Veteran Parkside Leader Knocked Out of Last Two Games

Parkside Panthers were without big forward Andrew Cicuttini in the AA Senior Boys OFSAA semi-final and bronze medal game this week.

Event organizers confirmed a player from George Harvey of Toronto collided with Cicuttini during Parkside's 58-50 quarterfinal win. The two apparently hit knee-to-knee, and Cicuttini was out for the next two games. Though some questioned whether the hit was intentional, organizers said Parkside players and coaches handled the situation very well.

The loss was a big one for Parkside. While the team has a list of players who contributed points and leadership all year long, and was by no means a one-man show, Cicuttini was hot at OFSAA before he went down. He scored 27 points in the opening 81-56 win, an incredible 30 points in a 50-47 second round win, and added 17 in the quarter final win.

Cicuttini's presence on the court is an asset to Parkside in other ways. As a veteran in his final year at Parkside, he has plenty of experience in competitive, high pressure games. He's had a couple previous trips to OFSAA and was likely a calming influence on his younger teammates when needed.

According to event organizers, Westminster's big player dominated inside play against Parkside in the semi-final, with Cicuttini absent.

Also, Cicuttini's huge presence under the boards took pressure off the team's strong outside shooters. He complemented players like Quinn Henderson and Kyle Giedraitis. These players fed off each other, made each other better and gave opponents fits trying to figure out how to defend them.

With all three on the court, and players like Jeff Hunt, Ty Patterson, Sam Giles, Mike Dzikic and several others contributing as well, Parkside is a tough team to beat. If you focus on Cicuttini, then you leave Henderson, Giedraitis or someone else wide open. And vice versa.

Without one piece of the puzzle, Parkside must be a bit easier to play. Certainly, they are a different team without their tallest forward.

But without Cicuttini, the team still stepped up to beat host team Timmins who must have brought along plenty of fan support. Giedraitis scored 15 in the bronze medal winning game.

There's always ways to spin these things, but perhaps winning a game to earn a bronze might be considered more satisfying than losing a game to take silver. Regardless of everything that happened. Parkside ended on a winning note.