St.Patrick Irish (Ottawa)

2012-2013 NCSSAA ‘AAA-AAAA’ Championship and ‘AAA’ OFSAA Silver Medalist Season

The 2012-2013 Season began right away with the returning members of the previous season’s NCSSAA ‘AAA-AAAA’ Championship team that went 2-1 at ‘AAAA’ OFSAA anxious to get back to the province’s biggest stage, however a major piece from that team in Marial Shayok would not be returning, seeking exposure in the U.S. at Blair Academy in New Jersey. The returning team leaders led our annual September dryland training to record numbers of students participating. As the season approached the coaching staff implemented changes to accommodate for the team’s lack of height and strengths at the guard position by turning St. Pat’s usual uptempo pace into an all out race.

Tournament and Exhibition Play
The team got its first action on the road when they travelled to the Pinky Lewis Invitational in Hamilton held at McMaster University. The team took their lumps early as they learned to play without last season’s leading scorer and adjusting to a new style of play. Coming out of the tournament 1-2 the team did learn that depth would not be an issue as all travelling members contributed and most of the team saw starting action in one of the tournament games.

The team returned home the following week to play Holy Cross from Kingston in their annual exhibition game. In a tightly fought battle the Irish were able to come up with a last second score to overcome the visitors from Kingston 68-67, led by captain and starting point guard, Braeden Wilkinson’s 20 points. Evening their early season record at 2-2 the Irish would look forward to hosting their first home tournament in over a decade the following weekend.
In their first home tournament the Irish would tip off against a well coached but young Sacred heart team and prevailed 78-41. In their next game the Irish would play Lester B Pearson, taking a mere one point lead into half time but once again it was Braeden Wilkinson that would lead the attack and mount a furious Irish second half to win 77-38. In the tournament finals, the Irish would play against Louis Riel in a matchup of last season’s NCSSAA ‘AAA-AAAA’ finals. Completely undersized the Irish played with great focus and intensity to win their host tournament 88-52. The team was led in the finals by first year varsity player and high school junior, Jephte Francois’ 22 points and super athlete, Roydell Clarke’s 17 points respectively.

After beginning league play the following week the team was back on the road as they headed back to the Holy cross Christmas Crusader Classic in Kingston. In their first game of the tournament the team got out of the vans to play a local and tough Frontenac squad who beat up on the Irish by using St. Pat’s style of play against them. The Irish would lose their first game of the tournament 83-69. The Irish would regroup and come together in their second game to defeat a gritty Holy Trinity team from Cornwall 87-65, behind Roydell Clarke’s 20 points. Moving forward in the tournament the Irish would play Sacred Heart from Newmarket in a hotly contested battle. It would be a speedy and resilient Chris Nsenga that would lead the team this time registering a double–double with 19 points and 10 rebounds to help St. Pat’s overcome the opposition 74-66. In the tournament semi-finals, the Irish would play a tough and big Barton team from Hamilton. In a tight game throughout the Irish would lean on their veterans and starters for production as they would move on to the finals with a 79-69 win. In the finals the irish would play a rematch of their exhibition game a few weeks earlier when they would play tournament hosts, Holy Cross on their home floor. Looking to defend their home court, Holy Cross took a four point lead into half time. The second half would see the Irish come alive, led by Roydell Clarke and Gatluak Reathmun who tallied 23 and 16 points respectively. The Irish would take home their second tournament championship of the young season and bring their record to 11-3 heading back to Ottawa.

In their next tournament the Irish headed down the 416 to Brockville after the exam break for the Redram Classic. The Irish would use their swarming defence in the first game against Rideau to win 92-28. The game saw almost every Irish player register a basket with Gatluak Reathmun and Stefan Vijackic leading the way with 13 and 10 points respectively. In their next game St. Pat’s would play a tough KCVI team from Kingston. Using two halves that basically mirrored each other the Irish would win the match 85-71 behind Chris Anderson’s lone double digit scoring tally of 15 points. Next up, the irish had the pleasure of playing Newfoundland’s top team in Gonzaga. An athletic, deep and fired up team kept pace with the Irish through the first half as the two teams were tied at 35 each. The Irish’s superior athleticism and fast style of play might have been the difference in the second half as they would prevail in the tournament semi-finals 85-71 behind the offensive work by the Chris’ (Nsenga and Anderson) and Sheldon Jean’s 18, 11, and 16 points respectively. In the finals the Irish would play near neighbors, Immaculata, who brought a young but talented team. Perhaps overconfident going into the game because of the age difference Immaculata led for most of the first half and took a four point lead into half. Once the Irish woke up in the second half and showed their championship resolve, St. Pat’s would demonstrate the value of experience as they won their third tournament championship of the season 72-59.

In their last tournament of the season the team braved a coming storm to get to the Niagara region early for the annual and prestigious All-Ontario Catholic Classic, hoping to get some stiff competition as a tune up for their playoff run. In their first game the Irish played a string but depleted ACMT team from Hamilton. The Irish got out to a significant lead early but in play that would reflect St. Pat’s entire last tournament before playoffs, the Irish could not maintain their focus or resolve. Despite a 6 point halftime lead the Irish would lose 74-62. Moving on to the consolation side was familiar territory as the Irish have won the consolation bracket of this tournament twice in the last 7 years. In their next game the Irish attempted to get back to basics playing St. Paul’s from Niagara Falls. Again however, it was a struggle to maintain the game plan and intensity required throughout the entire game. In the end St. Pat’s would barely prevail winning 69-62, despite the co-captains doing their best to lead their squad, posting 19 and 14 points respectively. In their third game the Irish would play St. John’s from Brantford. The opposition continually demonstrated what a lack of focus can do to the Irish but despite that fact the Irish still held a four point lead going into halftime. St. Pat’s would not be so fortunate in the second half however as they could not learn the necessary lessons from this tournament and would eventually lose 65-63 and have to make the long trip back to Ottawa finishing their exhibition season with their 5th game of the season.

NCSSAA ‘AAA-AAAA’ League Play
The Irish would tip off the 2012-2013 season by hosting former St. Pat’s Coach Rowley and his Mother Teresa Titans on November 27th. Playing a younger squad the Irish exhibited their veteran resolve to the tune of a 73-36 win in which every player dressed contributed in the win. In their second game of the season the Irish would again host Louis Riel. Looking to prove it was not a fluke the Irish again came out hungry against Les Rebelles, taking a 38-18 lead into halftime. The Irish were once again led by Jephte Francois and Roydell Clarke as the team moved to 2-0 in league play behind their 20 and 18 point efforts in the 79-47 win. In their last game before the Christmas Break the team would head to Coach Rowley’s Mother Teresa home floor in a rematch of the first game of the season. The team would again prey on the young opposition as Sheldon Jean and Hamza Roble would each register a double-double in their team’s 78-36 win.

Fresh off the Christmas break the Irish jumped on the 417 to head to West Carleton to play a young but very talented Wolves team in their den. The Irish simply steamrolled over the competition with a complete team effort, led by co-captain, Sheldon Jean’s 21 points and 5 steals, in their 4-0 marking 82-34 win. In their second game back the Irish hosted a young All Saints squad and took advantage of their superior depth to prevail 67-17 with sophomore and first year varsity player leading the attack with 15 points. Next up the Irish would play their yearly televised regular season game against Glebe Collegiate, who along with the Irish and Rebelles were considered a contender for the city championship. Matching up against a tough and well balanced team the Irish used their experience and grit to band together in the second half after being up only three at halftime. Chris Nsenga put on a shooting a display to the tune of 28 points and Sheldon Jean displayed his resolve for another double-double, near triple-double as he registered 14 points, 11 rebounds and 7 steals to help the home team win 80-67 and move to 6-0 in league play. Continuing their long month of January of league okay the team headed into the core to play Lisgar and again used a very balanced attack to prevail 87-34 behind the co-captains double-doubles as Braeden Wilkinson put up 10 points and 13 assists, while Sheldon Jean continued his reliable yeomen’s work with 16 points and 15 rebounds. In their last game before the first semester exam break the Irish hosted a very gritty Earl of March team in what would be one of their toughest contests of the year. In a back and forth game the Irish only led by one pint at half. The second half would see lead changes but in the end the Irish held on for their eighth league win 69-65. Each team member would contribute what they do best as Roydell Clarke and Chris Anderson filled up the hoop with 24 and 14 points respectively while Braeden Wilkinson dished out 10 assists and collected 10 rebounds for good measure, and Sheldon Jean again cleaned the glass for 13 rebounds.

In their first league game back from the exam break the Irish played their ninth game of the season when they travlled again down the 417 to Stittsville in a rematch with Sacred Heart. It should come as no surprise that they would be much better prepared to play St. Pat’s than their first game in November with Tony House at the helm. In a very low scoring first half the Irish would only lead by five at halftime. In the end it would be all that they would need as the two teams played even in the second half with the Irish winning 54-49. In their last game of the season the Irish could’ve stayed in West Ottawa as they played at Earl of March against a team that gave them fits the first time around. This game would be no different as the Lions would demonstrate resolve by keeping the game close and taking small leads at various times. It would be some timely plays and co-captain Braeden Wilkinson’s 20 points that would lead the Irish to post their tenth victory of the season, marking the first time in well over a decade that St. Pat’s would have a perfect regular season record. The team won in a near mirror of the first matchup, 72-68.

NCSSAA ‘AAA-AAAA’ Playoffs
With the Irish finishing first overall in the league they received a bye in the first round of the playoffs and had to wait to see who they would play in the quarter-final matchup between Earl of March and West Carleton. In the end West Carleton would make the trip to St. Pat’s for their annual buy-in game. The St. Pat’s community would pack the gym once again for their only home playoff game. As both teams fed off the raucous crowd’s energy, the game seesawed back and forth with the Irish taking a five point lead into halftime. The second half would be a battle as both teams sought to survive in the playoffs. In the end the second half was played evenly and St. Pat’s would please the home crowd with a 62-57 win to head to Algonquin College to defend their city championship. The team was led, almost predictably, by Sheldon Jean’s double-double of 20 points and 10 rebounds.

The final would see St. Pat’s match up against Glebe Collegiate looking to prove their earlier season loss was a blip on the radar. As Irish faithful packed the gym the Irish brought the needed intensity to win a championship game. St. Pat’s used a steady supply of pressure and speed to execute their game plan. St. Pat’s would falter slightly in the second quarter but still held a one point led going into half time. The second half would see St. Pat’s find their rhythm again as they continually kept the pressure up and executed the game plan as best as possible and when the final buzzer sounded St. Pat’s had claimed their second back to back NCSSAA ‘AAA-AAAA’ city championship in 7 seasons! The team was led offensively by St. Pat’s two season leading scorers Roydell Clarke and Chris Nsenga with 17 and 20 points respectively.

With the win St Pat’s pulled off the improbable feat of not losing a game in the Ottawa area during their 2012-2013 campaign!

‘AAA’ OFSAA Windsor
The team headed back to OFSAA March 3rd to 6th to improve on last year’s quarter-final exit. OFSAA is a tournament of champions and this season proved no different. The team was awarded the #3 seed for their efforts throughout the year. In their first game the tem took on Denis O’Connor as the #9 seed. In a back and forth game the Irish would eventually prevail 78-74, led by the team’s veterans. The second game at OFSAA is always the most dangerous as losing it puts you out of the tournament, winning the first game allows a team to continue into what would be their ‘natural’ matchup in a 16 team tournament. Thus, in the second game St. pat’s found themselves matched up against #14 seed, I.E. Weldon. Weldon proved to be yet another champion among champions with a big and gritty squad that took it to the Irish physically. It was the Irish’s beginning and ending to the game that would secure them the win however as St. Pat’s moved into the quarter-finals with a 72-54 win with only Sheldon Jean posting points in double digits with 15. In the quarter-finals the Irish drew #6 seed, St. Theresa’s – a well disciplined and effective team. The Irish veterans would demonstrate their resolve to get past this game however as they lead the team to a 60-42 win and on to the semi-finals where they would now be guaranteed two shots at an OFSAA medal. St. Pat’s however would not look at the game as one of two shots and wanted to secure a guaranteed medal with a win. To do that however the team would have to go through the #2 seed from Toronto, Jean Vanier. Jean Vanier boasted a veteran, big and talented quad. The irish dug a very deep hole early getting down double digits in the first quarter. St. Pat’s, hungry not to be defeated would slowly chip into the lead and go into halftime down 12 points, 39-27. Making adjustments at halftime the team again rode their veterans in the second half, being patient to cut into the lead bit by bit. The game came down to the end with St. Pat’s taking their first lead under the two minute mark in the fourth quarter. As the two teams exchanged leads St. Pat’s came up with a timely steal and when a fastbreak missed layup fell into the hands of co-captain Sheldon Jean he knew exactly where to put it and St. Pat’s took a one point lead with 7 seconds left. After the opposition’s timeout, St. Pat’s had to come up with one more stop and it was an unlikely Chris Nsenga who would take a charge as the buzzer sounded preventing a layup and securing the Irish the win! The team was led by Roydell Clarke’s 16 points, Sheldon Jean’s 13 points and 15 rebounds, and Braeden Wilkinson’s 12 points on four three-pointers. In the finals the Irish faced the #1 seed, and local team Windsor’s Catholic Central. Catholic Central presented a very veteran, very athletic and big squad that played a similar style of play as the Irish. Playing in front of what was essentially a home crowd at St. Clair college the Irish got a dose of their own medicine as they dug a deep hole early again. Perhaps exhausted from the game before, perhaps not believing in the magnitudes of their accomplishments the Irish could not mentally get into the game in the first half and took a 39-14 deficit into halftime. The second half would see both teams stick to their core rotations but St. Pat’s would look like a different team as they suddenly woke up and began battling. Once they realized they could play with the home team there was no looking back. Unfortunately the first half proved too much as St. Pat’s would concede the win and the gold medal to the home team 75-51.

This marked the second time in 6 years and the third time overall St. Pat’s would medal at OFSAA. The team accomplished amazing feats of success throughout the season and have every reason to be proud of their accomplishments as they made their mark in Ontario high school basketball history. The St. Patrick High School community is beaming with pride over the accomplishments of this 15 man squad! Congratulations!