The East York Eagles U13 Minor Bantam Boys captured gold in the AAA division of the Chris Paulin Memorial Tournament hosted by the Kanata Youth Basketball Association.
In the opening game, the boys used a strong second half to turn a one-point lead into a 21-point victory over the Ottawa Shooting Stars. Theo Steube’s strong point guard play earned him Game MVP honours in the 52-31 win.
The second game saw the team succumb to a difficult pressing defence from the Gloucester Wolverines. Theodore Hristakis was named Game MVP after aggressively attacking the hoop throughout the 69-59 defeat. The boys bounced back on Saturday evening to hand the host KYBA team a 74-70 loss, earning their way into the medal round.
With the Gatineau Phénix standing between the team and a spot in the gold medal match, the Eagles controlled the game from start to finish on their way to a 63-40 win. An 18-point opening quarter saw Steube, Kayron Shaw, Jorden List and Matthew Rahal score at least two baskets each.
The gold medal game provided another shot at the Gloucester Wolverines. In a tightly contested match that saw the score tied after each of the first three quarters, the boys pulled out a close 58-52 victory. The front court combination of Shaw and Jeff Fan scored 16 points each. Shaw also captured tournament MVP honours based on his great play at both ends of the floor.
Congratulations to the boys for turning their hard work into hardware! At some point this past weekend, every player hit a shot or was involved in a defensive stop that led to the gold.
