The St. Clair Saints aren’t awed by means of the degree.

Article content material

The St. Clair Saints aren’t awed by means of the degree.

Article content material

Article content material

For the fourth 12 months in a row, the Saints will play for a medal on the OCAA males’s basketball Ultimate 4, which can be held Saturday and Sunday in Etobicoke.

“Everybody who’s a basketball participant, your finish function is to get to the championship,” Saints’ guard Kyle Brown-Fazekas mentioned.

A Kennedy highschool product, Brown-Fazekas did simply {that a} 12 months in the past with the Humber Hawks prior to opting to go back house to Windsor and play for the Saints.

Article content material

“It’s been so wonderful,” the 22-year-old Brown-Fazekas mentioned of becoming a member of the Saints. “More than likely my perfect 12 months since I’ve been in school. I’m a large circle of relatives man, so having my circle of relatives round repeatedly is a large uplifter for me. Like they are saying, no position like house.”

Brown-Fazekas provides the Saints numerous Ultimate 4 enjoy with six Saints again from remaining 12 months’s squad and fellow switch Jacob Masters, who received a silver with George Brown remaining 12 months prior to heading to St. Clair.

“We’ve were given numerous guys who’ve been on this scenario prior to,” Saints’ co-head trainer Brendon Seguin mentioned. “Simply having the ones veterans guys, it’s more straightforward as a trainer. They’re tremendous aggressive, they’re very shut knit, so I’m actually excited for those guys to get a possibility to do it.”

After profitable gold in 2023 and silver in 2022, the Saints completed fourth remaining 12 months after falling to 83-75 to the George Brown Huskies within the semis after which 82-69 to the Durham Lords within the bronze-medal sport. The Saints will face Durham within the semis at 6 p.m. on Saturday with the winner taking at the winner of Humber and the Georgian Grizzlies in Sunday’s gold medal. The semifinal losers meet for bronze.

Article content material

Article content material

“I nonetheless take into consideration (remaining 12 months) on occasion what we can have finished, however that’s up to now, so I simply take a look at to concentrate on this 12 months and what we will do,” Saints’ guard/ahead Darnelle Peddie mentioned.

A fifth-year senior, Peddie is the remaining last member of Seguin’s first-recruiting elegance with co-head trainer Matt Sykes. If the Saints end within the best two at this 12 months’s tournament, the squad will advance to nationals. Differently, it’s the top of his collegiate occupation.

“I will be able to’t take into consideration that at the moment,” the 24-year-old Peddie mentioned. “Simply move together with the experience and check out to get a gold medal.

“I really like the playoffs. It presentations who needs it extra. Everybody’s taking part in find it irresistible’s their remaining sport. We get everybody’s perfect and we give everybody their perfect combat. Go away the whole lot at the court docket as it may well be your remaining, needless to say it may well be my remaining sport, at any second. So, don’t take this with no consideration and play and not using a regrets.”

Durham went 17-1 to win the East Department and has now not performed St. Clair this season with the exception of an exhibition sport in Windsor on Oct. 6 that the Saints received 82-77.

“To me, this crew has modified phenomenally from that sport,” Brown-Fazekas mentioned of the Saints. “That used to be our 2d sport as a crew. Now, now we have an entire season taking part in with each and every different and to me our crew handiest were given higher.”

Article content material

The Saints elevate an eight-game profitable streak into the semis and Seguin hopes enjoy and remaining 12 months’s fourth-place end supply motivation this time round.

“Durham beat us for the bronze (remaining 12 months), so expectantly there’s slightly chip on our shoulder,” Seguin mentioned. “A trainer’s activity is to get the gamers mentally centered sufficient and now not take the occasions too top and be in a position to play. Simply to play actually, actually arduous. If we play arduous, I feel we will win the match. If we play arduous and play smartly at the defensive finish, we’ll give ourselves an excellent chance to win.”

jpparker@postmedia.com

twitter.com/winstarparker

Article content material