EDITOR’S NOTE: This is an updated version of the story. I was sent a link to a school board press release about the team, which unfortunately turned out to be from last year when the team won the consolation round, not the gold they just won. And I didn’t notice the error. I should have. My sincere apologies for the mix-up.
Almonte District High School won the OFSAA Boys’ A Basketball Championship in London, Ont. on Wednesday, defeating Ottawa’s Notre Dame High School 68-65 to take the title. It is the first OFSAA gold for the ADHS team in 32 years.
“Last night was very emotional,” said Coach Dan Hickey of the win. “It’s all still sinking in. It was a pretty amazing win considering we were down by 12 with just three minutes to go but the boys never gave up. They showed a lot of character – but that’s our team this year. We never give up.”
The final was the first game in the tournament in which ADHS found themselves consistently trailing their opponent. A decision to change tactics and move to man-to-man defence resulted in a turnover in the final minutes that ignited the ADHS offence. That coupled with deep strength on the bench and a 31-point game by forward Micah Della Foresta helped seal the victory.
Hickey said the win was particularly sweet because his brother and co-coach Kevin was on the last winning team, as were the fathers of current ADHS players Jonah Lee and Krischan Welk.
The coach thanked the ADHS administration for giving the team the flexibility to attend several tournaments this school year, which prepared them for the big win.
