By Larry Moko
Whenever the Bishop Tonnos Titans are slumping they turn to their defence for a lift.
In a low-scoring Hamilton-Wentworth Catholic senior boys' high school basketball game Thursday, the Titans defeated the visiting Bishop Ryan Celtics, 55-47.
"It was a dogfight game overall," Titans coach Ben Kwasnik said. "Pretty physical and our boys prevailed."
The Celtics led 13-8 at the end of the first quarter before Tonnos went on a 19-6 run heading into the halftime break. And the Titans pulled away again in the final six minutes after BR narrowed the score to 42-40.
"We knew what we had to do to win -- step up on defence," Tonnos' veteran co-captain Salman Alakoozi said. "We take pride in our defence. Everyone helped out and the momentum was great.
"We play our best when the energy is high."
Alakoozi also led the Titans in scoring. He had 18 points. Gus Denardi added 12, Luka Pasalic chipped in with eight while Jason Dryden and Yousef Reza netted seven points apiece.
"Sal had some big buckets and is a good captain," Kwasnik added. "He's developed well over the last couple of years.
"Luka was massively important for us on the boards and on defence. Gus played a good game, too. It was a team effort."
For Bishop Ryan, the top scorer was Antonio Salinas, with 17 points. Kai Olak and Adam Adili each had 10 points.
The outcome dropped BR's record to 4-5, while third-place Tonnos improved to 6-3.
Earlier this season, the Celtics defeated the Titans, 75-57.
"We shot the ball better in that game than we did tonight," Bishop Ryan coach Mike Diclaudio said.
Diclaudio called it a "frustrating" loss because the Celtics work hard and play well defensively.
"We're a bigger team this year (at forward with Olak, Sean Okafor and Prince Mudenge) and we get a lot of rebounds," Diclaudio explained, "but for some reason we can't hit foul shots consistently and we have a tough time with putbacks and layups. Those are the easy shots you should make throughout the game."
The Celtics coach said three-year veteran guard Salinas, despite a lack of height, continues to be a solid contributor.
"Antonio is the heart and soul of our team," Diclaudio said. "He's fearless. He drives, takes charges and hustles his butt off. He was our leading scorer and MVP last year and he's our best player right now."
Elsewhere Thursday, the St. Jean de Brébeuf Braves and the Cathedral Gaels each won to remain tied for top spot. Brébeuf topped the St. Thomas More Knights, 68-58, while Cathedral downed the ACMT Jaguars, 78-44. The other game saw the St. Mary Crusaders defeat the St. John Henry Newman Cardinals, 67-57.
Photos by R.F. (Bob) Butrym, RFB Sport Photography
More photos on HWCDSB Athletics Facebook page
