The Bishop Macdonell Celtics have been crowned the 2016 OFSAA 'AA' basketball champions, after a hard fought and well earned 66-58 win on Wednesday night over the number one seeded Ashbury College from Ottawa.
The Celtics, from the city of Guelph, went a perfect 5-0 during the tournament hosted by Timmins High and Vocational School.
"Unreal. Absolutely unreal. It's new, it's fresh. Its processing in my head. Kind of speechless at the moment, honestly." said Celtics head coach Trevor Smith just a few minutes after the game.
Smith was unsure if the provincial title was the first in the school's history.
"It's quite an old school. We had like a 25 year drought before we won the league title. Church of Our Lady and Bishop Mac have been a staple of Guelph for a hundred years" he said.
On further review, the school has not been crowned Ontario champions according to OFSAA records, although the 'AA' champions list only dates back to 1968.
The Celtics, who entered the tournament as the number 2 seed, were led throughout by a dynamic duo of guards in Jake Chaput and Chris Poloniato.
Poloniato scored 25 points in the Gold Medal final, while Chaput added 15, including several clutch free throws in the dying minutes.
"The key all year long was our leadership and our heart. The inability to quit. They are fearless, they don't stop. It's the attitude, you can't teach it. They've had it all year long. We're never out of a game, they are fearless," said Smith about his team as whole.
He also shared his thoughts on Chaput and Poloniato.
"Nothing short of amazing, the effort they put up every game. It's a five game tournament and to have to play Ashbury at the end of five games, and for them to still play at the level they did, they're 'next level' material. They've been the heart and soul, along with a couple other leaders on this team. As coaches, you absolutely love players like that, they have such a motor. They don't stop. They've taught me so much about myself, about the game of basketball, and about desire. I owe them a huge debt of gratitude," said Coach Smith.
Poloniato was overwhelmed with the sense of accomplishment after the game.
"It's amazing. I almost cried when the final buzzer was going and everyone was celebrating. It was one of the greatest feelings I've had in my life."
He says his team came into the finals with a bit of a chip on their shoulders, after being taught a lesson by Ashbury earlier this season.
"We prepared really hard for them, because we played them, and they kicked our butts about a month ago or so. I think we kind of took them by surprise in this one, although they're a great team, that was probably the difference," said Poloniato.
Bishop Macdonell was able to control the ball for the bulk of the 4th quarter, forcing Ashbury to get into foul trouble. The Celtics were able to seal the win at the free throw line.
"You're doing it for your team, your family. You're not worried about proving the crowd wrong, or proving the other team's bench wrong. You do it for the guys on your bench and the other four guys out on the floor with you," said Poloniato, when asked about how to control nerves in the late stages of a game.
There were several university scouts in attendance, and many had their eyes looking in Chaput and Poloniato's direction.
Poloniato summarized his team's journey, including adapting his own game.
"It's all about teamwork. Throughout some games of the season, someone like me would try to do too much. I think I did a better job today of not trying to be the superstar, but trying to be a winner instead and giving the ball to my team more. It's probably something I should do more consistently if I want to be successful going forward," he said.
2016 OFSAA 'AA' Medalists:
GOLD - Bishop Macdonell Celtics - Guelph
Keith Bray, Jake Chaput, Logan Fisher, Evan Hosker, Greg MacEachern, Jack Olson, Chris Poloniato, Kurt Sialana, Noah Slater, Matteo Straddiotto, Lukas Wood
Coaching Staff: Trevor Smith, Andy Chaput, Jon Baker
SILVER - Ashbury College - Ottawa
Owen Boisvert, Adam Greenberg, Simon Hicks, Alex Hoerdt, Ryosuke Kato, Noah Kirkwood, Jesse Korte-King, Fred Lepage, Jack Macmillan, Connor McSweeney, Liam Niznick, Kyle Oppenheimer, Lloyd Pandi, Will Rugamba, Nic Tuli,
Coaching Staff: Ian MacKinnon, Eric Johannsen
BRONZE - John Paul II Jaguars - London
Vincent Carriere, Ammar Hassan, Athian Jongkor, Mondo Koko, Mason Middaugh, Adolphe Nyamuli, Jacob Oling, Ruach Padhal, Griffin Pelley, Jake Price
Coaching Staff: John Shoemaker, Rick Townend, Frank Sanfilipo, Justin Lay
