In the wildcard game, the North Vancouver Handsworth Royals stomped the Clearbrook Mennonite Educational Institute Eagles 83-58. The Eagles (coached by Rich Ralston) also included Tyson Barkman, Kit Williams, Sam Dooley, Steve Wiebe.
In the opening round: …………………………………………………… The Abbotsford W.J. Mouat Hawks defeated the Cranbrook Mount Baker Wild 83-76 as Josh Isaak scored 20. Nathan Dickson added 16 for the Hawks, while Brian Lee scored 13, Jarrett Borsoi 9, Scott McCormick 7, Jamie Bath 6, Jas Dhaliwal 6, Scott Bishop 4 and Amar Dhaliwal 2. Garold Gipman paced the Wild with 19 points. Justin Klein added 18, and Harvey Bradford 14, along with 12 boards. Cory Anselmo scored 12, Chris Miller 6, Aaron Becking 4 and Scott Anderson 2. The Hawks used their superior size to great advantage. “We just helped each other,” said Hawk forward Josh Isaak. …………………………………………………… The Vancouver Killarney Cougars whipped the Prince George Polars 86-58 as Keith Nath scored 15. Zaid Tabassum added 12, Colin Rasmussen 12, Evan Lloyd 11, Kyle Wiwchar 10, Tony Otim 8, Matt Araszewski 7, Jon Neville 4, Tomo Tsuchiya 3, Gordon Ning 2 and Chris Chia 2. Grant Timmers paced the Polars with 16 points. Raj Ragurha added 15, Vick Bains 6, Jas Sandhu 6 and Chris Walker 3, along with 14 boards. Mike Whitecotton scored 3, Shane Morris 3, Evan Dixon 2, Landon Hilde 2 and Sonny Thiara 2. The Cougars hadn’t been in the draw since 1987. “We talked to coach Tom Tagami about it,” said forward Keith Nath. “Eighteen years ago, was when we were born. So, we knew we had to work hard and appreciate the hard work Tag’s done.” The Cougars, fuelled by the pace of point guard Tony Otim, played with lightning-quick intensity. When the dust had settled, the North Central champion Polars had committed 33 turnovers, including 25 in the first half. Tagami said: “If we get a good start, I think we can play against anybody.” …………………………………………………… The 15th-seeded Nanaimo Wellington Wildcats defeated the 9th-seeded Pitt Meadows Marauder Air Force 62-49 as Brian Brooks scored 20, Russ McMann 12, Ryan Davidson 10, Dustin Carver 9, Danny Strain 6, Donny MacQuarrie 3 and Taylor Culpepper 2. Gary Pelton and Ian Lowrie each scored 10 to pace the Marauders. Pelton added 10 boards. Jared Caims scored 8, Rob Newth 6, Kyle Haas 6, Mike Hamze 4 and Dylan Gatner 3. The Marauders had never before lost an opening round game under legendary coach Rich Goulet, who was at a loss to describe his troops performance. “Sometimes there are telltale signs, but there were none. I thought we’d be fighting for this championship all the way.” The Marauders were unable to make the kind of defensive stops they needed to breathe life into their sputtering offence and wilted in the fourth quarter. The Marauders, who trailed just 42-41 after three quarters, shot 26 per cent (8-for-31) in the second half and didn’t score their first field goal until 4:11 remained in the game and they were adrift 56-45. When Wildcats star Brian Brooks snared an offensive rebound for a put-back basket as part of a 14-2 run to open the final quarter, Goulet threw up his hands and yelled: “How does that happen?” The Wildcats played harder and wanted it more, said Brian Brooks. “I was life or death for us at the Islands. And that really showed the character of this team.” Added Wellington coach Glenn Johnson: “We’ve won four in a row now. We’ve got our confidence back — and we’re going to need it.” …………………………………………………… The Langley Brookswood Bobcats dumped the Terrace Caledonia Kermodes 85-57 as Brent Malish scored 42 points and grabbed 13 boards. Cody Reynolds added 13, Graham Bath 11, Jackie Cheng 10, Brett Lawrie 5, John Pankratz 2 and Derek Hoschka 2. Jag Aujla paced Caledonia with 29 points. Mike Harris added 12, Aman Parmar 9, Mathew Coburn 3, Corey George 2 and Curtis Mercer 2.
In the second round: …………………………………………………… The Vancouver Kitsilano Blue Demons dumped the Kelowna Owls 93-82 as Niko Cochran scored 32. Paul Woodham added 23, Jon Pradinuk 16, Russell Whitehead 12, Scott van Boeyen 5, Rory Grace 4 and Albert Mundindi 1. Rob Dick paced the Owls with 22 points. Jon Zaleski added 16 and Will Dean 14, along with 10 boards. Danko Benic scored 8, Kealey McDonald 7, Wendell Thomas 6, Steve Lang 4, Cory Ahlers 3 and Kaid James 2. The Blue Demons shot a sizzling 58 per cent from the field, riding the red-hot downtown dialing of Grade 11 guard Niko Cochran to the win. Cochran helped key a 15-0 run between the halves with back-to-back treys that put the Blue Demons on top, 41-39, at the break. “I had the hot hand,” said Cochran. “I just tried to hit the open shot and move the ball.” It was balanced by the inside presence of Paul Woodham. “We can play with any team in the province,” said Kits coach Randy Coutts. “It’s just that you have to bring your A game four times through the provincial championships, and if you don’t bring that confidence, you’re going to be left behind.” …………………………………………………… The North Vancouver Handsworth Royals crushed the Abbotsford W.J. Mouat Hawks 93-68 as Scott Leigh scored 24, Robert Sacre 20 and Quinn Keast 19, along with 13 boards. Tyler Kepkay scored 13, Daniel Evans 8, Daniel Novak 5, Sam Chou 2 and Jamie Wallace 2. Josh Isaak paced the Hawks with 25 points. Scott McCormick added 13, Nathan Dickson 12, Jamie Bath 6, Amar Dhaliwal 5, Brian Lee 5 and Jarrett Borsoi 2. …………………………………………………… The 9th-seeded Vancouver St. George’s Saints defeated the Victoria Claremont Spartans 63-60 as Jesse Baker scored 21 and Chris Mackay 13, along with 11 boards. Bal Kong scored 13, Alex Murphy 7, D.J. Henri 5 and Aaron Vick 4. Braydon Janzen paced the Spartans with 24 points and 14 boards. Brandon Dunlop scored 15, Kamal Vaid 8, Eric Casey 6, Jeevan Grewal 5 and Brandon Gregory 2. The Saints battled foul trouble for forward Bol Kong, who picked up his fourth with 5:01 left. But the Vancouver private school trimmed a nine-point Saints’ lead down to just two (53-51) with Kong on the bench. “It might have been first-game jitters,” said Saints coach Brian Lee. “We have to do a better job in those situations where we don’t have our best players on the court.” Claremont’s Braydon Janzen’s last-gasp three-point attempt to try and send the game to overtime fell short. The Spartans practiced a last-second shot drill in their gym before concluding their final practice before heading to Vancouver because coach Lucky Walia said you never know and it could come down to that. It did, but Lucky wasn’t so lucky. Trailing 19-9 at the conclusion of the first quarter, the Spartans grimly fought their way back to come within a shot of the Saints. …………………………………………………… The 15th-seeded Nanaimo Wellington Wildcats defeated the defending and 2nd-seeded North Vancouver Argyle Pipers 80-64 as Ryan Davidson scored 35 and Russ McMann 12, along with 10 boards. Brian Brooks scored 12, Taylor Culpepper 7, Dustin Carver 5, Danny Strain 4, Marcus Webster 3 and Donny MacQuarrie 2. Sinclair Brown paced the Pipers with 18 points and 10 boards. Ben Frisby scored 17, Sean Burke 14, Kevin Shaw 8, Jesse Neate 3, Anthony Fortunaso 2 and Jorden Gildersleeve 2. The Pipers entered the tourney with a 37-2 record and had topped the provincial pools for 10 of 12 weeks. “This definitely feels like a major upset,” said senior wing Ryan Davidson, who hit three consecutive treys to open the second half and scored Wellington’s first 13 points of the second frame. Wellington coach Glenn Johnson add that “we haven’t gotten a lot of respect, but we probably will now. We’ve got another hard game. We’ll start at scratch and go at it again.” The Pipers never got it going. “If we don’t show up and play our best basketball we’re going to lose,” said coach Glen Chu. “We couldn’t find an open shot even if it found us. Whenever you compete, there is a chance that you will lose. They say that risk is proportional to reward and I don’t think you can define this team by this loss today.” Argyle led 22-19 after the first quarter before the Wildcats pulled ahead 34-32 at the half. It was still close after three quarters at 56-52 before the Wildcats put the hammer down by outscoring the Pipers 24-12 in the final quarter. …………………………………………………… The 11th-seeded Abbotsford Rick Hansen Hurricanes defeated the 6th-seeded Victoria Oak Bay Bays 94-83 as Jacob Doerksen scored 37 and grabbed 13 boards. Tony Dhaliwal scored 20 and grabbed 12 boards. Tristan Queyras scored 12 and grabbed 13 boards. Jamie Buttar scored 9, David Sharma 2, Keaton Farquar 2, Larry Onek 1 and Richard Quach 1. Jeff Cullen paced the Bays with 26 points and 9 assists. Isiah Pasquale scored 18, Jeff Cumming 15, Marek Downarowicz 6, Eliot Rushton 4, Simonas Uzdavinys 4, Bayne Pettinger 4, Rhys Jones 4 and Frank Boland 2. The Bays recovered from a 24-18 first-quarter deficit and trailed only 44-42 at the half but were unable to keep the Hurricanes from moving steadily ahead in the fourth quarter. …………………………………………………… The 3rd-seeded Richmond McMath Wildcats defeated the 14th-seeded Langley Brookswood Bobcats 86-74 as Jeff Chu scored 26. Elliott Smith scored 19 and grabbed 19 boards. Bryan Abrey scored 17 and Kyle Watson 14, while nabbing 11 boards. Kevin Hobbs scored 8 and Doug Cheung 2. Cody Reynolds led the Bobcats with 23 points. Graham Bath added 20, Brent Malish 12, John Pankratz 11, Jackie Cheng 5 and Brett Lawrie 3. The Wildcats overcame a 20-11 first quarter deficit. …………………………………………………… The top-seeded Surrey White Rock Christian Academy Warriors crushed the Vancouver Killarney Cougars 84-64 as Adam Stewart scored 27. Jeron Dillon added 21 and Tyrell Mara 14, while nabbing 19 boards and dishing 10 assists. Pete Morrison scored 8, Drew Good 5, Rob Fougner 4, Eli Mara 3 and Matthew Wirch 2. Tony Otim paced the Cougars with 23 points. Keith Nath added 9, Kyle Wiwchar 8, Colin Rasmussen 7, Zaid Tabassum 5, Evan Lloyd 5, Jon Neville 5 and Matt Araszewski 2. Tyrell Mara took only five shots but dominated the floor, drawing defensive attention and opening opportunities for his teammates, while register a triple double. “It couldn’t have worked out better,” said Mara, who was 3-for-5 from the field and 8-for-11 from the foul line in 39 minutes. “Everyone else stepped up. I don’t mind being a role player when it comes to points. Some people think leadership means you have to score 30 points. It doesn’t. It can mean getting 19 rebounds, or playing good defence, or saying the right thing at the right time. One player can’t win it all by himself. Guys like Adam and Jeron can hit shots.” …………………………………………………… The Coquitlam Centennial Centaurs whipped the New Westminster Hyacks 92-72. Herman Tesfaghebriel scored 24, John Bello 19, Jordan Winnett 11, Aymen Nurhusien 10, Surneet Rattan 4, Michael Muhumi 2 and Denver McNeney 2 for the Hyacks. Lucian Sauciuc paced the Centaurs with 22. Kelly Kilpatrick added 20, Elvis Balic 14, Adam Lochle 13, Jevon Boyde-Joseph 12, Jasper Pineda 9 and Justin Ram 2.
In the quarterfinals, the 4th-seeded North Vancouver Handsworth Royals nipped the Vancouver Kitsilano Blue Demons 62-60 as Tyler Kepkay scored 18, Scott Leigh 15, Daniel Evans 11, Robert Sacre 10, Daniel Novak 4, Matt Speakman 2 and Quinn Keast 12, along with 12 boards. Scott van Boeyen paced the Blue Demons with 17 points and 14 boards. Niko Cochran scored 14 and Paul Woodham 10, along with 11 boards. Jon Pradinuk scored 7, Chase Larson 6 and Russell Whitehead 6. Kitsilano coach Randy Coutts protested the outcome. Handsworth shooting guard Scott Leigh jumped into the passing lane and intercepted a pass from Kitsilano guard Rory Grace with just 2.7 seconds remaining and the score tied at 60. Leigh raced down court and appeared to deposit home the winning layup before the red light illuminated behind the glass backboard to signify the end of the game. Handsworth players rejoiced in the 62-60 victory, but Kitsilano head coach Randy Coutts immediately sped towards the direction of the officials table. “I protest this game right now,” Coutts shouted. A three-member panel met to determine whether the game was protestable and, over an hour later, announced that there was not a provision in the rules that allowed a protest to be filed. “The appeals committee met, reviewed the protest, reviewed the rule and the decision stands,” said tournament director John Buis. “Handsworth won the game. It’s really unfortunate that it had to come down to that, to determine a game on the last shot, but that is what happened. The referees made a call and that is the end of the game.” Added referee liaison George Oswald: “The only people that can initiate a review, even if we had the [courtside camera] equipment, are the officials.” An amateur video shot courtside of the winning hoop seemed to show that the basket was good, however, from a camera positioned at centre court above the seating section, it was difficult to determine whether there was separation of the ball from Leigh’s hand. The BCHSBBA has adopted NCAA rules and among the fine-tooth wording was a stipulation that an official recording camera needed to be within three to 12 feet of the court. “[Leigh] got the ball, I saw the shot and I looked at the clock and saw two-point something [seconds],” said Handsworth head coach Randy Storey. “He can get up and down the [full length of the] court in four [seconds] and he’s a quick kid. The ref said it was good, so …” Leigh had hit a trey off a Dan Evans feed with 1:48 remaining to give Handsworth a 60-57 lead, but Kitsilano’s Niko Cochran stepped up 24 seconds later and delivered an ice-veined three of his own from NBA range to tie the score at 60-60. “I call him the assassin because he is the assassin,” Storey remarked of Leigh. “He’s got ice water. He’ll take every shot and be happy to do it.” Leigh said he had no time to think about the clock. In fact, all he knew was that he needed to be a blur. “I knew some time had gone down, but all I thought about was I’ve got to get there as fast as I can,” said Leigh, who finished with 15 points and seven assists. “I didn’t know how much time was left so I just went.” As soon as the game ended, senior leader Tyler Kepkay gathered his team and told them that there was something greater looking after them in this tournament. “I said to them ‘Look, someone made us win this game tonight and we’re not taking anything for granted now’,” said Kepkay, who never got his shooting stroke going and hit 5-16 from the floor.
The 3rd-seeded Richmond McMath Wildcats whipped the Abbotsford Rick Hansen Hurricanes 83-57 as Kyle Watson scored 36 and Elliott Smith 16, along with 15 boards. Bryan Abrey scored 11, Doug Cheung 7, Kevin Hobbs 6, Adam Rogers 4 and Jeff Chu 3. Jamie Buttar paced the Hurricanes with 20 points. Jacob Doerksen added 16, along with 19 boards. Tony Dhaliwal scored 23, Tristan Queyras 6 and David Sharma 3. The Hurricanes also included Aseem Grover.
The 15th-seeded Nanaimo Wellington Wildcats defeated the Coquitlam Centennial Centaurs 66-53 as Ryan Davidson scored 30 and Brian Brooks 18, along with 14 boards. Russ McMann scored 7, Taylor Culpepper 6, Danny Strain 4 and Scott Sanderson 1. Kelly Kilpatrick paced the Centaurs with 17 points and 17 boards. Adam Lochle scored 12, Jevon Boyde-Joseph 9, Elvis Balic 8, Lucian Sauciuc 5 and Jansper Pineda 2. The Cinderellas captured their third consecutive tournament victory after just sneaking into the draw through the back door. They again dominated in the fourth quarter, outscoring the Centaurs 18-9.
In the last quarterfinal, the top-seeded Surrey White Rock Christian Academy Warriors defeated the Vancouver St. George’s Saints 66-38 as Jeron Dillon scored 20, Drew Good 16 and Tyrell Mara 13, along with 11 boards. Pete Morrison scored 5, Adam Stewart 4, Rob Fougner 3, Matthew Wirch 2, Will Con 2 and Jordon Mara 1. Alex Murphy paced the Saints with 12 points. Bal Kong added 9, along with 10 boards. Chris Mackay scored 9, Jesse Baker 3, Charles Argue 3, Jordan Maynard 1 and Aaron Vick 1.
In the semis, the top-seeded Surrey White Rock Christian Academy Warriors defeated the 4th-seeded North Vancouver Handsworth Royals 77-59 as Tyrell Mara scored 28 on 9-21 from the floor, 3-7 from the arc, 7-11 from the line, 12 boards and 6 assists. Jeron Dillon scored 18 on 6-8 from the arc and 5 assists. Adam Stewart scored 16 on 7-13 from the floor, 2-4 from the arc and 10 boards. Pete Morrison scored 8 on 6-6 from the line and 8 boards. Drew Good scored 4 and Jordan Mara 3, while Rob Fougner, Brian Fougner, Daniel Seimaszkiewicz, Nick Dekoster, Matthew Wirch, William Con, Ian Con, Eli Mara and Clayton Dendy were scoreless. The Warriors hit26-56 (.464) from the floor, 11-22 from the arc and 14-22 (.636) from the line, while garnering 40 boards, 13 fouls, 16 assists, 15 turnovers and 5 steals. Tyler Kepkay paced the Royals with 30 points on 12-25 from the floor, 2-11 from the arc and 4-5 from the line. Robert Sacre scored 9 on 4-13 from the floor, 8 boards and 3 blocks. Daniel Evans scored 8 on 2-2 from the arc and 9 boards. Scott Leigh scored 8 on 3-12 from the floor. Quinn Keast scored 4, while nabbing 8 boards. Ian Leslie, Sam Chou, Matt Speakman, Jamie Wallace, Richard Merinsky, Justin Muirhead and Daniel Novak were scoreless. Handsworth shot 24-63 (.381) from the floor, 6-22 (.273) from the arc and 5-6 (.833) from the line, while garnering 34 boards, 21 fouls, 13 assists, 14 turnovers, 5 blocks and 5 steals. Handsworth led 14-12 after one quarter, while White Rock led 39-23 at the half. The Warriors shot 50 per cent from beyond the arc, going 11-of- 22 from downtown, manufacturing all of those opportunities because of the stunning overall efficiency of its star, senior Tyrell (Mr. Everything) Mara, who played every position on the floor. “The answer is just one thing,” stated WRCA head coach Scott Allen, “Tyrell Mara.” Whether functioning as a high post decoy to draw defenders away from the low post, or — at 6-foot-6 — taking the ball down low and muscling hook shots over Handsworth’s 6-foot-11 Grade 10 centre Rob Sacre, Mara was the catalyst. “He matched [Sacre] weight for weight,” continued Allen of the sculpted Mara who tips the scales at 235 pounds, the same weight as Sacre. “He’s just got a little more experience. Maybe after today, Rob will take the torch.” Senior point guard Jeron Dillon was lethal from outside, shooting 6-for-8 from three-point range, his deep offerings accounting for all of his points. Forward Adam Stewart was a slasher inside, feasting along the baseline.
In the other semi, the 15th-seeded Nanaimo Wellington Wildcats defeated the 3rd-seeded Richmond McMath Wildcats 63-59 as Ryan Davidson scored 18 on 8-16 from the floor and 2-7 from the arc. Brian Brooks scored 17 on 7-13 from the floor, 3-5 from the line, 14 boards, 4 assists and 3 steals. Donny MacQuarrie scored 11 on 3-4 from the arc and 4 assists. Taylor Culpepper scored 8 on 3-6 from the floor and 1-2 from the arc. Scott Sanderson scored 3, Danny Strain 2, Dustin Carver 2 and Russ McMann 2, while Robin Ryan, Morgan Ehman and Marcus Webster were scoreless. Wellington hit 25-54 (.453) from the floor, 7-18 (.389) from the arc and 6-11 (.545) from the line, while garnering 27 boards, 17 assists, 18 fouls, 15 turnovers and 9 steals. Kyle Watson scored 18 on 6-16 from the floor, 5-9 from the line, 13 boards, 6 assists and 3 steals. Elliot Smith scored 15 on 5-9 from the floor, 5-7 from the line and 12 boards. Bryan Abrey scored 12 on 5-11 from the floor and 2-7 from the arc. Jeff Chu scored 7 on 3-12 from the floor. Kevin Hobbs scored 6 on 3-4 from the floor and 9 boards. Doug Cheung scored 1, while Masumi Turnbull, Adam Rogers, Jordan Aharan, Trevor Burns, Eric Marriot, Ryan Walley, Jared Kuzik and Brody Greig were scoreless. The Wildcats shot 22-52 (.423) from the floor, 3-16 (.188) from the arc and 12-22 (.545) from the line, while garnering 41 boards, 12 fouls, 15 assists, 21 turnovers, 3 blocks and 9 steals. McMath led 18-17 after one quarter and 29-28 at the half. Wellington led 46-44 after three quarters. The Wildcats hit a range of mid-range jumpers. Playing without a true post player, Wellington gave a clinic in solid passing, sharp cutting and most of all, the ability to consistently knock down the 12-to-15-foot jump shot. “Every practice, we’re working on our mid-rangers,” admitted Wellington wing Brian Brooks. “We’re always coming off screens and shooting foul-line jumpers.” With McMath’s Elliot Smith owning the advantage inside against Wellington, it was the Nanaimo school’s crisp ball and player movement that gave Brooks and team scoring leader Ryan Davidson the time and space they needed to cut into the elbows and the paint to catch and launch their bread-and-butter jumpers.
In the bronze medal match, the North Vancouver Handsworth Royals defeated the Richmond McMath Wildcats 80-72 as Tyler Kepkay scored 32 on 13-27 from the floor, 4-8 from the arc, 2-3 from the line, 8 boards, 8 assists and 3 steals. Scott Leigh notched 19 on 7-14 from the floor, 3-7 from and arc, 6 boards and 3 steals. Robert Sacre scored 14 on 5-10 from the floor, 4-6 from the line, 8 boards and 3 blocks. Daniel Evans scored 5 on 2-6 from the floor and Quinn Keast 4 on 2-6 from the floor. Matt Speakman scored 4, and Ian Leslie 2, while Sam Chou, Jamie Wallace, Richard Merinsky, Justin Muirhead and Daniel Novak were scoreless. The Royals hit 32-68 (.471) from the floor, 8-18 (.444) from the arc and 8-11 (.727) from the line, while garnering 41 boards, 16 fouls, 17 assists, 15 turnovers, 3 blocks and 11 steals. Kyle Watson paced McMath with 31 points on 10-21 from the floor, 3-10 from the arc, 8-10 from the line, 13 boards, 6 assists and 2 steals. Elliot Smith scored 12 on 5-15 from the floor, 4 boards and 4 assists. Bryan Abrey scored 12 on 4-12 from the floor and 5 boards. Doug Cheung scored 8 on 3-5 from the floor, while Jeff Chu scored 7 on 3-7 from the floor. Kevin Hobbs scored 2, while grabbing 6 boards. Adam Rogers, Ryan Walley, Jared Kuzik, Eric Marriott, Masumi Turnbull, Jordan Aharan, Trevor Burns and Brody Greig were scoreless. The Wildcats (coached by Phil Enns) hit 26-65 (.400) from the floor, 9-27 (.333) from the arc and 11-15 (.733) from the line, while garnering 40 boards 12 fouls, 19 assists, 18 turnovers, 2 blocks and 10 steals. McMath led 19-10 after one quarter and 37-31 at the half. Handsworth led 57-50 after three quarters.
In the final, the Surrey White Rock Christian Academy Warriors defeated the Wellington Wildcats 47-40 to capture their third provincial title in seven years. Forward Tyrell Mara said it was proof that defence wins championships. “It almost feels better. It’s weird that I say that but we really had to earn the win. I couldn’t be happier. Best time of my life.” The underdog Wildcats showed no fear early on as Brian Brooks opened the scoring taking the ball hard to the rim twice resulting in a quick 4-0 Wellington lead. Showing their composure and championship experience, WRCA roared back with nine unanswered points, including 5 from Mara giving them a 9-4 with 3:47 left in the quarter. But the pesky Island squad wouldn’t let White Rock out of their sights as they fought back late in the quarter and trailed just 14-10 after one. Mara nailed a trey to cap a 9-3 run to open the quarter and give the Warriors a 23-13 lead. They blew the game open in the second quarter with a 15-5 run to take a 29-15 lead into halftime. Wellington refused to quit and cut into the double-digit deficit making the score 31-22 with just under five minutes left in the third. The Wildcats could get no closer but stayed within striking distance trailing 35-26 going into the final quarter. Despite holding the Warriors off the scoreboard for the first three minutes of the quarter, Wellington was unable to convert on the offensive end. The Warriors finally broke their scoreless drought on a three from Jeron Dillon as they got the double-digit lead back at 38-26 with 6:18 left in the fourth. A costly foul by Rob Fougner, his fifth and disqualifying foul, with 3:56 to go in the fourth sent Wellington’s Dustin Carver to the line as he knocked down two free throws getting the Wildcats to within 6 points at 38-32. White Rock’s Drew Good also picked up his fifth and disqualifying foul shortly after but Davidson missed both freebies failing to get the lead down to five points. After trading buckets, a late three from Taylor Culpepper got Wellington to within 6 points again at 42-36 with 1:13 left on the clock. Unfortunately, that was as close as they would get as WRCA made crucial free throws down the stretch and managed to hold on to a 47-40 victory. As he had done all week long, Mara did a little bit of everything for White Rock, finishing the game with 17 points, 26 rebounds and 4 assists. He was named tournament MVP and Outstanding Defensive Player. He finished the week averaging 18 points, 17 rebounds and 5.8 assists. Coach Scott Allen said Mara’s leadership was critical. “It’s a fairy tale ending for him. He has great leadership skills. He is an incredible kid and a tireless worker.” Brian Brooks, who led Wellington with 19, said the squad was elated with how far they got in the draw. “Right now, we are a little upset but I am sure in a while that it will turn to joy as we realize we never expected to make it this far.” Coach Glenn Johnson concurred. “Actually, I feel pretty good. I don’t feel as bad because these guys gave everything they had all week. We weren’t expected to be here. The Island is very talented and we don’t get a lot of respect here on the mainland but we have some really good teams and we proved that today.” Ryan Davison expressed frustration. “They played awesome defense on me today.” Coach Scott Allen said Mara’s 26 boards “were incredible. He’s a soldier. He just goes after it every game and he inspires these guys in the ways that he is so positive.” Mara said “we came into this tournament and all we wanted to do was play hard defence. We were going to let the offence come to us, and it all goes back to that old saying about defence and championships. Even though we had a bad shooting game, we just made up for it working to get those extra bounces,” said Mara. Allen could only smile when asked if he’ll write a thesis on how to win a B.C. title by missing three of every four shots taken. “I kind of figured it was about 25 per cent,” he said. “I have no answer for it.” Wellington co-coach Glenn Johnson said “the kids played as hard as they could. We were happy with the result (making the final). Phil (co- coach Phil Letham) and myself are really proud of the kids. They gave everything they had all week. It was tough playing five games in five days. They were great.” Brian Brooks said that “we held teams to 10 points or less the whole tournament and this was just another example of how we buckled down in the second half. But they’re a great team. Their defence was the best we’ve played against all year. … It was tough getting a shot. We gave it everything. We left it all out on the floor.” Tyrell Mara led White Rock with 17 points on 5-18 from the floor, 1-8 from the arc, 6-7 from the line, 26 boards and 4 assists. Jeron Dillon added 12 on 4-16 from the floor, 1-9 from the arc and 3-4 from the line. Pete Morrison scored 7 on 3-7 from the floor and 5 boards. Drew Good scored 5 on 2-4 from the floor. Adam Stewart notched 4 on 1-8 from the floor and 7 boards, while Matthew Wirch scored 2. Rob Fougner, Brian Fougner, Daniel Seimaszkiewicz, Nick Dekoster, Jordan Mara, William Con, Ian Con, Eli Mara and Clayton Dendy were scoreless. The Warriors shot 16-60 (.267) from the floor, 4-24 (.167) from the arc and 11-14 (.786) from the line, while garnering 54 boards, 17 fouls, 8 assists, 18 turnovers and 5 steals. Brian Brooks paced Wellington with 19 points on 6-13 from the floor, 7-7 from the line, 9 boards and 3 assists. Dustin Carver scored 11 on 3-12 from the floor, 4-4 from the line and 4 boards. Ryan Davidson scored 6 on 3-16 from the floor and 5 boards. Donny MacQuarrie scored 3 and Russ McMann 1, while Danny Strain, Taylor Culpepper, Scott Sanderson, Robin Ryan, Morgan Ehman and Marcus Webster were scoreless. The Wildcats hit 13-47 (.277) from the floor, 2-12 (.167) from the arc and 12-16 (.750) from the line, while garnering 29 boards, 17 fouls, 6 assists, 14 turnovers, 4 blocks and 5 steals. White Rock led 14-10, 19-15, and 35-26 at the quarters.
The bronze medalist North Vancouver Handsworth Royals: Quinn Keast; Tyler Kepkay; Scott Leigh; Robert Sacre; Daniel Evans; Matt Speakman; Sam Chou; Jamie Wallace; Richard Merinsky; Justin Muirhead; Daniel Novak; Ian Leslie; coach
The silver medalist Nanaimo Wellington Wildcats: Brian Brooks; Russ McMann; Ryan Davidson; Taylor Culpepper; Dustin Carver; Donny MacQuarrie; Danny Strain; Scott Sanderson; Robin Ryan; Morgan Ehman; Marcus Webster
The gold medalist Surrey White Rock Christian Academy Warriors: Adam Stewart; Tyrell Mara; Jeron Dillon; Rob Fougner; Pete Morrison; Jordan Mara; Drew Good; Matthew Wirch; Eli Mara; Brian Fougner; Daniel Seimaszkiewicz; Nick Dekoster; William Con; Ian Con; Clayton Dendy; coach Scott Allen