Patrick Fogarty Catholic Secondary School students packed the gym Friday to cheer on their junior boys’ basketball team in the Georgian Bay Secondary School Association (GBSSA) championship game against the Huntsville Hoyas.
They had lots to cheer about.
The Hoyas won the opening tip-off but quickly turned the ball over to the Flames who capitalized, gaining early control of the game with a deep-three from Tyler Huxtable.
The Hoyas turned the ball over once again seconds later and this time Dean Perrigo drained three of his six points in the game.
Huntsville continued to commit turnovers and grew frustrated due to the Flames' high energy pressure.
Fogarty kept their pace on full throttle during the first quarter scoring 11 unanswered points in the game's opening three minutes.
In the closing moments of the first quarter, the Flames began to run out of gas and turned the ball over to the Hoyas, giving the team from up north their first sight of light.
Coach Fred Bosco settled his group down during the first intermission, and his team returned to the court with the same fire they started the game with.
From that point on, some well-executed work in the paint from the Flames began to tire out the Huntsville squad, who didn’t score in the second quarter, until less than two minutes remained. Fogarty dominated and led the game 23-6 at halftime.
The visitors cut the Flames lead down to 12 points as the Flames entered the final quarter up 28-16.
After a brief Hoyas surge, Huxtable once again took over the game, nailing a critical three-pointer that brought the crowd to their feet. After that, the Hoyas faded fast and Fogarty cruised to a 39-22 win and their first GBSSA championship in seven years.
Huxtable was the leading point getter for the Flames, finishing the contest with 17 points.
“All five guys on the court played well and that’s why we got the win," said a jubilant Huxtable after the game.
Although Huxtable, a Grade 10 student, is going to soak this championship in and enjoy it, he is already looking forward to next season and having a chance to play for an opportunity to compete for an Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations (OFSAA) title. There is no OFSAA tournament for junior teams.
“I can’t wait to play with those guys. It’s going to be a lot of fun and I hope we can go to OFSSA,” Huxtable said.
Bosco applauded his team's effort and the title but was most proud of how his players grew this season.
“This team got better with every practice and every game," said the long-time coach.
“They always believed in each other, and they all bought into the idea of working as a unit, and accomplishing their goal of being GB champions.”
For the Grade 9’s on the squad, they will look to repeat as junior champions next year under Bosco’s leadership.
As for the Grade 10’s, they will try out for a spot on the senior team next year, in hopes of representing their school at OFSSA.
