BRAMPTON — After years of frustration the St. Edmund Campion Bears have won the Region of Peel Secondary School Athletic Association (ROPSSAA) Tier 1 senior boys’ basketball championship.

The Bears, who have had to settle for the silver medal four times in their previous ROPSSAA senior finals, are wearing the crown after a thrilling 53-51 victory over the St. Marguerite d’Youville Panthers on Monday at Sheridan College. The Panthers, the winners of five of the last six ROPSSAA titles, had beaten the Bears in three of Campion’s previous four finals appearances.

That made the victory especially sweet for players like C.J. Bennett, one of the Bears’ captains, who said his team wanted to win this game badly after some playoff disappointments in past years, and with many of the players in their final year of high school.

“This will really help our confidence,” said Bennett, as they look to the Ontario Federation of Schools Athletic Association (OFSAA) 4A tournament in Windsor beginning on Monday.

Bennett who had 35 points in the Bears semifinal win over the Father Goetz Gators was a key defensive contributor to the win, a role he relishes.

“Defense wins championships,” said Bennett. Despite trailing by 12 points in the third quarter the Bears never gave up. Campion head coach Omar Miles said he was proud of how his team came back against a team that is very difficult to mount a comeback against.

“They know how to win and they have such a good coach,” said Miles of the Panthers. “I think having some close games in the playoffs before really helped us in this game.”

While the Bears were the No. 1 seed entering the ROPSSAA playoffs, they were tested in both their playoff wins, winning by four against the Castlebrooke Dragons and then by five in their semifinal over the Father Goetz Gators.

Miles admitted the Bears had some luck on their side to. Devonte Daniels made a basket which put the Bears ahead by two points with 45 seconds remaining, With less than 20 seconds remaining and the Bears still ahead by two the Panthers Christien Gould, who Miles said is “probably the best three-point shooter in the province,” had an open corner shot which improbably rolled around the rim, went partway down the basket before rolling out.

After a Campion turnover the Panthers had one more three-pointer attempt by Ovie Eyamano, which also did not go down.