The Perth and District Collegiate Institute (PDCI) Blue Devils won the 2020 EOSSAA Senior A Boys’ Basketball Championship Wednesday, February 26 defeating Rideau District High School (RDHS) 48-39.
The hosting Blue Devils rebounded in the second half of the final to win the championship, after trailing RDHS 29-20 at half time. Strong games by PDCI’s Chris Miller and Will Bellamy helped assure the victory. Bellamy scored 11 points, while Miller posted 18, as well as a game-high 18 rebounds.
“It felt great,” said PDCI Coach Kevin Bellamy. “We know we have a talented team, but we practiced a lot to get here and it all came together for us over the last month.”
PDCI upset number one-seeded Holy Trinity Catholic Secondary School 67-50 on Tuesday in their first game of the tournament. Subsequent wins over Ernestown Secondary School and St. Lawrence Secondary School (SLSS) put them in the final.
Both PDCI and RDHS now qualify to compete in the OFSAA Boys’ A Basketball Championship, scheduled for March 9-11 at West Ferris Intermediate and Secondary School in North Bay.
In the 2020 EOSSAA Junior A Boys’ Basketball Championship, hosted at SLSS on February 25, Almonte District High School (ADHS) defeated Académie Catholique Ange Gabriel by a score of 69-44. ADHS claimed the title through strong performances by Jeremiah Della Foresta and twin brother Gabriel, who posted 23 and 16 points respectively. Griffin Lee had seven assists in the game, while Ben Dyck contributed with seven rebounds to seal the victory.