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By TOM MICHIBATA Oakville Beaver staff Halton Secondary Schools Athletic Association ath- letic convenor Peter Moore and Vern Lucyk, coach of current two-time Halton champion Lester B. Pearson point to the fine feeder school and minor basketball programs in Burlington. The East is least and the West is best. That might be the most succinct way of summing up high school boys hoops wars in Halton Region. For a number of reasons, the quality of ball goes up once you step into Burlington. Just check the records. A glance at the list of Halton champions again bears out the theory. West schools have won the title the last three years and 10 of the last 12. Only Loyola, with titles in 1989â€"90, has been able to interrupt the run . Not surprisingly, Pearson and MMR have won the last three Halton titles, facing each other in the final twice. Entering tonight’s (Friday, 8 pm.) 16th Annual Halton Classic all-star game at T.A. Blakelock, the West has captured seven of the past eight showdowns and the last four in a row. The East won six consecutive games from 1979 to 1984. But it’s been all West since. MacMillan and Rolling Meadows are powerhouses in Halton public elementary circles send students right into Pearson and MM. Robinson, respectively. STAR LIGHT STAR BRIGHT “There is a very strong elementary school program in Burlington,” Moore said. “Burlington also has a strong minor basketball association â€" it’s 2575 Dundas St W., Miss. [ (1 kmeastofAikenheads The Pnoe Club) Tradition calls for Burlington to shine when high school basket- ball ’s best players meet tonight in the 16th annual Halton Classic 828-7 682 E HEARTH MANOR The SELECT 1 GROUP FUTURE FLAMES Fireplace Clearance Centre Energy Efiiciency Experts Gas Fireplaces BE ENERGY SMART... CHOOSE NATURAL GAS Make the smart choice with a natural gas fireplace. About 16¢ an ‘hour to operate. Starts up with the flip of a SWItch. No wood to buy, haul, store orchop. No ashes to clean up or flying sparks to worry about. ‘1 'Pn'ceatb HameDesig109naa HeanIIMmor _ :1 847 -117 9 338-927 6 Call a member Union Gas Fireplace Dealer today! , l_ really taken off in the last four or five years. The kids have camps in the summer. That carries over to the ele- mentary system which carries over to high school.” “Rick McArthur (coach of MacMillan boys) has a feeder school invitational tournament every year at Pearson,” Lucyk explained. “The kids are taken out of the small-gym atmosphere and get to play on the big floor.” Not only do Burlington players take their basketball seriously but so do their coaches. Lucyk, for example, has coached in Halton for 24 seasons â€" the first 15 at Blakelock-- winning four titles at LBP and four at TAB. Pearson is labelled as a basketball factory but Lucyk works hard to maintain the school’s fine reputation. Every summer, he and the other coaches take a group of about 30 midget, junior and senior Pearson players to a U.S. camp in Pittsburgh, Penn. to gain exposure to highâ€" calibre coaching and players. The school also invites American teams up for exhibition games. “If you’ve got the ability, we’ll bring it out of you,” Lucyk said. And Pearson's success, Moore notes, leads to increased awareness and competition. TAB’s Jim Noble, who is coaching the Volpe side, notes that there are schools in the Volpe "which don’t have teams in all (age) divisions.” NO PAYMENTS FOR 120 DAYS! 1200 South ServiceRd. W» NOTES: There are two last-minute scratches. Kevin O’Donnell of EC. Drury is replaced by teammate Garth Moore and MMR star Richard Clarke is being replaced by teammate Glen Buttigieg...The game is preceded by three- point shooting and slam dunk contests. Natural gas is cleaner burning than wood, so it's kinder to the environment. Can be installed in almost any room in your house. Mon. Tues. 20.00 32.95 Wed. thru Fri. 27.00 38.95 Special prices on power carts â€" Mom-Tues. Beautiful dinin facilities â€" Indoor or patios. Call for detai â€" book your tournament now, before all the best dates are one. Limited memberships availa le. “Do your driving on the fairways, not on country side-roads.” GOLFERS Conveniently located on the QEW between Toronto and Hamilton, central to Mississauga, Oakville, Burlington, Milton, as well as Toronto and Hamilton. ! l . :l \â€"n m. 1' ll ' ‘ â€"1 GOLF TOURNAMENT (near Canadian Tue) “One of the best courses in the area” At Lower Prices 2363 NORTH SERVICE RD. AT BRONTE RD. THIS YEAR EXPERIENCE DecemfljficeM 572 Kerr SL Oaktown Plaza '<B(BII" MEMBER UNION GAS FIREPLACE DEALER ORGANIZATION OAKVILLE - 847-5555 GREEN GREEN FEES WITH FEES COMPLETE DINNER for your IL 5 9-1 $5W”IJA‘-‘-‘“‘ GOLF CLUB 33.: ng. I