Lynx, Cougars In The Hunt For Championships

WELLAND – Teams from two Welland schools have reached ‘Semi-finals Friday’ in the Welland Tribune Basketball Tournament, although on different sides of the tournament bracket.

On the championship side, St. Jean-de-Brébeuf  Lynx  meet Denis Morris Reds at 6:30 p.m. The winner of that game will play the winner of the Westlane –  St. Paul  8 p.m. match, Saturday evening in the tournament championship.

The Lynx pulled off two upsets of  St. Catharines schools to make it to today’s semi-finals. They defeated Sir Winston Churchill Bulldogs in Wednesday’s opening round game, then eliminated Governor Simcoe Redcoats on Thursday.

This will be Brébeuf’s (formerly Jean Vanier) first trip to the semis.

On the consolation side of the bracket,  Centennial Cougars take on Eden Flyers  at 5 p.m. The winner of that game will play the winner of  the E.L. Crossley – Holy Cross 3:30 p.m. game, Saturday evening in the consolation championship.

The Cougars are no strangers to the tournament finals. Their most recent appearance was last year,  whey were defeated in the consolation championship. Their most recent win in the consolation championship came in 2016. They last won the tournament championship in 2018. 

All four games today are at Notre Dame.

Saturday, the consolation championship is set for 5:30 p.m., the championhip at 7 p.m. Both are at ND.

The tournament is sponsored by Policella Homes.

Spartans Oust Irish, 85-71

Westlane’s O’Shane Hall goes up for a shot against Notre Dame Fighting Irish Thursday afternoon in a second-round match at the Trib tournament. The Irish were eliminated while Westlane advanced to a semi-final matchup Friday against St. Paul Patriots of Niagara Falls. Game time is 8 p.m. at Notre Dame.

WELLAND – Westlane Spartans Thursday afternoon dashed Notre Dame’s hopes for a repeat championship at the 69th Welland Tribune Basketball Tournament.

The Niagara Falls school dominated from the early minutes of the first quarter and sent the home team Irish packing in a game played at Dillon Hall.

The Irish, who won the 2025 championship title, found themselves trailing early and despite valiant attempts at comebacks, played catch-up basketball the entire match.

The Spartans led 26-7 after the first quarter, 50-31 at the half, 72-53 after the third and 85-71 at the final buzzer.

In the other second-round game on the bracket’s championship side, Welland St. Jean-de-Brebeuf Lynx downed St. Catharines Governor Simcoe Redcoats 57-43.

The Lynx will play St. Catharines Denis Morris Reds in a championship semi-final Friday at 6:30 p.m. at Notre Dame.

More from the tournament to follow.

ND’s Krish Basnet Nil tries to advance the ball against Westlane Spartans defenders in a second-round Welland Tribune Basketball Tournament game Thursday at Notre Dame./Joe Barkovich photos.

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Please support/attend this much-loved community event

The 15th Annual Julia’s Hope Cup is happening on Saturday, February 14th!


Julia’s Hope Cup is a heartfelt celebration of the life of Julia Turner and her humanitarian spirit, while raising funds in support of The Hope Centre.


This family-friendly event is FREE to attend and open to everyone in the Welland community. Join us for a meaningful day of remembrance, community, and hope.


More details coming soon ./ Supplied graphic

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Please support/attend this informative community event

The Welland Canal and the city of Welland are deeply interconnected. Join us as we celebrate the history of the canal and the city, examining how they grew together at our “Growing as One” exhibit opening on January 15th, from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. More information to come! /Supplied graphic