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Algonquin College students win Ontario’s Got Talent competition

After a win on their home campus in February, Sammy Alcius and Gracie Lister are now the best college talent in the province

Siobhan Rollo

Photos: Siobhan Rollo

April 12, 2024
Revised: April 12, 2024 3:48pm

Photo: Siobhan Rollo

Sammy Alcius and Gracie Lister photographed after their Ontario's Got Talent win at The Ob, where it all started. Alcius and Lister were happy to step back onto the stage after their win.

After a six-hour car ride down to Conestoga College in Kitchener, Ont. from Ottawa, Gracie Lister and Sammy Alcius were set to perform for the provincial talent show consisting of numerous colleges across Ontario.

Once they checked into the hotel room the Students’ Association had booked for them, however, Alcius knew he had to do something with his pre-performance jitters. His solution? To jump up and down on his hotel bed before getting changed. After all, both Lister and Alcius were only given five minutes to check into their complimentary hotel rooms, change and get to the venue where they were set to perform.

“The stage was smaller at Conestoga than Algonquin College, but there were so many performers there,” said Lister, revisiting the events of the competition on March 8.

In a room full of the best college performers, Lister and Alcius performed a hip-hop dance routine, similar to that performed at Algonquin’s Got Talent, exactly a month before in February.

Performing under the name SyncLA – an acronym combining the term “in-sync” and the initials of both performers’ last names – Lister and Alcius won the competition.

“I remember when the announcer called us, it was unclear and Sam was like: ‘Is that us?'” said Lister.

“When our names were called I remember the feeling,” said Alcius. “In terms of winning, I was like, ‘holy cow, really?'”

When the announcer had clarified their names, Lister recalled jumping into the air, while Alcius’ jaw hung open for a few moments before the two were called onto stage.

With this success under their belts, Alcius and Lister are now the best college talent in Ontario.

Event coordinator of Algonquin’s Got Talent and events programmer Amanda Logan escorted them to and from Conestoga College.

“Watching them perform was really special. I felt so proud,” Logan said.

But how did they get here?

Alcius and Lister met at Algonquin College, both of them having previous dance experience before forming SyncLA.

Lister is an Ottawa native with 13 years of competitive dance under her belt.

“I started off doing gymnastics, taekwondo, and soccer,” said Lister. “One of my family friends had a daughter in competitive dance and on the way to my gymnastics practice, we had met up at a Tim Hortons.”

It was there that Lister and her mom learned about a competitive dance studio down the road from the gymnastics gym they went to. Lister recalled the family friend talking about his daughter’s dance audition, encouraging them to check out the studio.

“I walked into the studio and there were lots of kids running around. I think it was an open house,” she said. “The space felt like home. I did cartwheels and all my other gymnastics moves and my mom asked if I was interested. I just said ‘Heck yeah!'”

Lister recalls doing many performances with her community. She mentioned productions she had been part of, such as Footloose. She mentioned her most common performances were those for charity, for an event called WE Day.

“My parents said I was a little powerhouse on stage,” she said. “My teachers did too.”

Alcius’ story isn’t quite so direct. His dancing journey started from the comfort of his home.

“I would watch dance movies like Stomp, Step Up,” he said. “I would pause and rewind, and slow it down so I could see what they were doing. I picked up moves that way.”

Alcius quickly turned to YouTube to expand his expertise, following dance tutorials for both individual moves and routines.

His first performance was at a fourth-grade talent show. Alcius recalled being too shy to perform, so he decided to perform in costume. The reception to his performance was what pushed him to keep going.

“I had a teacher buy me a mask so I could perform. I had a Jabberwocky mask and a bedazzled vest,” said Alcius. “I took off my mask [at the end of my performance] and was met with a roar of cheers.”

Alcius is originally from Florida and credits some of his dance talent to his church upbringing.

Ontario’s Got Talent is as far as Alcius and Lister can progress in the “Got Talent” talent show series.

However, the two have plans for expanding their careers outwards and upwards.

“I just want to see them thrive and make money off of their talent,” said Logan.

Lister has plans to attend George Brown College in Toronto for dance. She will permanently relocate to Toronto next year to expand her dance career.

Alcius is going into the radio broadcasting and podcasting program at Algonquin College. Alcius’ personal passion lies in social media, and his decision to pursue the program is based on that.

“I want to talk in front of a camera, for my audience to know me besides my dance moves,” he said.

The two have plans on auditioning for the 2025 season of Canada’s Got Talent. They expressed difficulty with planning routines together because of Lister’s relocation plans. However, under the name SyncLA, they are still set to plan a routine for Canada’s Got Talent.

“I have no doubt Sam and I will go far,” said Lister. “Whether it’s together, separate, or a little bit of both. I know we’ll definitely do something and be successful.”

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Siobhan Rollo

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Suspended Ontario police officers have received roughly $134 million since 2013

Local CTV News: Two people were sent to the hospital with smoke inhalation after a fire in the southeast end of Ottawa left 20 people displaced and seven apartment units damaged. Ottawa firefighters responded to multiple 911 calls reporting smoke and flames coming from the sixth floor window of an apartment building on Halifax Drive […]

Cole Crossthwaite

Photos:

April 12, 2024
Revised: April 12, 2024 11:35am

Local

CTV News: Two people were sent to the hospital with smoke inhalation after a fire in the southeast end of Ottawa left 20 people displaced and seven apartment units damaged.

Ottawa firefighters responded to multiple 911 calls reporting smoke and flames coming from the sixth floor window of an apartment building on Halifax Drive just before 8 p.m. on Tuesday.

Ottawa fire service declared the fire under control 25 minutes after the initial 911 calls. They also reported finding a cat unconscious inside the unit where the fire started.

The cause of the fire is being investigated.

National

CBC: Ontario police forces have paid suspended police officers an estimated $134 million dollars since 2013, according to a database of reports compiled by CBC News.

According to the report the officers under suspension had been sent home for misconduct or breaking the law.

The report also claims the majority of suspensions in northwestern Ontario are related to criminal charges.

International

Global News: A flood has forced 110,000 people in Russia and Kazakhstan to evacuate their homes after melt water caused the area’s major rivers to rise more than 70 centimetres.

Russian officials have reported it is the worst flood on record with effects being felts across settlements in the Ural Mountains, Siberia, Volga and areas of Kazakhstan.

According to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, officials are concerned about the potential need for further evacuations.

“The water level continues to rise in flood zones, large amounts of water are coming to new regions,” he said.

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Cole Crossthwaite

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Opinion: Fitness influencers are ruining social media

"Thinspiration" trends are hurting people's mental health and fitness culture

Sophie Daly

Photos:

April 12, 2024
Revised: April 12, 2024 9:27am

There are parts of social media fitness culture that can be motivating, but influencers will always be toxic, says writer Sophie Daly.

Ever since I downloaded Instagram, 75 per cent of the posts I see are from fitness influencers. When I was younger, it was just people working out and eating clean, but as the health industry has boomed over the past few years and the use of TikTok has increased, I’ve noticed that fitness influencers have changed.

All I ever see when looking at fitness influencers is this impossible life they live. It seems like all these influencers do all day is workout and cook.

They show their workouts and what they eat to their followers, implying that if they live a life like theirs, everyone will look like them. But this life they live is so unobtainable for the average person that it’s impossible.

Most people have jobs, school, families, kids, and other important tasks they need to focus on. Implementing homemade meals every day and working out two or more hours every day is not something everyone can do.

A recent study scanned 100 of the leading fitness influencer’s profiles on Instagram and found that from the most recent 15 posts, the majority align with “thinspiration” (i.e., content that promotes excess weight loss or an unhealthy view of your body) ideals and eating disorder matters. These findings are from restricted food intake, exercise videos and obvious body checking (i.e., showing bodies at specific angles, usually done by smaller bodies).

These actions can harm people’s mental health and the way they view fitness and themselves. The fact there are no filters on social media allows whoever to view whatever they want. With the influx of fitness influencers and the different styles of influence, people are able to get on the wrong side of fitness culture very easily.

Though many aspects of fitness influencers on social media can affect how people view health, there is a part of social media that helps motivate people.

Where I am now, I see fitness influencers as a toxic part of social media, but when I started getting into fitness it helped. When I was younger, I found fitness influencers helped with workout ideas and helped me get more comfortable with going to the gym alone. Additionally, when I was a teenager and became vegan, I found fitness influencers helped me with finding vegan versions and recipes that made the transition a lot easier.

In my view, fitness influencers will always be toxic. The reason behind this is because of my history with mental health and disordered eating. I have a hard time seeing a constant flow of fitness influencers promoting a specific lifestyle. The fact I started using social media and seeing these influencers at such a young age was a large reason I had body image issues as a teenager. Seeing all these influencers online, eating and working out like them, but never getting the results they promoted made me have a bad relationship with fitness for a long time. Now as an adult, I understand almost everything on social media is fake or fabricated in some way.

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Career Centre staff help introverts learn branding and networking

Jessica Andrews and Sarah Brown Bennett give tips to students ready to enter the field

Sophie Daly

Photos: Sophie Daly

April 12, 2024
Revised: April 12, 2024 9:16am

Photo: Sophie Daly

Sarah Brown Bennett (left) and Jessica Andrews (right) after workshop.

Networking and branding can be difficult for many people when first entering the workforce, especially for introverts.

On April 4, in the DARE incubator located in C-building, Jessica Andrews and Sarah Brown Bennett from the Algonquin College Co-Op and Career Centre taught six introverted students tips and tricks on entering the workforce.

“Historically we would say career paths are like a ladder where you start a company, you work your way up, and then you retire,” said Andrews. “But most people’s career paths don’t look like that anymore, more like a jungle gym. Mine certainly hasn’t been a ladder.”

The workshop worked to show students that everyone’s brand will be different, even if two people started in the same place. Everyone brings different skills and experiences to the workforce.

The main focus of the workshop was building a 30-second elevator pitch. Bennett said that with an elevator pitch, people should focus on summarizing their resumes and highlighting their next steps in work or education.

“Everyone’s here [at networking events] to network and everyone’s here to talk to other people, so just do that, you know what I mean?” said Daniella Kennedy, an industry engagement specialist at Algonquin. “And then once you go up to someone who’s like, ‘Hey,’ they tend to feel better. And I have a lot of people who are like, ‘Thank you for going to talk to me,’ because they want to talk, they just don’t know how to approach.”

The workshops showed students the importance of LinkedIn and how to use it as a professional. Andrews mentioned a smart thing to do after events is to look for the people you spoke with and connect with them on LinkedIn, this can help introverts stay in contact without face-to-face communication.

“LinkedIn is a very useful tool for marketing,” said Andrews. “You’re leveraging your profile, whether that’s, joining groups on LinkedIn. There are so many groups, for any industry, if you just take it like you’re programming, you’re going to see tons and tons of different groups come up.”

Andrews and Bennett said students should stay in contact with their peers, professors and friends to help build their network — connections are made with anyone.

“For myself, I am introverted, but there are times that I have to describe myself as an extroverted introvert because you have to put yourself out there sometimes,” said Bennett. “Our department has a lot of networking events on campus where we have to go out and speak to the employers. As part of my role, I have to speak to the students.”

Information on workshops and other events can be found on the college’s event calendar.

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Public relations students raise $25,000 for Roger Neilson House

“Our main goal was not to raise money but awareness,” said Shamiul Hossain, a public relations student who organized the event

Ethan Macleod

Photos: Ethan Macleod

April 11, 2024
Revised: April 11, 2024 12:25pm

Photo: Ethan Macleod

Sarah Porras, a public relations student, on the right, being taught how to hold the cue.

The ninth event put together by the public relations students for the Audrey’s Star campaign on April 7, a pool tournament at a bar called Dooly’s, was just one of the events that lead the group to raise $25,000 for Roger Neilson House.

The students had set a goal of fundraising $10,000. The Senators Community Foundation will double the amount raised for the the charity.

“Our main goal was not to raise money but awareness,” said Shamiul Hossain, an Algonquin College public relations student who organized the pool event.

Many people showed up at Dooly’s. The Audrey’s Star team had 100 tickets for the event and sold over 80. The event was open to anyone 19 and above, but if you had never played pool, they had someone to teach you.

There was a silent auction as well for a variety of gifts. There were gift baskets and shirts, but the biggest one was a jersey donated by the Senators Community Foundation.

“We raised over $500 on the silent auction,” said Sadia Sumona, a public relations student who organized the event.

Joelle Benoit (left), Radjeep Dhaliwal (middle) and Martina Munyeca Moles (right). — PR students Joelle Benoit (left), Radjeep Dhaliwal (middle) and Martina Munyeca Moles (right) take in the event on April 7. Photo credit: Ethan Macleod

The Roger Neilson House is a children’s hospital specializing in paliative care to children with life-threatening conditions but meanwhile focusing on letting them be kids and enjoying their life.

Roger Neilson House has a team of doctors, nurses and volunteers who work 24/7 to ensure the overall well-being of the children and their related families.

“Everything we have done this semester has made an impact and I think it will inspire future students,” said Kyra Takces, a public relations student part of the Audrey’s Star campaign. “We’re raising money for something really important, and I’m really glad the community came together.”

The Audrey’s Star campaign is named after the daughter of an Algonquin College public relations student who passed away at the age of three due to a rare form of Mitochondrial disease. She was one of the kids who stayed at the Roger Neilson House.

“It’s such an honour to be a part of this in the memory of Audrey,” said Sara Porras, a public relations student part of the Audrey’s Star campaign. “I feel so proud that I was able to contribute in a meaningful way to continue to support the Roger Neilson House.”

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Barbell strength competition showdown at the Athletics and Recreation Centre

“It’s cool see people push themselves to the max,” said a competitor at the event

Ethan Macleod

Photos:

April 10, 2024
Revised: April 10, 2024 4:28pm

Some of the deadlift competitors at the March 22 event gather for a group shot. "I just want to have fun and see where other people are," said a competitor before the event. "Encourage and support others.”

A strength competition was held on March 22 in the varsity gymnasium at the Jack Doyle Athletics and Recreation Centre to find out who is strongest among Algonquin College students.

Participants for the event had to be Algonquin College students or active ARC members to compete. There was a total of 32 competitors competing in the event.

“Today, I wanted to compete to represent my culture and people from India as an international student,” said Divyansh Sharma, an Algonquin College student and one of the competitors. “We’re all going through tough times and I wanted to inspire strength for myself and others.”

Each participant was given three chances at performing their one rep max for the judges. The lifts for the competition were bench, squat, and deadlift.

There was a $15 fee per lift, or to do all three, a $45 fee.

The participants were either doing all three lifts, or one and two. All competitors were judged based off the weight they could move with a full range of motion.

Competitor squatting while staff spot him. — Abhishek Chana competes in the squatting event while a staff spots him. Here he's lifting his PR of 200lbs.

Before the competitors moved onto lifting their one rep max, they each weighed their body weight so the judges could calculate how much the person lifted.

“I’m hoping to win or get at least third place,” said Lacy Matondo, an international business student competing in the bench and deadlift competition. “If not, I just want to have fun and see where other people are. Encourage and support others.”

The winners for the men’s bench competition were Max Parker, an Algonquin College student, in first place. Second place was a tie between students Divyansh Sharma and Max Mitchell. Third place was earned by Lacy Matondo.

The women’s bench competition winners were Faiza Faucher-Ahmed in first place, a fitness and health student. Second place was Chloe Pearson, an animation student. Third was Khloe Brule, a pre-health student.

“It’s cool see people push themselves to the max,” said Nodin Hiltz-Andre, a film and media production student.

That was not all for the day. After the bench press competition was over, the squat competition began.

The winners for the men’s squat competition were Max Mitchell in first place, a business marketing student. Students Abhishek Chana landed in second place and Jing-An Chen came in third place.

The winners for the women’s squat competition were students Khloe Brule in first place and Faiza Faucher-Ahmed in second place. Finally Stephanie Spencer, a paralegal student, came in third place.

“It takes weeks of preparations but this is kind of like last minute for fun,” said Spencer. “I’d like to place top three and show I am one of the strongest people on campus.”

For the the final performance of the event, the deadlift competition was underway.

The winners for the men’s deadlift competition were Divyansh Sharma at first place, Patrick Bordeleau-Kelly in second place and Dean Matthew Cruz in third place. Cruz is an Algonquin College film and media production student.

The winners for the women’s deadlift competition were Brena Irvine, an active ARC member, at first place, Stephanie Spencer in second place and finally, Olivia Bagshaw in third place. Bagshaw is an early childhood education student.

The winners for the competition received a t-shirt by the ARC team.

“For any woman who’d be reading this, just we know we belong in the gym,” said Spencer. “Don’t be afraid, especially if you’re not lifitng the weight others are. Just have fun and show what you can do.”

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Donald Trump’s proposed delay to criminal trial denied

Local Ottawa Citizen: Ian Bush has lost his attempted appeal for a reduced sentence in the attempted murder of Ernest Côté, a 101-year-old war veteran. Bush is currently serving two concurrent life sentences for his original crime, the murders of Judge Alban Garon, his wife, Raymonde and their friend, Marie-Claire Beniskos. The murders happened on […]

Ben Fleguel

Photos:

April 10, 2024
Revised: April 10, 2024 3:55pm

Local

Ottawa Citizen: Ian Bush has lost his attempted appeal for a reduced sentence in the attempted murder of Ernest Côté, a 101-year-old war veteran.

Bush is currently serving two concurrent life sentences for his original crime, the murders of Judge Alban Garon, his wife, Raymonde and their friend, Marie-Claire Beniskos. The murders happened on June 30, 2007, but the cold case wasn’t cracked until the police solved a murder with similar hallmarks.

In 2014 Bush used fake City of Ottawa identification to get into Côté’s building. Police found DNA at the scene that matched the 2007 cold case and DNA from Bush.

Bush was convicted in 2017 and handed two concurrent life sentences with no chance of parole for 25 years. The jury only took 90 minutes for deliberation at the time.

A panel of three judges denied Bush’s appeal, characterizing the proposal as “woefully inadequate.”

National

Toronto City News: The Assembly of First Nations is worried that the funds needed to close the infrastructure gap on reserves will not be available.

“Without these funds, infrastructure that First Nation communities across the country depend on will continue to deteriorate at an alarming pace,” said a report published by the assembly on April 9.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau added closing the gap by 2030 to his signature pledges on reconciliation. Canada will have to invest $349.2 billion to meet that pledge.

“The Government of Canada must ensure that our voices are not only heard but are leading the conversation and action on matters that affect our communities directly. This includes ensuring significant investments that match what First Nations have deemed necessary for our future,” said National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak.

According to the National Assembly, not only will costs increase if steps aren’t taken, but this estimated cost doesn’t even cover the infrastructure gap facing the Metis and Inuit.

International

The Globe and Mail: A New York appeals judge shut down Donald Trump’s bid to delay his criminal trial over hush money.

Trump’s legal team made the argument that the former president should be given the time to challenge the gag order tied to the trial.

The request was swiftly denied but a full panel of appeals judges will later look at the appeal into the gag order. The trial will commence as scheduled.

“The First Amendment harms arising from this gag order right now are irreparable,” said Trump lawyer Emil Bove.

Justice Lizbeth Gonzalez is the judge who ruled against the former U.S. president.

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Ben Fleguel

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Students benefit from free produce during tough times

SA and Quality Produce distribute food to help the community with mental health and financial hardships

Emmet Paradis

Photos: Emmet Paradis

April 10, 2024
Revised: April 10, 2024 3:14pm

Photo: Emmet Paradis

Starr Brommell (left), a business marketing student, Wilma Overbeek (middle) and Matteo Mongroo (right) giving food to the community.

As workers distributed free produce in the Student Commons, Marina Walsworth, a fourth-level graphic design student, collected her assortment of strawberries, bananas, oranges and various vegetables while expressing heartfelt gratitude.

“It brought people together,” said Walsworth. “Everybody is kind of struggling right now, I never would have dreamed of this being possible.”

The free farmers market was hosted by the Students’ Association and Quality Produce in the E-building on April 3.

“Groceries are really expensive right now,” said Summar Bourada, the marketing manager of the SA. “There’s a lot going on and it’s just kind of a way to show our appreciation and encourage healthy eating, healthy lifestyle. And make sure everybody eats food securely.”

Bourada said the market was an opportunity for the SA to give back to the students in need.

According to Statistics Canada, nearly one in five Canadians report some kind of food insecurity.

“As the equity, diversity and inclusion coordinator for the SA, I am all about hosting fun events that make everyone feel supported, and this event did that,” said Tatanisha Riggan. “As we approach final assessment week, we understand that many students can benefit from healthy fruits and vegetables to support them.”

The SA heard of Quality Produce through an affordable produce market which took place three times within the last few months at Conestoga College in Kitchener.

According to the owner of Quality Produce, Joshua Overbeek, international students are struggling with four main issues: fresh food, affordable food, jobs and housing.

“I can’t help with housing, but with fresh and affordable foods and with jobs, absolutely,” said Overbeek.

Quality Produce has been creating programs that give jobs to people who are struggling by using their help to acquire and give away free food.

Briet Savard Gudjonsdottir, a fourth-level graphic design student, said she doesn’t believe most students usually eat fruits and vegetables. She said this is due to the rising costs of produce and the unhealthy eating habits students often adopt.

Overbeek emphasized the importance of fresh produce because of its impact on mental health and overall spirit.

“It can really impact the way you think. Good food is really important to that,” he said.

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1,000 free glasses quickly scooped up hours before eclipse

SA helps students wishing to safely view this rare event

Ben Fleguel

Photos: Ben Fleguel

April 10, 2024
Revised: April 10, 2024 3:06pm

Photo: Ben Fleguel

Izach Carberry, a game development student, watches the beginning of the eclipse with his friends.

In preparation for the total solar eclipse on April 8, the Students’ Association purchased 1,000 pairs of eye-protecting glasses, which were much more popular than anticipated.

“We weren’t even sure if we were doing it ourselves,” said Alain Cyr-Russo, senior manager for the SA. “We didn’t know if we were going to get popular.”

The giveaway started at 10 a.m. and by 11:15 a.m. the SA had run out of glasses and were forced to put up their sold-out sign.

Typically, the glasses would have cost around $15 each, but Cyr-Russo said that because of the bulk order, the SA got them for $2 each.

“About two weeks ago, I was looking into it and was like, you know what? I’ll buy 1,000 pairs and give them out for free,” said Cyr-Russo.

Not all the glasses were given away on the Ottawa campus; 100 pairs went to Pembroke and 160 pairs went to Perth.

Students gather outside of E building as the solar eclipse starts to reach it's peak — Students gather outside of E-building as the solar eclipse starts to reach its peak. Photo credit: Ben Fleguel

The glasses came with instructions cautioning users not to use them if they are damaged, torn, punctured or separated. The glasses instructions also cautioned against using them for more than three continuous minutes.

Paul Gardner, the college’s director of risk management, sent a final memo the morning before the eclipse. The memo urged students to only view the eclipse through certified eye protection.

A Level 2 police foundations student, Elizabeth Gallo, got a pair of glasses before the SA sold out. She planned to watch the eclipse with friends on campus.

“We didn’t want to drive anywhere, but our original plan was to go watch at the beach,” said Gallo. “I think we’re just going to sit on the rocks outside of X-building.”

Gallo was worried about the risks of driving during the eclipse and decided it was safer to stay on campus despite her final class ending two hours before the start of the eclipse.

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The Croutons take home a 3-on-3 basketball tournament title

Five teams fought for the chance to win a free meal at at the Wolves Den Restaurant

Jude Osmond

Photos: Jude Osmond

April 10, 2024
Revised: April 10, 2024 11:07am

Photo: Jude Osmond

The Croutons ( Spencer Blackburn on the left,Etoin Ostrovski in the middle and Quinn Ua'siaghail on the right.)

The Students’ Association hosted a 3-on-3 basketball tournament on Friday, April 5 in the Jack Doyle Recreation Centre.

Five teams competed in the tournament: Local Heroes, Croutons, Big Baller Crew, The Coyotes and The Landlords.

Scoring for the 10-minute games was played with 1s and 2s, which means any shot inside the three-point line is worth one point, and any shot outside the line is worth two points.

Each team had one timeout, and if a foul was committed, that meant the other team got one free throw. The winning team received vouchers for a free meal at the Wolves Den restaurant.

The event started at 1 p.m., with the first game being the Coyotes against the Local Heroes. The game ended with the local heroes slaughtering the Coyotes 18-3.

Local heroes player Vincenzo Scarsella said his team has been working on their chemistry for a long time.

“We’ve played together since grade three,” he said.

Gavin Cachagee from the Local Heroes( in yellow) looking for a pass — Gavin Cachagee from the Local Heroes (in yellow) looking for a pass. Photo credit: Jude Osmond

The Croutons and the Landlords played the next game. The Croutons ended up handing out the mercy rule to the Landlords, beating them 21-3 in a game where the Croutons dominated from the start.

“I think we understood when to shoot and when to pass the ball,” said Croutons player Spencer Blackburn.

The Big Baller Crew arrived, led by Jeremiah Jocelyn, and put on a show. They won three out of four games, including an upset win against the Croutons, eight to six.

Their only loss came against the Local Heroes after Gabe Primerano knocked down a big three-pointer to seal the game five to four for the Local Heroes.

The last game to determine the seeding was between the two juggernaut teams of the tournament: Local Heroes and the Croutons.

The game got away from the Local Heroes after Croutons player Quinn Ua’siaghail made shot after shot.

The seeding was set. The Croutons, Big Baller Crew and Local Heroes all finished with the same record: three wins and one loss.

The Croutons won first place because they scored the most points, which earned them an automatic ticket to the finals.

The semifinal game was set with the Local Heroes against Big Baller Crew in a very hard-fought game.

Big Baller Crew finished the job within the game’s final minutes, earning their ticket to the finals facing the Croutons.

The big game started and The Croutons must of have been hungry because they pulled away quickly and won the game with ease. Winning them selves a free meal at the Wolves Den.

“It feels great,” said Croutons forward Etoin Ostrovski. “We played terribly in the first game against these guys, and it took a lot of grit and grind.”

Did his team make any adjustments they made after losing to Big Baller Crew in the first game?

“Of course,” Ostrovski said with a laugh. “We won.”

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