During the season, schools in Edmonton play FIBA rules, while schools in other parts of the province play NCAA rules.
In the quarterfinals, the Edmonton M.E. Lazerte Voyageurs crushed the Sherwood Park Salisbury Sabres 62-32 after leading 30-14 at the half. Dave Bale paced the Voyageurs with 20. Ed Joseph added 16 and Dexter Amour 14. Darren Caldwell led the Sabres with 9. Voyageurs coach Jack Ryan told the Edmonton Journal that “I’m just glad in our first game we had opposition like that. It gave us a chance to get the kinks out.” Lazerte led 18-4 early and 30-14 at the half. Voyageurs guard Bruce Bobcock said shooting was difficult. “It’s the space. It’s (the hoop) sort of in the middle of nowhere. There’s no wall behind it. The rim is just there. There’s to go by with a shot.”
The Calgary Father Lacombe Lasers nipped the Cardston Cougars 57-55 as Greg Maillet hit two free throws with 10 seconds to play. The Cougars had led 24-8 after one quarter and 35-22 at the half, including a 25-footer at the buzzer by Kevin Molcak, but folded in the second half. Greg Maillet led the Lasers with 20. Karl Lewis added 12. Dexter Durfey paced the Cougars with 19. Jeff Neilson added 18. The Cougars (coached by Clark Sloan) also included Kevan Bradshaw, Steve Quinton, Rod Weik, Chris Molcak.
The Lethbridge Catholic Central Cougars edged the Edmonton Victoria Composite Redmen 57-52. The Cougars led by 13 and survived a furious fourth-quarter rally from the Redmen, who’d trimmed the margin to 52-50 with 1:50 to play. But Frank Fraulin hit a pair of free throws and Joe Herauf a layup to ice the win. Herauf paced the Cougars with 18. Fraulin added 17. Ken MacRae led the Redmen with 20. Rick Bobowsky paced the Redmen with 14. Cougars coach Dave Adams lamented a lack of composure. “We didn’t play the real good control game we’re capable of. The game was getting real fragile for a while. In the second quarter we played the best quarter of basketball we’ve played all year. We played team basketball on offence and defence.” Fraulin hit 7-8 free throws, including 4-4 in the final quarter. Herauf hit 8-11 free throws. The Redmen (coached by Bill Renner) also included Richard Schultz and Fred Kochan, their star forward, who was ineligible to play at provincials because he was 19-years-old and the age limit was 18. Redmen coach Bill Renner told the Edmonton Journal that “they beat us simply on foul shots. They were deadly on foul shots. I don’t think we actually took too many fouls – when you’re playing catchup, you’re going to take fouls. But we did since they were shooting so well.”
In the last quarterfinal, the Calgary Sir Winston Churchill Bulldogs dumped the Raymond Comets 39-35. The Bulldogs led 9-8, 17-14 and 31-23 at the quarters. The Comets closed the gap to 35-33 with 1:12 remaining on back-to-back shots by Mike Dahl but were unable to finish the rally. Tony Alfonzo led the Bulldogs with 12. Steve Klassen added 10. Richard French led the Comets with 12. Mike Dahl added 10 and Elliott Fox 4. Bulldog coach Skip Morgan said the key was containing French and Fox. “Defensively, we did a good job on them.” Comets coach Roger Baldry said “they made us play their ball game. We got away from our offence. We kept trying to force shots and going to the basket when it wasn’t there.” The Comets also included Don Visser, Mike Lastuka, Curt Pittman.
In the semis, the Edmonton M.E. Lazerte Voyageurs edged the Calgary Sir Winston Churchill Bulldogs 64-59 as Bruce Bobcock scored 17. Dave Richards paced the Bulldogs with 20.
In the other semi, the Calgary Father Lacombe Lasers defeated the Lethbridge Catholic Central Cougars 55-41. Greg Maillett led the Lasers with 18. Eric Stanley paced the Cougars with 12.
In the bronze medal match, Calgary Sir Winston Churchill Bulldogs defeated the Lethbridge Catholic Central Cougars 59-57. The Cougars led 29-25 at the half. Dave Richards paced the Bulldogs with 23. Blair Webster added 12. Frank Fraulin led the Cougars with 23. Dave Westwood added 10. The Cougars (coached by Dave Adams, assisted by Don Gellatly and Dave Wells) also included Dennis Calvert, Mark Hoveling, Joe Hereuf, James Szilagyi, Con Bourret, Dino Pasquotti, Dennis Seccomani, Eric Stanley, Gary Saler, John Vitkovik and Pat Monaghan.
In the final, the Calgary Father Lacombe Lasers defeated the Edmonton M.E. Lazerte Voyageurs 65-62. Lasers coach Dan Baird called the win “very satisfying,” particularly as the school, just five years old, had never captured a provincial title in any sport. He credited the team’s balance for its success. “We have five good players we can go to. It’s tough for a team to defend against us. It’s a well-rounded team, well-balanced team, the kind that only comes along once in a lifetime.” Guard Karl Lewis said the Lasers were focused all year on one goal. “We got beat out last year in semifinals and we were really looking forward to it. … (We played) great defence and (have) great anticipation for the ball, our want for the ball. … We wanted to play Lazerte badly. They were quite cocky.” Lewis and Greg Maillet each scored 16 to pace the Lasers. Jeff Wesolowski added 13. Dexter Amour and Ed Joseph led the Voyageurs with 17 points each while Dave Bale added 14 and Bruce Bobcock 13. Lazerte led 19-16 alter the opening quarter and 35-34 at halftime, but Father Lacombe had a 56-50 advantage at three-quarter time. The Voyageurs trailed 62-60, with 1:52 remaining, but foul shots by Lewis and Wesolowski in the final 22 seconds iced the win. The Lasers finished (33-2) on the season. Baird told the Calgary Herald that “we’ve accomplished more than we ever dreamed or hoped for. … Karl (Lewis) dominated the game and was by the best offensive player. He shot well and controlled the game. They couldn’t take the ball away from him and he was going through two or three guys at a time.” Lazerte coach Jack Raymond told the Edmonton Journal “a three-point game, about as tight as you can make it. … I thought we were shooting pretty good. But so were they. They shot a little better on the foul line.”
The bronze medalist Calgary Sir Winston Churchill Bulldogs: Dave Richards; Blair Webster; Tony Alfonso; Steve Klassen; coach Skip Morgan
The silver medalist Edmonton M.E. Lazerte Voyageurs: Dave Bale; Bruce Bobcock; Dexter Amour; Ed Joseph; Leroy Gentles; coach Jack Raymond; assistant Thom Elniski
The gold medalist Calgary Father Lacombe Lasers: Gregory Maillet; Karl Lewis; Jeff Wesolowski; Ken Wesolowski; Jeff Newman; coach Daniel Baird