FEIA wins Ontario prep basketball championship in upset against Ridley

A smalltown school made big waves Sunday night at the Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre where the Fort Erie International Academy (FEIA) Falcons defeated defending champion Ridley College to win the Ontario Scholastic Basketball Association (OSBA) men’s championship.

Fort Erie started the season with a loss to Ridley last October in a home game, but came all the way around, playing the same Ridley team and winning 64-62 in the finals.

The championship game remained tight into the final seconds after Ridley mounted a late push, but Fort Erie held the lead after entering halftime ahead 39-29 and maintaining control for most of the game.

Guard Promis Nlandu of Montreal led Fort Erie with 28 points and was named tournament MVP. Nlandu, who has committed to George Washington University in Washington, D.C. next season, delivered several late baskets that kept Ridley from completing its comeback.

Ridley guard Caleb Roberts finished with 25 points, including several late scores that narrowed the margin to two. Fort Erie secured the final rebound after a missed Ridley shot on the last possession to seal the title.

Fort Erie reached the championship after defeating Cambridge International Academy by 20 points in the quarterfinal round on March 6, then beating Royal Crown School by four points in the semifinal on March 7.

Michael Clarkson, a consultant with FEIA and longtime Canadian basketball scout, told Fort Erie Radio the program’s growth is part of a broader rise in Canadian prep school basketball, where players often train daily and compete in provincial and national development programs while pursuing university scholarships.

“Prep school basketball in Canada is way beyond the calibre of public and Catholic schools. They’re basically students who want to earn an academic or athletic scholarship to a major university, so the calibre of play is out of sight,” said Clarkson.

He pointed to coaching as a central factor in Fort Erie’s rise, identifying Kem Osiay and Steve Houston as key figures behind the teams’ success.

“These coaches really put their players’ feet to the fire,” said Clarkson.

The academy has sent dozens of players to Canadian and U.S. university programs in recent years, and Clarkson pointed to former FEIA player Leonard Miller as a recent example of the school’s reach after he entered the NBA draft out of the academy and currently plays for the Chicago Bulls.

“It tells the community they’re pumping out players of international calibre,” said Clarkson.

The program’s reputation has grown quickly in the past several seasons as Fort Erie’s teams compete against top prep programs across the country.

“People wonder, ‘What the heck? Fort Erie is a national basketball center?’ It’s kind of surprising in a way, and it’s only been the last few years,” said Clarkson.

The academy’s women’s team also had a strong season, finishing 17-5 overall and reaching the OSBA semifinal before losing 75-65 to Crestwood Prep. The team had defeated C.O.D.E. Academy 110-53 in the play-in round and edged Capital Courts Academy 55-53 in the quarterfinal.

Clarkson said the women’s program is expected to remain competitive next season with several nationally ranked players returning, including Ottawa’s Portia Reisen, Netherlands youth national team player Aisha Van Stein, Quebec guard Kelly-Anna Hyacinthe and Waterloo’s Jaeda Tomlin.

“These are not just basketball players, they’re good academically, they’re good people.”

The academy has also begun expanding its campus, acquiring the former Gilmore Lodge seniors residence to convert into a student dormitory as part of a push to grow enrolment.

“The expansion hopefully will bring in more students from Niagara Region, even though it’s an international school with students from all over the world.”

Fort Erie’s men’s team will next compete at the Canada Hoops Circuit National Championships scheduled for March 23 to March 29 in Toronto. Clarkson expects FEIA to remain among the top national contenders this season.

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