THUNDER BAY – It’s not like the St. Ignatius Falcons really needed a spark to get them going in their NWOSSA boys’ basketball final.
But when star forward Jackson Lawrence was fouled hard by Beaver Brae Broncos guard Tavon Osborne-Redsky in the opening half of Saturday’s second game in the best-of-three series, it lit a fuse under the Falcons.
St. Ignatius, who struggled in the first quarter and could only mount a 15-9 lead, went on a 39-4 run, took a 62-17 lead into the half and cruised to a 107-34 win at home on Saturday morning to sweep the series in two straight, having downed the Kenora-based Broncos 109-32 in Friday evening’s opener.
Lawrence, who had 15 points in the first quarter and finished with 22 before being relegated to the bench, along with most of the starting five, for the better part of the second half, said the win was extra special given his team did not get to go to provincials last year because of lingering restrictions surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic.
“No one on our team has been to OFSAA because of COVID. We haven’t been there, so we’re really excited. Our team has grown so much, from our first tournament where we got that experience … To go down to Hamilton early in the season and help us get engaged in that competition, it was good. We’ve improved a lot, so I think we should have a really good chance,” Jackson said.
The Falcons have about nine days to prepare for the OFSAA ‘AA’ Boys’ Basketball Championship, being staged from March 6 to March 8 in Timmins.
Coach Dino Buset said the NWOSSA series was a great test to get his team ready to move on to the next level.
“It really is,” he said.
“You never know what’s going to happen when you’ve got these one- or two-game eliminations, but our guys came out to play today. It was great.”
Buset added he thinks his team has great shot to bring home a provincial crown.
“We’re excited about this group. I don’t know what it is about them. They’ve got something special. They work together, they have each other’s backs. I can’t wait to get there,” he said.
It helps the Falcons have plenty of depth.
Guard A.J. Tshilombo had a strong game on Saturday, pouring in 21, while 6-foot-3 forward Deng Makeer made up for a slow start in the first to finish with 18, scoring eight of St. Ignatius’ first 10 points on the second quarter.
The Broncos, the NORWOSSA champs, just didn’t have the firepower to overcome the smothering Falcons D, or the shot-making skills to keep things close. Osborne-Redsky, best described as a chippy player, led the team with nine points, while Austin Blake put up seven.
Up 45 at the half, St. Ignatius outscored Beaver Brae 27-11 in the third, turning things over entirely to the bench before the period ended.
Harry Tsekouras came off the bench to score eight for the Falcons, as did Casper Petrick.
In Fort Frances, the senior Westgate Tigers complete a two-game sweep of their own in the NWOSSA girls volleyball championship, downing the Muskies 25-15, 25-14 and 25-20. They'll head to OFSAA in St. Catharines, Ont., from March 6 to March 8.
