The First Basketball team had a tremendous start to their season this past weekend at the CAIS National Championships at Ridley College, St. Catharines. From the opening game, it was clear the team understood that their identity this season will be to defend, rebound, and run while playing hard, smart, and together for four quarters of play.

With only one game and a handful of practices under their belt, it took the team a half of play to get going at the tournament, which resulted in an opening round loss to eventual tournament finalists Selwyn House. To their credit, the team bounced back and played well against Ridley College in their next game. Quick transition offense and ball movement led to open shots from the perimeter and opportunities to attack the basket.

The next day, the Saints kept it going with a gritty win against a well coached and disciplined Ashbury College team. The team battled a very tall and skilled post player and worked together to limit his opportunities in the paint. Meanwhile, the Saints continued to run the floor hard and put relentless pressure on Ashbury's defense in transition.

In the semi-final, the Saints were in tough against eventual tournament champions Armbrae Academy, but they bounced back against CISAA rivals UCC in the bronze medal game. A back-and-forth game that saw many lead changes fittingly went into overtime, and the Saints played tremendous half court defense in the extra frame. UCC struggled to score, and the Saints capitalized by knocking down their own shots to earn the 51-38 win and tournament bronze.

Congratulations to the Saints for a great start to the year. Next action is this Friday/Saturday as they travel up to Barrie for the 3rd Annual Barrie Showdown Tournament. First action will be a tremendous matchup against St. Joseph's Catholic Secondary School, last year's AA OFSAA Champions.