Caledon Cougars novice boys bring home the gold

The Caledon Cougars were tops recently. Shown are coach Ted Dance, Luke Vesz, Jordan Keane, Richard Doyle, Harrison Dance, Andrew White, Kevin Tayles, Sulaiman Mahmood, Coach Alex Trkulja, (front) Riley Boadway, Alex Trkulja, Matthew O'Brien, Alex French, Bruce Hynd. Missing were manager Frank D'Urzo and Matthew D'Urzo.

It was a very exciting and successful weekend as the Caledon Cougars novice boys played in the Blessed Sacrament Basketball Tournament held March 3-4 in Hamilton.

On Saturday, the Cougars played three games starting with the game against St. Thomas Shock. The game was won by a sizeable margin with the final score of 35-2.

The Cougars continued strong as they played their second game winning with a final score of 29-6 over the Cambridge Centaurs.

The third game against Port Colborne was just as powerful as they won the game with a score of 40-14 with Jordan Keane scoring 22 points.

The Cougars then advanced to the semifinal round on Sunday.

The Cougars continued their strong showing as they played Guelph Phoenix on Sunday morning winning the game 36-18 with Matthew O'Brien demonstrating amazing offense skills. The boys headed for the gold medal game on Sunday afternoon.

The Cougars faced Niagara Falls Red Raiders in a very competitive game which kept the crowd on the edge of their seats. At the half, the Cougars were in the lead by just three points. Outstanding defence skills were demonstrated by Sulaiman Mahmood, Alex Trkulja, Luke Vesz and Harrison Dance. The score was tied with just over a minute left in the seventh shift. Shots were taken by Kevin Tayles, Alex French and Matthew O'Brien. Good passing continued throughout the entire game by Riley Boadway, Richard Doyle, Andrew White and Bruce Hynd.

The fans held their collective breath as the Cougars headed into the final shift with a one-point difference. Jordan Keane added two points to make the score 17- 16 for the Cougars. With just 34 seconds left, Jordan scores one more point with a shooting foul to win the game 18-16 and bring home the gold.

The team will now move on with two more exhibition games and then to close the season at the Provincial Championships in Scarborough March 30- April 1.

The Caledon Cougars novice boys' rep team and coaches would like to extend their appreciation to the team sponsors, Bel Air Lumber and Keanes Cartage and to all the parents for their continued support.