In the quarterfinals, held in Edmonton, the Edmonton Ross Sheppard Thunderbirds nipped the defending champion Raymond Comets 75-73. “We gave everything we had; it’s just that we came up two points short,” Raymond coach Jim Ralph told the Edmonton Journal. “I’m really proud of the team, they never gave up, they did everything we had to do.” The difference, admitted Ralph, was when the Comets failed to execute their press break in the second half. The Thunderbirds capitalized with a 10-point spread, the only looming deficit in the game because the relentless Comets rallied to close the gap to five with five minutes left. “Yeah, they’re the defending provincial champs and I think that they were really ready to play us,” said Ross Sheppard coach Bob Fowlis. “They were well-prepared and the kids played as hard as they could.” Raymond’s 6-foot-7 forward, Travis Tollestrup, was no exception, potting 31 points with his soft touch while teammate Kevin Lawlor contributed 22. Shep’s Andre LaPierre, just returning from a bacterial infection, topped the Thunderbirds’ scoresheet with 24. Greg Badger added 16. Travis Tollestrup led the Comets with 31. Kevin Lawlor added 22 and Dustin Karren 12. Sixth man Robert Campbell dislocated his thumb in the first half. “It was a valiant effort; the best game we’ve played all year and I think Travis Tollestrup had the best game in the two years I have coached him. He also led our team in rebounds with 19. They (Edmonton) pressed the entire game and at the start of the second half we broke down for a short period of time and they opened up a lead we could never quite make up, but we certainly gave them a good scare,” said Ralph. The Thunderbirds shot 63% from the floor. The Comets also included Chayston Harker, Wayne Sugai, Robert Campbell, Roddy Terry, Len Hayter, James Hall, Mark Tollestrup, Kaleb Abi.
The Calgary Western Canada Redmen pummeled the Red Deer Lindsay Thurber Raiders 103-40. “We came into this game thinking defence all the way,” Redmen forward Tom Henry, who scored 25, told the Edmonton Journal. “They didn’t sag in on the inside, so it easier for us.” Mike McBride added 18 for Western. Coach Tom Bishop said “I hope the guys came out of this game thinking defence. I didn’t care how many points we scored, as long as we held them.” Craig Ericksen paced the Raiders with 20. Raiders coach Steve Latta told the Red Deer Advocate “there is some great basketball being played here. You talk aggressive … these clubs are aggressive. We’ve got a young ball club and we were intimidated.” The Raiders (coached by Latta) also included Kevin O’Brien, Marty Robinson, Shane Moon, Trent Leich, Stuart Morgan, Chad Hebert, Rob Boyd.
The Calgary Henry Wise Wood Warriors defeated the Lethbridge Collegiate Institute Rams 78-71. “The big difference in this game was on the rebounding end,” Warrior guard Heston Chipman, who scored 15, told the Edmonton Journal. “We are a bit bigger than they are and I think that once they started to miss some shots, they lost something.” Warriors coach Skip Morgan said “we are a very focused basketball team. I think we’re ready. In the three years that I’ve come (to the provincials), they’ve always referred to us as the other team from Calgary.” Mike Evans paced the Rams with 19. Jared Nelson and Don Conley each added 12. The Rams were within 39-38 at the half but began to falter as they got into foul trouble and lost Evans to fouls. The Rams (coached by Joey Shackelford) also included Kelsey Caldwell, Dustin Cole, Brett Lacey, Dale Nielson, Kelly Gunness, Nathan Roberts, Eric Herget, Brett Walters and Kent Earl.
The Sherwood Park Bev Facey Falcons defeated the Leduc Tigers 101-82. The Tigers included Richard Jory.
In the semis, the Edmonton Ross Sheppard Thunderbirds defeated the Calgary Western Canada Redmen 59-56 as Andre LaPierre took command down the stretch. “He just rises to the occasion, like today when we needed him,” said Thunderbirds point guard Greg Badger told the Edmonton Journal of his teammate Andre LaPierre. “It’s just unbelievable that one guy could do that much.” The unassuming 6-foot-3 forward refused to lose as he rallied the T-Birds. “Well, I’ll tell you,” said Badger, “he came to the bench with about six minutes left and we’re down by 12 (points). The only thing he had to say was `I refuse to lose’. “That’s just like a storybook saying or something that only happens in the movies, where a guy walks in with a timeout and says `I refuse to lose’ and then ends up helping his team come back. But that’s what happened today. It’s just unbelievable.” The Redmen, Calgary’s towering powerhouse squad that hadn’t lost a league game since mid-December, controlled the first 30 minutes, shutting down Badger and point guard Greg Robinson. But they just couldn’t stop LaPierre when it counted. He scored nine straight points, including a three-pointer, to lift the T-Birds from a 54-47 deficit to a 56-54 lead with about three minutes left. It was enough to re-charge the electricity of the 600 fans in the gymnasium, and enough to pick up the T-Birds, with Badger potting a three-pointer before the final buzzer. “I didn’t expect them to fold,” Redmen coach Tom Bishop told the Edmonton Journal. “What I felt would happen was for us to hang on to that lead and control it out of bounds. But LaPierre just did an excellent job. He just took control of the game. It’s really tough when someone gets on a roll like that.” LaPierre, who lit up the scoreboard with 31 points overall, transferred to Ross Sheppard two years ago. He left his family in Fort McMurray, moved in with the Badgers for a year and in with the T-Birds’ starting five. His forte en route to the team’s 1989 city title was his open jump shot. It wasn’t, however, enough to drive the T-Birds past the Raymond Comets in the provincial final that year. This season, he’s had to expand his game – more rebounding and more defence – while the T-Birds marched to another championship and the provincials. But the adjustment in his game, combined with occasional pangs of homesickness and a recent viral infection, have had him up-and-down emotionally this season. He has, however, always dug deep for the big games. “They seemed to sag off me a bit. Down the stretch, I just seem to concentrate more,” he told the Calgary Herald. “I was fortunate to get the ball (today).” Even a quiet demeanor can’t cover up the intensity that burns in his brown eyes. “Yep, when he gets on a roll, he’s a scoring machine,” said T-Bird coach Bob Fowlis. “He’s had sort of an up-and-down year but he’s always been there in the big games for us and today was another example. When we really need him, he seems to be there for us and he’s been that way for two years. At one tournament in Winnipeg, he scored 28 in the final and won MVP,” said Badger. “He was just on fire, just like he was tonight, just unbelievable.” Tom Henry led Western Canada with 25. ““We just started lapsing at the wrong time,” Henry told the Calgary Herald. “We couldn’t stop them when they got hot. They are a very good defensive team.” Bishop was displeased with the officiating but told the Herald that “I’m not going to blame them at all. We had our chances to win it at the end, but the kids were just worn out. At the start of the year, people said this team wouldn’t do it – but, today, some of the kids gave career efforts.”
In the other semi, the Sherwood Park Bev Facey Falcons defeated the Calgary Henry Wise Wood Warriors 91-87. The Warriors trailed by 76-60 with 10 minutes and rallied down the stretch to within four but Facey hung on for the win. “We let the momentum get away from us,” Wise Wood coach Skip Morgan told the Calgary Herald. “We missed three easy layups late in the game and everything they put up went in. … We have to be happy we’re even here. I thought of us as a fifth- or sixth-place team at the beginning of the season.” Chad Hatala led Bev Facey with 29. Erik Olsen paced the Warriors with 19.
In the bronze medal match, the Calgary Western Canada Redmen defeated the Calgary Henry Wise Wood Warriors 86-85. The Warriors (coached by Skip Morgan) included Adam Schow, David Steed, Kelly Seaman, Chad Peterson, Heston Chipman, Jason Lynde.
In the final, the Edmonton Ross Sheppard Thunderbirds defeated Sherwood Park Bev Facey Falcons 85-44 to capture their third provincial crown. After losing the 1989 final to Raymond, the T-Birds said they were determined to seize the crown. “We all felt terrible last year and we all wanted to win our last year,” Andre LaPierre told the Edmonton Journal. “It’s something we talked about all year.” LaPierre scored 27. The Thunderbirds quickly broke to a 4-0 lead and were never threatened. “The fact that we lost last year put even more emphasis on winning this one,” said captain Greg Badger. Coach Bob Fowlis said “it caps off a fantastic year for us. It’s something the guys can remember for the rest of their lives.” The Thunderbirds finished (41-0) against Canadian competition.
The bronze medalist Calgary Western Canada Redmen: Sean Foote; Tom Henry; Mike McBride; Brennan Wares; coach Tom Bishop
The silver medalist Sherwood Park Bev Facey Falcons: Chad Hatala; Glen Brooker; coach Hal Souster
The gold medalist Edmonton Ross Sheppard Thunderbirds: Andre LaPierre; Greg Badger; Orin Litman; Rick Jones; Mark Wolinsky; Kolby Walters; Greg Robinson; coach Bob Fowlis