In the opening round, held in Vancouver: …………………………………………………… The Vancouver King George Dragons pounded the Prince George Duchess Park Condors 78-55 as Aaron Point scored 29, Karmali 16, Waddell 14, Dhalla 11 and Gutierrez 8. John McDonald led the Condors with 20. Louis Ntapas added 12, Foucher 8, Clare 8, Cam Young 4 and Mariotto 3. The Condors (coached by Dave Fulks) also included Jesse Power, Shane Brittons. …………………………………………………… The Coquitlam Centennial Centaurs clipped the Terrace Caledonia Kermodes 81-74 after leading 46-30 at the half. Greg Nyte paced the Centaurs with 18. Towers added 17, Austin 16, Parolin 15, Paul Briggs 10, Linton 4 and Falk 1. Stacey Cook paced the Kermodes with 18. Mike Hogg added 14, Ross Dickie 14, Sean Moldenhauer 13, Wade Watson 9, Steve Gagne 4 and Kelly Derksen 2. The Kermodes (coached by Phil Letham) also included Steve Cook, Jud Takhar, Rob Essay. …………………………………………………… The Richmond Colts clubbed the defending champion Abbotsford Panthers 84-69. “I didn’t know what to expect,” Colts coach Bill Drisbow told the Terrace Herald. “They gave us a pretty good ball game but I think our pressure got to them. I thought it would be the best matchup of the day; it just didn’t turn out that way.” Rod Ast paced the Colts with 27. Ray Doyle added 14, Steve Taylor 11, along with 15 boards, Robin Lawson 10, Lamond 9, Campbell 4, Olafson 4, Sheardown 2, Pavelich 2 and Hansen 1. Ast told the Richard Observor that “this is the best time for the team to come together and we thought the word ‘Harambe’ (a Swahili term for togetherness) summed it up.” Drisbow said “we made things happen out there. … We put good pressure on the team and made the game go our way. I thought we fouled too much and although we rebounded better and ran better than usual, I thought we relaxed at the end.” Richmond led 18-14 after one quarter and then took command with a 10-0 run. Brian Phillip-Stewart led the Panthers with 23. Tony Whitfield added 15, Ace Brar 14, Will Reitsma 9, Friesen 4, Goertzen 2, Brian Christianson 1 and Woelke 1. The Panthers (coached by Norm Bradley) also included Pat Huestis, Men McIntee, Woelker, …………………………………………………… The Steveston Packers dumped the Parkland Panthers 73-60 after leading 39-30 at the half. Vic Williams led the Packers with 27. Davies added 14, Reid Tsujita 8, Bindra 6, Hall 6, Schlossarek 6, Brown 4 and Dan Stanton 2. Reserve Reid Tsujita was thrown into the frey when starter Time Defert tore his ACL in the first half and Stanton found himself in foul trouble. Tsujita told the Richmond Observor that limited minutes over the previous two years were an asset. “It felt really good because I didn’t get much playing time this season. … Dan got into foul trouble early and I got a chance to play.” Packers coach Ken Chappell said “I have lots of confidence in all these kids and I don’t hesitate to use my bench. Reid is our best penetrating ballplayer – and we were having trouble penetrating. He’s also our quickest and he played very well.” Kevin Ottewell paced the Panthers (coached by Joe Milligan) with 19. Tom Johnson added 16, Steve Hodges 9, Mike McCulloch 8, Andrew McKay 6 and Ron Green 2. …………………………………………………… The Clearbrook Mennonite Educational Institute Eagles whipped the Kelowna Okanagan Mission Huskies 68-47 as Ken Scott dominated the boards and scored 17. Pankratz added 11, Dyck 10, Born 8, Thiessen 6, Rick Janzen 6, Rempel 6, Ron Janzen 2 and Falk 2. “They weren’t having much success getting the ball inside,” Eagles coach Ed Balzer told the Terrace Herald. Al Reid led the Huskies with 17. Gary Taylor added 12, Stewart 9, Ladner 4, Fox 2, Johnson 2 and Harold Henderson 1. …………………………………………………… The Vancouver Killarney Cougars clubbed the Nanaimo District Islanders 84-57 after exploding to a 22-8 lead. Cougars coach Ted Cusick told the Terrace Herald “I was jittery but they were pumped up and ready to go.” Paul Verrett led the Cougars with 25. Zellar added 15, Beaumont 8, Staley 6, McDonald 6, Wong 6, Grant 5, Barber 4, Todd Corrigan 4, Wright 2, Carroll 2 and Sammy 1. Lee Ranger led the Islanders with 9. Vink added 8, Darryl Britz 8, Scott Liebich 8, Roger Schmidt 8, Ron Butterworth 6, Martin 4, Dave Marshall 2, Mike Ganderton 2 and Gord Cawthorne 2. The Islanders (coached by Gordon Graham) also included Johnson, Cookson. …………………………………………………… The North Vancouver Windsor Dukes smacked the Cranbrook Mount Baker Trojans 75-54 as Jason Brinham scored 20, Dave Lodgins 19, Schimmer 18, Bustos 8, Bennett 4, Allsopp 4 and Morgan 2. Dukes coach Phil Langley said the squad started slowly “but when we hit our stride, we were all right.” Brian Beaulac paced the Trojans with 24. Joe Illes added 10, Bill Lindsay 10, Warren McCall 4, Hauprich 4 and Dave Burr 2. The Trojans (manager? A McCall) also included Cam Ratcliffe, Richard Kennedy, Mike Boehmer, Randy Liebelt, Toby Knudsen, Pat Christoff, David Quinn and Bill Nelson. …………………………………………………… The Penticton Lakers dispatched the West Vancouver Hillside Highwaymen 85-73 as Geoff MacKay scored 38, Smithson 16, Nick Lazik 14, Kiranas 12 and Palmer 5. Cam Strong led the Highwaymen with 19. Colin Dixon 18, Anderegg 14, Wilson 12, Rhys Duggan 8 and Dafoe 2. The Highwaymen also included Greg Zavebiuk, Colin Gibson.
In the quarterfinals, the Steveston Packers defeated the Clearbrook Mennonite Educational Institute Eagles 87-66 as Gareth Davies scored 28, Vic Williams 25, Brown 17, Bindra 11, Tsulita 4 and Byers 2. Williams told the Richmond Observor that “we played the Packers style. We have to be intense to win.” Packers coach Kent Chappel said Gareth Davies “is a phenomenal shooter. He played the whole game for us and when that happens, we usually win. … We were more aggressive under the boards. Both teams played a physical game and I’m impressed we did so well against a larger team … When we scouted them earlier, we thought MEI’s forwards were a little slow in coming back. We thought we could exploit that with a press.” The Packers led 14-12 after one quarter and 42-29 at the half. Ken Scott led the Eagles with 17. Jay Pankratz added 14, Matt Born 11, Ray Dyck 7, Sean Beasley 6, Rick Janzen 5, Stan Thiessen 4 and Mark Klassen 2. The Eagles (coached by Ed Balzer) also included Ron Janzen, Rempel, Al Falk.
The Coquitlam Centennial Centaurs edged the Vancouver King George Dragons 77-76 in overtime as Paul Briggs scored 27, Greg Nyte 24, Austin 12, Towers 8 and Parolin 6. Aaron Point scored 24 to pace the Dragons (coached by Michael Potkonjak). Amin Dhalia added 14, Gutierrez 12, Waddell 8 and Hanif Kharmali 8.
The Richmond Colts stunned the top-seeded North Vancouver Windsor Dukes 75-66 as Dave Olaffson scored 24, while nabbing 13 boards, Rod Ast 20, Taylor 14, Lawson 9, Ray Doyle 4, Lamond 2 and Hansen 2. Colts coach Bill Drisbow told the Richmond Observor that his troops got the bounces and the calls. “Sure, I thought we got some breaks. The ball seemed to go our way all night. I guess a Windsor win was just never meant to be.” The Colts led 23-14 after one quarter and 36-34 at the half. Olaffson said “I knew I’d play a lot better tonight (than in the lower Mainland playoffs). I thought we would win by a comfortable margin.” Dave Lodgins led the Dukes with 23. Jason Brinham added 13, Bennett 12, Dave Bustos 10, Tom Schimmer 6 and Allsopp 2. The Dukes also included Morgan.
In the last quarterfinal, the Vancouver Killarney Cougars defeated the Penticton Lakers 79-64 as Paul Verrett scored 19, Todd Corrigan 18, McDonald 14, Zeller 11, Staley 9, Beaumont 6 and Barber 2. Geoff McKay led the Lakers with 17. Nick Lazic added 14, Palmer 13, Smithson 10, Saran 4, Nagac 2, Pilz 2 and Kiranas 2.
In the semis, the Steveston Packers rallied from an 11-point deficit in their quarter as Gareth Davies hit two 30-foot jumpers to key a 19-0 run and lead Steveston past the Coquitlam Centennial Centaurs 59-55. Gareth Davies finished with 18. Ryan Brown added 18, Vic Williams 17, Bira Bindra 2, Hall 2 and Stanton 2. Brett Austin paced the Centaurs with 17. Greg Nyte added 14, Briggs 13, Towers 5, Parolin 4 and Linton 2. Centennial led 37-28 in the third quarter but Steveston took command with a 17-0 run.
In the other semi, the Richmond Colts edged the Vancouver Killarney Cougars 76-74 as David Olaffson 28, Steve Taylor 21, Ray Doyle 12, Ast 10 and Lawson 5. Richmond trailed 48-44 but rallied with a 10-0 run. Olaffson hit a bucket to give Richmond a 75-74 lead and Steve Taylor iced it with a free throw with six seconds to play. Paul Verret led the Cougars with 28. McDonald added 15, Beamont 8, Zeller 8, Staley 6, Barber 5 and Corrigan 4.
In the bronze medal match, the Vancouver Killarney Cougars edged the Coquitlam Centennial Centaurs 72-69 as Paul Verret scored 34, Geoff Beamont 13, Staley 12, McDonald 5, Corrian 4, Zeller 4 and Barber 2. Greg Nyte paced the Centaurs with 32. Brett Austin added 14, Dave Parolin 9, Towers 6, Paul Briggs 4 and Linton 2. The Centaurs also included Jason Windslade, Falk, Ian Briggs.
A record-breaking 45 points from Gareth Davies led the Steveston Packers to the 1984 provincial crown in a performance coach Kent Chappell referred to as “absolutely phenomenal.” Davies was unstoppable in the finals as Steveston defeated the Richmond Colts 84-59 for the fourth time in five games during the season. The Steveston guard hit .714 from the floor, scored his team’s first six points and finished with 12 in the first quarter. After the Colts rallied to within three, he completely took over the game. “I don’t think anyone on Richmond could have stopped him tonight,” said teammate Vic Williams. Coach Kent Chappell added that “Gareth likes to put on a show in front of a packed house. He was absolutely phenomenal.” After Richmond had rallied to within three, “those were not easy shots. The first of those two times, he drove to the basket and went up with a guy right on top of him. He’s a money ballplayer. If we know he’s on, we’ll keeping going to him for 40 minutes if he keeps hitting. … We knew they couldn’t keep up with us for 40 minutes if we kept running. I just asked my guys to run so hard I’d have to pick them up off the floor at the end of the game. You never know what to expect when Steveston and Richmond play. You can’t say you’re going to win beforehand. But if you’re going to win, the whole team has to play all out for 40 minutes.” Richmond forward David Olafsson noted that Davies “is a winner when he comes to play. He gets in his mind that his team is not going to lose. He takes it upon himself to personally ensure that they don’t. He has spent as much time working on his game as anyone in the province. He sleeps with his basketball. I think it’s terrible that he was not the MVP.” Davies told the Richmond Observor that “I was pretty confident that I’d have a good game because I can shoot over Richmond’s guards. And when I hit my first five or six shots, I knew we’d all have a good night.” Along with Davies’ 45 points, which was achieved on a 20-28 effort from the floor and 7-9 from the line, Steveston received 16 from 6-3 grade 11 student Ryan Brown. Vic Williams added 8, Danny Stanton 7, defensive specialist Bira Bindra 4, along with 5 steals, Reid Tsujita 2 and Kevin Schlossarek 2, while 6-2 guard Gordon Hall, Tim Defert (injured), Joey Cox, Bruce Watson, Randy Byers, Gavin Elrick and Adam Korst were scoreless. Rod Ast paced the Colts with 20. Robin Lawson added 12, David Olaffson 10, Steve Taylor 8, Leigh Hansen 5, Ramond Doyle 2 and Scott Campbell 2, while Darrel Steinberg, Mike Neselja, keith Falconer, Jim Lamond, Steve Sheardown, Steve Pavelich, Graeme Kiss and Darren Latrace were scoreless. Steveston assistant coach Dennis Begin had coached Creston Prince Charles to an AA title in 1979. Davies said “that was my best game ever in high school by about 10 points. You talk about all the stars aligning. It was one of those games you have on the playground when you’re just fooling around and everything goes in. But I was fortunate to have 5,000 people watching me. That night, everything went my way.” Colt coach Bill Drisbow told the Richmond Observor that “it was frustrating because I think with this group of kids, there is just something about Steveston. I think that had we played anyone else, we would have done it.” Ast said “once (Davies) gets the ball, the game’s almost over. The only defence against him is to try to deny him the ball. … The Packers were tougher, both mentally and physically. They deserved to win.” Davies constantly taunted the Colts. “They deserved the taunts,” he said. “They got all the ink and publicity all year and they were so sure they were going to win. They’ve always been the cocky team. … We knew there was no way in the world Richmond could beat us. And they knew it too. We knew we could intimidate them and that’s what happened.” The Packers led 20-15 after one quarter and 42-34 at the half. Chappel said “we knew they couldn’t keep up with us for 40 minutes if we kept running. I just asked my guys to run so hard I’d have to pick them up off the floor at the end of the game.” Drisbow said mid-game adjustments were problematic. “We can’t adjust well. My guys just haven’t played enough basketball to be able to do that well on the court.” After the season, Chappell retired for at least a year. “I would like to see what life is like without Steveston basketball.”
The bronze medalist Vancouver Killarney Cougars: Paul Verret; Geoff Beaumont; Staley; McDonald; Todd Corrigan; Norm Zeller; Barber; Wong; Grant; Wright; Carroll; Sammy; coach Ted Cusick
The silver medalist Richmond Colts: Steve Taylor; David Olaffson; Rod Ast; Robin Lawson; Leigh Hansen; Raymond Doyle; Scott Campbell; Jim Lamond; Steve Sheardown; Steve Pavelich; Darrel Steinberg; Mike Neselja; Keith Falconer; Graeme Kiss; Darren Latrace; coach Bill Drisbow
The gold medalist Steveston Packers: Gareth Davies; Vic Williams; Ryan Brown; Bira Bindra; Danny Stanton; Gordon Hall; Reid Tsujita; Kevin Schlossarek; Randy Byers; Tim Defert; Joey Cox; Bruce Watson; Gavin Elrick; Adam Korst; coach Kent Chappell; assistant Dennis Begin