wilfrid Laurier's 49-37 loss to the St. Patick's Irish in the NCSSAA junior boys Tier 2 basketball championship on Wednesday. Fred Sherwin/Photo

The Sir Wilfrid Laurier Lancers' have come up short in their quest for a perfect season after suffering a 44-39 loss to the St. Patrick's Irish in the NCSSAA junior boys Tier 2 basketball championship on Wednesday.

The Lancers had won nine in a row heading into the final, including a one point win over St. Pat's in the final game of the regular season, which was the Irish's only loss.

After putting together back-to-back blowouts over John McCrae and Ashbury in the quarter and semi-finals, the Lancers were ready to prove that their win over the Irish was no fluke. But the Irish were equally ready to make amends for the only blemish on their otherwise perfect season.

In the end it would come down to free throw shooting. Playing in their home gym, the Lancers fell behind early in the first quarter and trailed by four points at the half.

Sir Wil managed to make it a one point game heading into the fourth quarter thanks to Christian Davison who scored 10 of his game high 15 points in the third stanza.

A pair of free throws and a three point basket by Aaron Brown in the opening moments of the fourth quarter would give the Irish a six point cushion which they later extended to 14 points thanks to the Lancers inability to make their free throws when it counted most, especially on the open end of the one-on-one when they got into the bonus.

The Irish ended up cruising to a 48-37 win to claim the Tier 2 junior boys championship.

After the game, Lancers head coach Eric Kukkonen summed up his team's loss in one sentence.

"We didn't make our free throws when we needed to and they did," said Kukkonen.

(Posted 3 p.m., Feb.25)

Return to top

Return to Front Page