Wildcats claw away at Ottawa tourney

The Widdifield Wildcats senior boys basketball team followed up their championship victory at the Canadore College/Best Western Trojan Shootout by travelling to the nation's capital this weekend for three days of highly competitive ball at the Clint Dunning Memorial Tournament, hosted by the University of Ottawa. Several CIS coaches and scouts were in attendance throughout the event. On Friday, the Cats matched up against Sir Robert Borden, an undefeated Ottawa powerhouse and a tough draw. After spotting the home side a 10-0 start, the Wildcats clawed back to play them even the rest of the way, losing 55-46. Tyler Phillipson withstood a lot of punishment in the paint and played an outstanding game, scoring 20.

On Saturday, the Cats bounced back and beat Bayview Secondary out of Richmond Hill by a score of 52-45. Phillipson was a standout again, scoring 15. Brandon McBeath also had an outstanding game. Jordan Prud'homme came in off the bench and contributed intense defence and some clutch shooting. He had 9 points.

Sunday morning, the North Bay squad played St. Joseph's Secondary School out of Cornwall, in a hotly contested and highly entertaining tilt. St. Joe's was fresh off a narrow victory over the always strong Timmins High team. The lead see-sawed back and forth, until the game fittingly went into overtime, where the first team to score 7 points would prevail. Tieler Gravelle was the hero in OT. He hit a crucial three pointer from the right corner for the lead and then the winner on a strong move from the low post. Mike Costello played his usual solid game with 14 points in the 56-53 victory.

That win qualified the Wildcats for a high noon shootout with the Ridgemont Spartans, the number one ranked AA school in Ottawa. The consolation final was played at a blistering pace, before the Widdifield boys lost 73-64. Mike Costello and Brayden Burke each scored 20 in a losing cause.

The Wildcats are 7-0 in NDA play and 20-6 for the year. They return to league play this week for the last 3 games of the season, including two much anticipated bouts with the reigning NDA champions, West Ferris Trojans.

Submitted to BayToday.ca