With the conclusion of the winter sports term, Trinity College School teams are celebrating success in the Conference of Independent Schools Athletics Association (CISAA) playoffs. Our Bigside boys basketball and girls hockey teams, as well as the Under-14 volleyball and basketball squads, all came away with CISAA silver medals, adding to the recent CISAA and provincial championship success of our Senior School swimming and alpine ski teams.

Bigside Girls Hockey: The Bears travelled to Toronto on Wednesday, March 1st to compete in the CISAA Championships at the Scotiabank Pond Arena. In the semi-final game, the team was trailing Greenwood College 4-1 a few minutes into the third-period (a first-period goal by Violet Gibson being the only offence thus far). But the Bears rallied behind their seniors and came back to win 6-4! Third-period goals were scored by Emma Radley (3) and Jasmine de Pencier (2). The team faced a tough De La Salle squad (first place in the league) in the championship game, ultimately capturing a CISAA silver medal. Go Bears! – By Scott Sanders, coach

Bigside Boys Basketball: The Bigside basketball team had a great season. This was somewhat unexpected with only two returning players from the previous year, but the team completed a strong regular CISAA league season with a 7-1 record and also had the opportunity to compete in three exhibition tournaments.

The Bears’ league results earned them a bye into the semi-finals at Appleby College, where they faced Royal St. George’s College. It was a competitive game during the first half but the Bigside team found its stride in the second half and won 60-40. Lana Agbelese had a strong offensive game with 21 points and Cheuk Lam added 12 points. Jack Brumley made a significant contribution on the defensive end. JJ Francis-Nweke, John Beckford and Xyon Johnson made important contributions in their time on the floor.

In the CISAA final, TCS faced off against Appleby College. It was a tight game all the way with the Bears trailing as the game approached its conclusion. Starting centre Jack Brumley was unable to play and starting power forward Jephthah Arukhe battled through pain to give the team all that he had but was unable to continue in the second half. The team had to look elsewhere for a lift and Jonathan Lolomari came off the bench to score 10 points in the second half, sparking a late comeback. A dunk by Lana Agbelese and a lay-up by Philippe Dulac put the game within reach, and in the dying seconds of regulation time, Chike Ugori scored a basket which sent the game into overtime. Unfortunately, a pair of 3-point baskets in the extra period put Appleby ahead for good, leaving TCS with the CISAA silver medal. Lana Agbelese and Lasse Pommer led the team in scoring with 13 points a piece. Cheuk Lam and Philippe Dulac contributed 11 and 10 points, respectively. It was an impressive effort against a strong Appleby team in front of a spirited home crowd. In the face of adversity, the Bears put up a valiant effort in their final game of the season, making their school proud.

Philippe Dulac, John Beckford and Alex Savard are the team’s three graduating players, who will be missed next year. With a strong group returning next season, Bigside will look to improve on this season’s results. – By Courtney Christ, coach

Under-14 Girls Volleyball: The Under-14 girls volleyball team had a strong season, finishing in second place during league play with a 5-3 record. The team headed to Canada Games Park in Thorold, Ontario, for the “final four” championships on Thursday, Thursday, March 2nd. The Bears won their semi-final game versus St. John’s-Kilmarnock, three sets to two, to advance to the final game versus the top seed, Ridley College. Ridley won the finals, three sets to one, but the players were very proud to bring home their well-deserved CISAA silver medals.

Under-14 Boys Basketball: The Under-14 basketball team capped off a strong season, finishing CISAA league play with a 6-1 record, by heading to St. John’s-Kilmarnock on Thursday, March 1st to compete in the “final four” tournament. The Bears started strong with a 47-37 win over Pickering College, to send them in to the final against top-seeded SJK. It was an exciting and close championship game, with SJK eventually prevailing, 42-40. The Bears were thrilled to win the silver medal.