The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

www.insideHALTON.com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Thursday, December 17, 2015 | 46 Kevin Nagel Sports Editor sports@oakvillebeaver.com Sports "Connected to your Community" Royals over Titans in clash of unbeaten senior teams By Herb Garbutt Metroland West Media Elijah Lostracco (right) of the Holy Trinity Titans battles with Bishop Reding Royals' Payne Wood (left) and Xavier Achu (centre) for possession of the ball during Tuesday's Halton high school senior boys' basketball action at the Holy Trinity gym. Bishop Reding won 62-54 in a battle of two undefeated teams. | Photo by Justin Greaves ­ Oakville Beaver The Bishop Reding Royals had just closed the opening half on a 16-2 run, punctuated by a pair of lastminute threes by Jordan Brathwaite. For the Holy Trinity Titans, it had to be deflating. In a battle of the Halton's only undefeated Tier 1 teams, the Titans had led the defending champs for much of the opening half, up by as much as five points in the second quarter. With each basket, the crowd inside Trinity's gym roared a little louder and Ezeoha Santiago's dunk at the end of the first quarter that put the Titans up 12-10 brought them to their feet. But after Brathwaite high-jacked the game, scoring his team's last 10 points of the half, the gym had fallen silent, save for the outnumbered Reding fans. Suddenly facing an 11-point deficit against the league's best defensive team, the Titans delivered what could turn out to be a defining moment of their season. Holy Trinity responded with 27 points in the third quarter to regain the lead. And though they eventually came up short, 62-54, in what was a one-possession game in the final minute, they proved the Halton title is still up for grabs. "I'm proud of the way we came back. We didn't rush to get back into it. The guys didn't quit or get discouraged," said Trinity coach Andrew Saulez. "You're never happy in losing, but it was a good ball game. It could have gone either way and that keeps us motivated." Bishop Reding was the pre-season favourite with a lineup that remained virtually unchanged except for the loss of Christian David, now attending the Vermont Academy in the U.S. The Royals further cemented their status with recent wins at the Campion Showdown and Sullivan Memorial tournaments. Trinity, with just one returning starter from the team that lost to Reding in last year's semifinals, seemed oblivious to the fact it was an underdog, opening up an early lead and again rallying in the third. Down 34-23, Trinity wasted little time erasing the deficit. Another Santiago slam lit a spark and Chris Hankins' three-ball brought the Titans back to life. After another key defensive stop, Elijah Lostracco cut the lead to four. Trailing by eight, Trinity showed off the shooting prowess that helped it build its early lead. The Titans hit threes on four successive possessions -- two by Santiago, who finished with a team-high 21 points, and one each by Hankins and Lostracco. Having drawn the defence out, Hankins then drove to the hoop, getting the basket and drawing a foul for a three-point play that put Trinity ahead 45-43. "I wasn't surprised to see them make another run, I just didn't expect it to be the whole third quarter," said Reding coach Ron Esteban. "They've got five guys who can do a bit of everything. They can shoot, they can drive, they can defend." Brathwaite, who finished with 24 points, would again turn the tide midway through the final quarter, scoring seven straight for BR to turn a 50-47 deficit into a 5450 advantage. A Jalen Warren three with 1:13 left would prove to be a fatal blow to Trinity's hopes, upping the lead to 57-52. Five points from the line in the final 30 seconds padded Reding's margin. Hankins, who finished with 18 points, saw positives in the Titans' effort, but also areas in which they could improve. "I think we moved the ball pretty well. We shot the ball well," the 6-foot-5 guard said. "We could have attacked the basket more. We've got to keep the turnovers down and we can defend better. We did well, but we can do better." And if the teams were to meet again in the Halton final? "Oh yeah, we'd like a second chance," Hankins said. New MeNu minimum $50 Purchase one coupon per visit 52 Signature Wing Flavours · 20 Delicious AAA Burgers Book your party now!! $10 OFF $5 OFF minimum $25 Purchase one coupon per visit 379 Speers Rd., @ Dorval 905-338-5458