ST. JOAN OF ARC Thunder Beutzen Takyi leaps towards the basket during a 65-54 win over Emily Carr Thunderbirds Tuesday.
Steven De Sousa’s 18 points helped lift the St. Joan of Arc Thunder past the Emily Carr Thunderbirds 65-54 in the first York Region Athletic Association senior boys basketball crossover game.
Several times throughout the match Emily Carr cut the deficit to two points, mainly due to their use of a full court press.
However, once the Thunderbirds let up, the fast-break offence of the Thunder would build up the lead back to 10 or 11 points.
“This was the best performance the boys have had all year,” says Trevor Medeiros, Thunder coach. “This was the hardest they have played all year and it was the first time they played as a true and total team.”
Thunderbirds coach Francesco Vaccaro attributed the loss to a slow start and the fact the Thunder did more of the “little things” right than his team.
“They brought more energy than we did,” he says. “We started off slow and tried to pick it up at the end, but it was a little too late.”
One of the reasons the Thunderbirds were able to stay in the game was the play of Nikola Stojarovski. He scored a game-high 30 points. Seventeen of those buckets coming in the second half, where he drained two crucial three pointers late in the fourth quarter to keep Emily Carr in the game.
“We think we have a good team and we feel like we still have a good chance,” Vaccaro says.
Leading the way for the Thunder were De Sousa with 18 points, Peter Argawy with 13 points and Victor Minatel with 11 points.
“They are really big kids and sometimes they don’t realize just how big they are,” Medeiros says. “Once they realize that they are big and strong for their age then they will be really difficult to guard.”
Medieros hopes St. Joan of Arc can learn how to beat the various presses Emily Carr used in the game to frustrate the Thunder at different points in the game.
“It is something our team lacks,” he says. “I think as the season goes along and the boys experience that more often, they will learn how to handle that and become more comfortable with it.”
This being the first crossover game, it was difficult for Medeiros and the Thunder to prepare for Emily Carr as they hadn’t played them yet this season.
“It’s tough,” he says. “Sometimes you don’t get to see the teams you are playing until one or two days before the game and you’re not really sure who you’re playing.”
The only preparation the Thunder were able to do was scout through the schedule and results section of YRAA’s website.
“We were checking results and seeing how they have stacked up against other teams,” says Medeiros. “You have to prepare yourselves like you are playing the best team in the world and if you don’t carry that attitude with you in the game, then you are going to be in trouble.”
Medeiros believes this victory was the Thunder’s most important of the season and it will go a long way in helping St. Joan of Arc succeed in the playoffs.
“It can only help,” he says. “We are just an inexperienced team learning how to win, so I definitely think this will help us out as the playoffs draw near.”
