Winning back-to-back championships is unusual and doing it a third time is extremely difficult but getting the “three-peat” is something the North Dundas Devils have had their sights set on all season. See page 6 for the full story. Photo by Alex Bloderer, NDDHS

CHESTERVILLE – The SD&G Senior Boys basketball playoffs took place on Feb. 10. The tournament was hosted by North Dundas as a result of their finishing in first place in SD&G during the regular season in the “A” division. The Devils finished with a record of 7-2, losing only to CCVS and St. Joe’s (in OT).

The playoff tournament included North Dundas (1st seed), Holy Trinity (2nd seed), Tagwi (3rd seed), and Héritage (4th seed).

In their first game, the semi-final versus Héritage, The Devils came out hard and took an early lead and never looked back, leading 46-10 at half-time.

The final Score ended up as North Dundas 64 Héritage 24, sending North Dundas to the final.

Leading scorers in the semi-final game for North Dundas were Leaf Hogan (21), Lamoni Kambasaya (15), and Brandon Daye (11). The potent offence was supported by great defense on the part of Ben Reeve, who had 12 rebounds, four  blocks, and three steals.

In the championship final, North Dundas faced Holy Trinity. The opposition came out strong, using their size advantage in the paint. They led North Dundas 30-25 at half. The Devils made some defensive adjustments, and Ryan Wilson had a heroic second half, scoring 16 points to lead the comeback.

Final Score, North Dundas 63, Holy Trinity 54.

The leading scorers in the final were Ryan Wilson (24), Leaf Hogan (11), Ben Reeve (10), and  Carter Williams (8).

Reeve continued his strong defensive play, with 14 rebounds, 3 blocks, and 2 steals, while Ryan Wilson had 13 rebounds and 2 steals, and Carter Williams hauled in 10 rebounds.

North Dundas is now off to the Eastern Ontario Secondary School Athletic Association (EOSSAA) championship, hosted by St. Michael’s (Kemptville). The tournament will take place on Feb. 19 and 20.

Several of the players on this North Dundas team will be heading to EOSSAA for the 3rd consecutive year. They’re seeded 3rd out of six teams and will face Almonte (1st seed) and South Grenville (6th seed) in the pool play.

Game times are 10:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. on Wed., Feb. 19, with semifinals and finals taking place on Thurs., Feb. 20. The winning team will head to Woodstock for the Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations (OFSAA)” championship from March 3-5.