Finishing first after the regular season, the NDDHS Devils hosted the SDG playoffs on Thurs., Feb. 15. In the single knock-out format, NDDHS played Char-Lan and Holy Trinity faced St. Lawrence. Leaf Hogan (number four) led the way in scoring for North Dundas in the semi-final game against Char-Lan. See page 3 for the full story.   Tinkess Photo

CHESTERVILLE – It has been quite a year for the North Dundas District High School (NDDHS) senior boys’ basketball team, and it seems that they aren’t quite finished yet.

Finishing first after the regular season, the Devils hosted the SDG playoffs on Thurs., Feb. 15. In the single knock-out format, NDDHS played Char-Lan and Holy Trinity faced St. Lawrence.

The Devils got off to a fast start, leading 26-7 after the first quarter. The Devils played a solid defensive game and came away with a 69-45 win and a berth in the finals. Leaf Hogan led the way for NDDHS with 31 pts.

The second semi-final between Holy Trinity and St. Lawrence was much closer with neither team managing to pull away from the other. With just over a minute remaining, it was still anyone’s game, but St. Lawrence rebounded well, and Holy Trinity failed to capitalize on the few chances they did have. The final score was St. Lawrence 46, Holy Trinity 42.

After a short break, NDDHS and St. Lawrence took to the floor for the championship final. By the half, NDDHS had a 14-point lead and never looked back. They outscored St. Lawrence 20-4 in the fourth quarter, capturing the championship with a 64-32 victory.

The championship game was a complete team effort by the Devils. Ben Reeve dominated under the basket, recording over 20 rebounds and 11 pts! Lamoni Kambasay led the team with 19 pts. Leaf Hogan, a consistent top scorer was under constant coverage, but still managed 13 pts. and made some amazing plays. Also chipping in were Ryan Wilson (7 pts.), Aiden Hutt (5 pts.), Carter Williams (4 pts.), Ben Drew (3 pts.), and Alex Almosi (2 pts.).

Coach Jevon Groves, who will be retiring as a teacher at the end of the school year, said how grateful he was for all the hard work the team had put in to get to this point.

“I just want to thank this great group of guys. We’ve had a heck of a year so far,” said Groves.  “This is the first SDG senior boys’ championship I’ve had, and I’ve taught and coached for thirty years, so it means a lot to me.”

The NDDHS Devils will host the Eastern Ontario Secondary School Athletic Association (EOSSA) senior boys’ basketball championship on Feb. 21-22, and because of their championship win, they will be one of the six teams competing. They will be joined by the Almonte District High School Thunderbolts (number one seed), St. Michael Catholic High School Mustangs (second seed), Rockland District High School Wildcats (fourth seed), St. Joseph Catholic High School Jaguars (fifth seed), and Ernestown Secondary School Eagles (sixth seed).

The NDDHS Devils are the number three seed and play their first game at 10:00 a.m. against Almonte.