In the opening round: …………………………………………………… The 8th-seeded Winnipeg Vincent Massey Trojans edged the 9th-seeded Winnipeg Glenlawn Lions 97-93 in overtime. The Lions (coached by Minich Nowrang) included Jordan Bonwick, Nicholas Kikundule, J.R. Bucknell, Spencer Harrison. …………………………………………………… The 5th-seeded Winnipeg Oak Park Raiders stomped the 12th-seeded Brandon Crocus Plains Plainsmen 108-34. The Plainsmen (coached by Bart Walker) included Jarret Bardal, Vince McFadyen, Ariel Carrabre, Michael Johnson, Youn-Tae Chung, D.J. McCharles, Dylan Jeske, Baslios Negasa, Cody Lyons. …………………………………………………… The 6th-seeded Winnipeg Sturgeon Heights Huskies nipped the 11th-seeded Winnipeg Mennonite Brethren Hawks 82-79. The Hawks included Hudson Isaak, Paul Wonneck. …………………………………………………… The 10th-seeded Winnipeg Daniel McIntyre Maroons bombed the 7th-seeded Winnipeg River East Kodiaks 109-87. The Kodiaks (coached by Ray Uzat) included Chad Posthumus, who scored 69 during a preseason tournament game.
In the quarterfinals, the top-seeded Winnipeg Garden City Fighting Gophers thrashed the 8th-seeded Winnipeg Vincent Massey Trojans 94-52. The Trojans included Olandeinde Olude.
The 5th-seeded Winnipeg Oak Park Raiders clipped the 4th-seeded Winnipeg Fort Richmond Centurions 84-73, as 6-5 Trevor Scheurmann, recovering from a torn ACL in his right knee, scored 20. “When I first found out (about the torn ACL), I was choked. So to still be playing right now is just unreal,” Scheurmann told the Winnipeg Free Press. After two months of rehabilitation, and with surgery scheduled for late March, “to be able to get the opportunity to come back and play and help my team get back to where we’re going right now, to the Final Four, is just amazing.” The Centurions included Brett Foster, Matt Waldner.
The 6th-seeded Winnipeg Sturgeon Heights Huskies stunned the 3rd-seeded Winnipeg Grant Park Pirates 70-68.
In the last quarterfinal, 2nd-seeded Winnipeg St. Paul’s Crusaders dumped the 10th-seeded Winnipeg Daniel McIntyre Maroons 77-68. The Maroons (coached by Carey Lasiuk) included Sean Allarie, Gliff Macalua, Mike Malmar, Justin Kelly, Jan Salamat, Noriel Almario.
In the semis, the top-seeded Winnipeg Garden City Fighting Gophers stomped the 5th-seeded Winnipeg Oak Park Raiders 96-75. Jarred Ogungbemi-Jackson scored 30, Brayden Duff 25 and Marko Milosevic 21 to lead the Gophers to the win. Oak Park used their size early on to clog up the middle and pressure Ogungbemi-Jackson, who was named his team’s player of the game. So the Fighting Gophers went to the outside where Grade 12 guard Mike Denisiuk was happy to oblige with a couple of key three-pointers that put some distance between his team and the Raiders early on. “It was a really tough game but I’m really happy we came out and won the game because we worked very hard for that,” said Denisiuk. It feels good (to be in the final) but will feel better if we win… it’s not going to be easy, that’s for sure.” Oak Park got as close as a four-point deficit in the late second quarter but the Fighting Gophers stole the show in the early third quarter. Ogungbemi-Jackson turned his team’s 15-point lead into a 21-point gap in three plays — scoring two buckets himself and dishing off to Duff for the other. “Jarred, Brayden and Marko are three pretty big-time players but I think when we’re at our best is when our other guys are really contributing,” said Fighting Gophers head coach Phil Penner. “Mike played a whale of a game and when him and Roberto (Campanella, Jr.) and Brendan (Corrigan) get going, if you put a lot on those three guys, then the other (key) guys are open.” It was a difficult day for the Raiders, who lost two starters to injury including Bryden Bone (ankle) in the second quarter and team scoring leader and Grade 12 forward Trevor Scheurmann, who was playing injured with a knee brace supporting torn ligaments in his right knee and went down in the late third quarter. Rob Schellenberg was the Raiders’ player of the game with 15 points.
In the other semi, the 6th-seeded Winnipeg Sturgeon Heights Huskies knocked off the 2nd-seeded Winnipeg St. Paul’s Crusaders 75-74 after Grade 11 forward Dharmpal Brar calmly drained a three-point shot with 43 seconds remaining. “None of these guys are thought of, across the province, as something special… collectively as a group they feel they’re not respected. (They’re) real special,” said Sturgeon Heights head coach Kirby Schepp told the Winnipeg Free Press, while noting that no varsity boys’ basketball team in more than 80 years of history between Silver Heights Collegiate or Sturgeon Creek, which amalgamated two years ago, had ever been in the provincial final. “This is phenomenal, it’s huge. Pre-season, we were bottom of the top 10, nobody was really looking at us. These kids have really come together in the last three weeks or so. It’s a great performance.” St. Paul’s jumped to an early 20-9 lead and seemed to be controlling the game with precision outside shooting by Cam Norrie and out-rebounding the Huskies. But the Huskies battled back and in the first minute of the fourth quarter, the Huskies took a one-point lead on a bucket by Kienan LaFrance. The teams traded three-point buckets by Sturgeon’s Dharmpal Brar and St. Paul’s Pawel Gacon, knotting the score at 62-62. “We just found a way to push through it,” said Sturgeon guard Tyler Pierce, his team’s player of the game (15 points). The St. Paul’s player of the game was Gacon, who scored 16.
In the final, the top-seeded Winnipeg Garden City Fighting Gophers whipped the 6th-seeded Winnipeg Sturgeon Heights Huskies 107-75 to capture their second consecutive provincial crown. The Huskies fought valiantly for the first 15 minutes of the game but the Gophers’ big three of Jarred Ogungbemi-Jackson, Brayden Duff and Marko Milosevic took over midway through the second quarter. A five-point Gophers’ lead grew to 26 points by halftime and surpassed 40 late in the game on the rebounding of Duff, who was named the Players’ Choice award winner, the outside shooting of Milosevic, who had 25 points, and the pure scoring and athleticism of Ogungbemi-Jackson, who scored 34 points and was named tournament MVP for the second straight year. “It feels great, we worked our butts off every day and I think that’s what it takes to be successful. I credit the team and I credit the coaches so much,” Ogungbemi-Jackson told the Winnipeg Free Press. “Honestly, our balanced attack right now and for the last month or so has been excellent. We’ve had a lot of guys scoring in double figures. It’s not just one individual, it’s equally as a team. We shot the lights out. … “It’s a perfect way to end my basketball career. There’s nothing better than this: two years with provincial championships. It’s the best feeling ever.” Sturgeon Heights’ big three of Tyler Pierce, Kienan Lafrance, who scored 21 points, and Devin Schmidt, who scored 19 points, led the Huskies.
The co-bronze medalist Winnipeg Oak Park Raiders: Bryden Bone; Trevor Scheurman; Rob Schellenberg; Mark James; Mark Ridd; Dave Kohler; Dane Cameron; Trevor MacHutchan; coach Randy Kusano
The co-bronze medalist Winnipeg St. Paul’s Crusaders: Pawel Gacon; Cam Norrie; Tanner Draward;
The silver medalist Winnipeg Sturgeon Heights Huskies: Tyler Pierce; Kienan Lafrance; Devin Schmidt; Dharmpal Brar; Duncan Ormiston; coach Kirby Schepp
The gold medalist Winnipeg Garden City Fighting Gophers: Jared Ogungbemi-Jackson; Brayden Duff; Marko Milosevic; Mike Denisiuk; Roberto Camapanella Jr.; Brendan Corrigan; Mitchell Paul; Max Sitschkar; Matt Tecson; Elias Derzie; Izzy Hussein; coach Phil Penner