Congratulations to our ONL U19 DiMillo team on their GOLD medal in Division 2 at the Ontario Cup this past weekend in Kitchener-Waterloo.
The team began the tournament ranked as the top seed in Division 2 and had a lot to play for, considering 8 of the 14 roster players would be entering their final tournament as eligible OBA players.
In their opening game, ONL defeated the Mississauga Monarchs 68-61 behind 22 points from 5th year point guard Kevin Metelus.
On Saturday morning, ONL would take on the 8th seeded Kingston Impact, who proved over the weekend that they did not deserve to be the 8th seed at all. Kingston led by 8 points with 52 seconds to go in regulation time, and a massive upset seemed likely. But ONL managed to fight back and tie the game on a 3 point shot at the buzzer by swingman Almin Dervisevic. After one overtime frame the teams were still tied. In the second overtime, ONL again trailed late, this time by 5 with just 37 seconds to go. However, Almin Dervisevic would again play the role of hero, scoring the team's final 5 points including a game winning 3 at the buzzer!
In their 3rd and final round robin game, ONL would defeat Cambridge 65-61 with the help of 20 points from Kevin Metelus and 25 points from 5th year forward Zerious Loney. 5th year reserve guard Guled Awil stepped up big as well, finishing the game just shy of a triple double.
ONL had no issues securing the Gold medal on Sunday, defeating Motion West 69-53. Kevin Metelus led the way again with 30 points. The tournament MVP went to 5th year centre Bigus Bangoura, who averaged 32 minutes, 10.5 points, 9.5 rebounds and 5.5 blocks per game over the course of the tournament.
The Division 2 provincial GOLD capped off a very successful season for U19 DiMillo, who also had tournament wins at the Gatineau Phenix Invitational, CEGEP de l'Outaouais Omnium des Griffons, Tournoi de l'Express, Chris Paulin Tournament, and Classique des Nomades. The team also captured Bronze at the Etobicoke Thunder Ballin for Breast Cancer Tournament, and Silver at the Gloucester Wolverines Invitational, Syracuse Select March Mania, and the ONL Capital Classic.
As mentioned, U19 DiMillo featured a number of graduating players, including many longtime KYBA members. The list includes:
- Kevin Metelus (4 years with ONL)
- Almin Dervisevic (3 years with ONL, 4 years with Cavs, 3 years in KYBA House League)
- Brad Ruhamyandekwe (3 years with ONL, 2 years with Cavs, 1 year in Selects, 5 years in KYBA house league)
- Guled Awil (3 years with ONL)
- Edris Metwally (4 years with ONL, 1 year with Cavs)
- Bigus Bangoura (3 years with ONL, 1 year with Cavs)
- Umed Hyderi (4 years with ONL)
- Zerious Loney (3 years with ONL)
We would like to thank all of these players for their commitment to the KYBA over the past number of years, and wish them great success in their future endeavours!
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