Ontario’s U17 Men knocked off a feisty Nova Scotia squad 82-68 to claim the Gold medal at the 2011 Canadian national basketball championships.
Both teams came ready to play and put on a great display of basketball. Team Ontario used a 10-0 run to jump out to an early lead and take quarter one by a score of 16-13.
Troy Reid-Knight scored six points in the second quarter as team Ontario took a 42-32 lead to the locker-room.
Ontario dialed-up the full-court pressure in the second-half and increased the lead to a game-high 19 points as the scoreboard read 67-48 after three quarters.
Nova Scotia fought back and outscored Ontario 20-15 in the last quarter to eventually bow-out to a more talented and deserving opponent.
Agunwa Okolie was a man amongst boys as he collected 17 points, grabbed eight rebounds and swatted two block shots. Guard Duane Notice shock-off two early fouls to finish with 14 points and four rebounds, but also committed six turnovers in 29 minutes of action.
Marko Pirovic pulled down an incredible 25 rebounds to go along with eight points. Point guard Henry Tan was aggressive attacking the rim and also finished in double-figures with 10 points, three assists and two steals.
Nova Scotia was led by Antonio Simmonds 19 points, including 4-for-7 from downtown. Taurus Smith was spectacular all-night and finished with 13 points and three rebounds
The taller and more athletic Ontario squad out-rebounded Nova Scotia 55-28 and scored a total of 56 points in the paint, compared Nova Scotia’s 24.
This marks Team Ontario’s first National Basketball Championship since 2006 when it knocked off British Columbia 66-64 in Vancouver, BC.
2011 17U Award Winners
Tournament MVP: Duane Notice – Ontario
1st Team All-Stars:
Travis Adams – Nova Scotia
Mitch Goodwin – British Columbia
Kaza Keane – Ontario
Marko Pirovich – Ontario
Cedric Sanogo – Quebec
2nd Team All-Stars:
Luke Herr – Manitoba
Mitch Ligertwood – British Columbia
Jayden Nordin- Nova Scotia
Patrick Steeves – Quebec
Jordan Whyte – Alberta
