By Larry Moko
The halftime scoreboard provided all the incentive Jaden Campbell of the Cathedral Gaels needed.
It showed that the home team -- Cathedral -- trailed Milton's Craig Kielburger Spartans by four points in their Golden Horseshoe Athletic Conference boys' high school basketball final.
"This was our last home game and I'm a fifth-year player," Campbell said. "So I wanted to leave it all on the court."
When a motivated Campbell returned from the dressing room he scored 16 of his game-high 27 points in the third-quarter, sparking the Gaels to a 59-52 victory.
With Monday's result, Cathedral qualifies for the OFSAA tournament, March 3-5 in Kingston.
"Making it to OFSAA has been our goal since the beginning of the season," Campbell added. "The city championship was cool but our main goal has been OFSAA."
Campbell won a Hamilton-Wentworth Catholic Athletic Association junior basketball championship in Grade 10 with the Gaels but, as a senior, he lost previous city title games in 2023 and '24.
The lanky forward's third-quarter production included two three-point baskets and a pair of three-point plays at the rim. He and teammate Josh Granger-Bigford also excelled defensively with their shot blocking.
"Our guys are very athletic," Cathedral coach Luca Fortino said. "They can really get up for those blocks. And when they do it pumps up the crowd."
Granger-Bigford contributed 13 points on offence, while Wayne Bennett, Mike Decius and Aaron Daly chipped in with five points apiece.
The Halton Public representatives got 19 points by Mazen Anklis and 13 by James Peters.
Kielburger led 18-13 at the end of the first quarter and 29-25 at the intermission. The Spartans, incidentally, have never won a league championship and, this season, Cathedral has an unblemished record against high school competition. Included was a tournament title win at the recent All Catholic Classic in St. Catharines.
"This game was quite a bit closer than I thought it would be," Fortino said. "We came out not like our normal self. We were just going through the motions. It was not the way I wanted to play this game.
"But we turned it on in the third quarter and held the lead from then on. Jaden came out fired up. He didn't want to give up his last chance of going to OFSAA."
The Spartans trailed 56-52 with 20 seconds remaining before Campbell sank two foul shots and Granger-Bigford added another free throw to cap the scoring.
Fortino said Campbell's game has improved in many ways over the years.
"His shot has really developed," the Gaels coach said. "He finishes around the rim really well. He's long so he can get to the glass and he's got a strong upper body. His transition defence coming back blocking shots off the backboard is unreal."
Campbell said he worked hard in the gym over the summer and his goal is to make it to the next level.
Kielburger coach Jeff McDonald said the second-place Spartans made it to the league final for the first time this year -- losing 60-42 to King's Christian College. King's Christian recently defeated Hamilton's St. Mary Crusaders 65-52 in a GHAC AA final.
"Even though our school doesn't have a basketball pedigree, we have players that play at a high level," McDonald said. "Eight or nine of them play AAU or rep."
Cathedral's GHAC semifinal victory was 74-65 in Burlington against the Halton Catholic champions from Notre Dame.
Photos by R.F. (Bob) Butrym, RFB Sport Photography
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