Junior Raiders NOSSA Champs

The Chippewa Raiders junior boys basketball team travelled to Espanola this past weekend to compete for the NOSSA 'AA' championship. Playing against teams from Sudbury, Sault Ste. Marie, and the North Shore, the Raiders went undefeated in three straight games to capture the NOSSA crown.

On Friday, Chippewa defeated the Sault's Sir James Dunn Eagles 53-47. Trailing 39-33 after three quarters, the Raiders rallied behind Brendan Lafontaine's 13 fourth-quarter points to down the Eagles. Lafontaine led all scorers with 23 points, while Shawn Humphrey chipped in 19 for the Raiders.

In Saturday's semi-final, Chippewa faced the host Espanola High Spartans. The Raiders came out firing, taking a 33-14 lead at the half en route to a 53-35 victory. Humphrey had 24 points to lead the Raiders, while Lafontaine added 14.

Saturday night's NOSSA final was a rematch against Sir James Dunn, who had defeated Sudbury's College Notre Dame in the other semi-final. Chippewa led 13-12 at the end of the first quarter, but early foul trouble forced Humphrey to the bench midway through the second. The Raiders rallied, however, outscoring the Eagles 14-9 in the quarter to take a 27-21 halftime lead.

Chippewa extended its lead to 10 in the third, thanks to three consectutive baskets from Matt Nolan and a couple of timely three-pointers from Humphrey. Kody Nesbitt's 8 points in the final quarter helped secure the 59-43 victory, making the Raiders the 2007-2008 NOSSA 'AA' Champions. Nesbitt, Nolan, and Lafontaine all scored 12 points in the final, while NDA junior MVP Shawn Humphrey once again led all scorers with 21.

Submitted to BayToday.ca