In the quarterfinals, held in Coxheath, the 3rd-seeded Greenwich Horton Griffins defeated the 6th-seeded Halifax Grammar Gryphons 89-79 as Daniel Segueira scored 28 and James Prest 15. Mark McLaughlin paced Grammar (coached by Shawn Mantley) with 32. Casey Fox added 16. The Gryphons (coached by Shawn Mantley) also included Joel Read, Andrew Bethune, Logan Rivers, Eddie Carvery, Andrew Bean, Matt Johnson, Duane Gero, Noel Jones, Johnny Lu, Colin Bebbington, A.J. Dickson and Tyler Burton.
The 2nd-seeded Truro Cobequid Educational Centre Cougars defeated the 7th-seeded Glace Bay Panthers 86-60 as Mark Scotland scored 17 and John McLanders 14. Evan Donovan led Glace Bay with 21. Richard MacInnis added 12. The Panthers also included Evan Donovan.
The 4th-seeded Halifax West Warriors defeated the 5th-seeded Bridgewater Park View Education Centre Panthers 78-69 as John Scott scored 24 and Mark McGarrigle 20. Thomas Conrad led Park View with 15. Ryan Swim, Matt Sarty and Tom Vissers each added 13. Halifax West coach Mark Parker said his troops were fortunate to win, given Park View’s size. “I didn’t realize how big they are.” But Halifax West senior Joel McNeil did a stellar job defending the paint. The Panthers also included Graham Carr.
The two-time defending champ Halifax St. Patrick’s Fighting Irish clubbed the 8th-seeded host Coxheath Riverview Rural Royals 93-61 as Peter Leighton scored 24 and Halifax metro league MVP Christian Upshaw 17. Andrew Hussey led Riverview with 22. Mike Barrie added 20. Irish coach Irvine Carvery was pleased he had an opportunity to play his bench. The Royals (then the Redmen) also include Kyle MacIssac.
In the semis, the 2nd-seeded Truro Cobequid Educational Centre Cougars dispatched the 3rd-seeded Greenwich Horton Griffins 72-66 as Jon McLanders scored 23 and Mark Scotland 13. Daniel Sequeria led the Griffins with 22.
In the other semi, the top-seeded Halifax St. Patrick’s Fighting Irish clipped the 4th-seeded Halifax West Warriors 88-77 to earn a chance at their third consecutive provincial title. “It’s something that hasn’t been done in a long, long time,” Irish coach Irvine Carvery told the Halifax Chronicle-Herald. “And it’s very rare for a group of players to come in as Grade 10s and win it three consecutive years. … This is the one we want because they’re seniors and they want to go out as winners.” Christian Upshaw led the Fighting Irish with 29. Tyrell Bundy added 16 and Peter Leighton 15. John Scott led the Warriors with 27. Mark McGarrigle added 24.
In the bronze medal match, the Greenwich Horton Griffins defeated the Halifax West Warriors 89-77 as Ian Maxwell scored 23, Jeff Thomas 18 and Mike Tanner 10. Mahir Markos led Halifax West with 12. Steve White and Jeremiah Goree each added 11. Horton led 45-31 at the half. The Warriors also included John Scott, Matt Bishop, Channing Nordin, Mark McGarrigle.
In the final, the Halifax St. Patrick’s Fighting Irish captured their third consecutive provincial crown by edging the Truro Cobequid Educational Centre Cougars 89-82. The Cougars led by 45-43 at the half and appeared to take control when Irish gunner Jumar Carvery picked up his second technical foul and was tossed just one minute in the second frame. Cobequid soon extended its lead to seven but Irish point guard Christian Upshaw began pilfering the ball and finding the right passing lanes as he rallied St. Patrick’s. Upshaw, who scored 37, told the Halifax Daily News that “we really felt that we were in trouble and they were going to take it.” Irish coach Irvine Carvery said it was an “incredible way” for Upshaw to end his high school career. Irish co-captain Peter Leighton hit a critical trey with a minute to go and then with the score knotted at 82, Bannon Morrissey knocked down another trey to put the Irish ahead by three. A series of Cougar turnovers in the final minute allowed the Irish to close out the seven-point win. Upshaw said “this game meant everything to the team. Coach told us in the dressing room if there is anything you do today, leave it all on the floor, do what you got to do.” Cobequid coach Mark Roberts predicted Upshaw would have a stellar university career. “I think we will be paying to see him play. … We laid it all on the line and gave it our best effort. All year, these guys have been playing for the group and not the individual.” Carvery said that of the three consecutive titles “this was the best. Education Centre really gave us a game and challenged us at both ends of the court. As a coach, this is what you want to see.” Upshaw called it an intense game. “We felt we had to score every time we went up the floor. We felt if we didn’t score, they would pick it up and they would score.” Tyrell Bundy added 16 for the Irish. Adam Jewkes led the Cougars with 27. John McLanders added 17, Mark Scotland 13 and Courtney Simonds 11.
The bronze medalist Greenwich Horton Griffins: Ian Maxwell; Jeff Thomas; Mike Tanner; Daniel Segueira; James Prest; coach Tim Kendrick
The silver medalist Truro Cobequid Educational Centre Cougars: Adam Jewkes; John McLanders; Mark Scotland; Courtney Simmonds; Tyler Maxwell; Alex MacKillop; Alex Macleod; Jon Maclanders; Sean Davidson; coach Marc Roberts
The gold medalist Halifax St. Patrick’s Fighting Irish: Christian Upshaw; Jumar Carvery; Peter Leighton; Bannon Morrissey; Tyrell Bundy; Andrew Howett; coach Irvine Carvery