Attack Action

Friday, 4 April 2014 10:43

U14 Major Bantam boys finish 4th at in the Blessed Sacrament tournament while Bantam boys take silver.

HAMILTON -- The Oxford Attack Under 14 Major Bantam Boys competitive basketball team won three out of five games to finish 4th in the Blessed Sacrament tournament in Hamilton last weekend. The U14 Attack boys beat the Grismby Grizzlies 54 – 32. Quinten Quackenbush Schneider had 8 points and Adam Bullen contributed 6 points.
The Attack next faced their nemesis Orangeville Hawks who had defeated the Attack twice earlier this season. The finished with a strong 42 – 30 victory. Brandon Cowan paced the Attack with 15 points.
The Attack finished undefeated in pool play with a 61 – 44 victory over the Toronto Lords. Matthew Keith netted 10 points and Liam Dempsey had 6 for the Attack.
In the semi-final the Attack raced out to an early lead against the Burlington Panthers but feel short in the end with a 42 – 38 loss. Cowan connected on 5 3-point shots for 19 points in total. Cooper Gilson played excellent defence as the Attack pressed late in the game to try and complete their comeback.
The Attack then faced Orangeville once again for bronze but were edged out by the Hawks, 40 -39. Team captains Callaghan Bullen and Cowan led the team with 18 and 14 points, respectively.
Next up for the U14 Attack boys is their final home friendly tournament of the year at Ecole Secondaire de Notre Dame on Saturday at 12:00 and 3:00 pm.

The Bantam Boys had a true test of skill and preparedness as they competed in the annual Blessed Sacrament Yellow Jacket tournament. This is the largest youth basketball tournament in Ontario, with 48 teams registered in the Bantam Boys division.
Oxford opened the tournament against the Sarnia Valhalla Knights. The Attack were leading at halftime, however the Sarnia club rallied and pulled away with a 56 – 34 win. Centre Justin Chisholm had a strong game, and Guards Tyler Rooke and Evan Roswell played well.
Oxford continued pool play with 2 games against strong opponents in the Etobicoke Thunder and the Ottawa Shooting Stars. Despite playing well defensively, Oxford could not cut down on turnovers, leading to consecutive losses of 42 - 12 and 54 – 38 at the hands of the much higher skilled teams.
With a record of 0-3 in pool play, this placed the Attack in the ‘B’ flight for the playoffs.
In the boys semi-final game against Burlington, the Attack snagged a 37-32 victory. Forwards Jason Lee, Ben Dubois and Isaac Lewis put in solid games, grabbing defensive rebounds with determination, and converting points on the offence. Guards Ethan Roberts and Aaron Canfield played with poise and grit.
The win placed the Attack in the gold medal game against the familiar Ottawa Shooting Stars. Despite a much better effort, and even a late Oxford rally, Ottawa prevailed 41 – 29. The Bantam Boys walked away with the silver medal.
Next for the boys is a 3-game test on home court on Saturday at Ecole Notre Dame Secondaire. Game times are 9:00am, 3:00pm and 4:30 pm.