| (3) | Toronto | 92 | ||||||
| (6) | McMaster | 87 | Toronto | 65 | ||||
| (7) | Concordia | 79 | Concordia | 75 | Concordia | 66 | ||
| (2) | Victoria | 75 | ||||||
| (4) | Alberta | 91 | —–ALBERTA | |||||
| (5) | Guelph | 80 | Alberta | 88 | Alberta | 84 | ||
| (8) | Cape Breton | 77 | Cape Breton | 84 | ||||
| (1) | Brandon | 73 |
Seedings
1. Brandon Bobcats (GPAC champs /
2. Victoria Vikes (Canada West champs / 16-4 regular season, 4-1 playoffs / 29-11 overall)
3. Toronto Varsity Blues (OUA champs / 9-3 regular season, 3-0 playoffs / )
4. Alberta Golden Bears (Canada West runners-up / 16-4 regular season / 27-9 overall)
5. Guelph Gryphons (OUA runners-up / 14-2 regular and postseason play)
6. McMaster Marauders (OUA West finalists/wild card / 12-4 regular season / 22-5 overall)
7. Concordia Stingers (Quebec champs / 11-1 regular season, 2-0 playoffs / 22-2 v CIS)
8. Cape Breton Capers (AUS champs /
In the quarterfinals, 8th-seed Cape Breton, one of the smallest CIS schools with an enrolment of roughly 3,500, shocked the top-seeded Brandon Bobcats 77-73. The Bobcats were making their record 9th straight tournament appearance. Cape Breton, had won seven of last eight games to simply qualify fourth in AUAA playoffs and then knocked off top-seed Dalhousie in the semis, and second-seeded Acadia in the conference final to qualify for the national draw, continued their phenomenal role before a supportive crowd of 6,112. “Coach (Greg Jockims) said, take care of the opportunity, it doesn’t happen very often,” said John Ryan, who scored 19. “We saw some tape and we knew they were a good athletic team. Tonight, we took care of our rebounding down the stretch and we kept Keith Vassell under control. He didn’t run wild.” In fact, the Capers held Vassell, averaging 23.5 ppg, to a mere 12 points. Michael Dailey added 25 for Cape Breton, while Rawle Philadelphia, who iced the win with a pair of free throws with 12.8 seconds to play, notched 11. “I was just concentrating on the shot,” said the Toronto native. “That’s all. I wasn’t thinking of the outcome or anything. It meant a lot to be because if I wasn’t going to Cape Breton, I would be in Brandon right now.” Euan Roberts led the Bobcats with 22. Shawn Gray added 17. Brandon had taken a 54-49 lead on a pair of Vassell free throws of a Jockims technical. But the Capers fought back to take a 65-64 lead on a Terry Wright jumper and two foul shots by Dailey. Brandon’s Brett Nohr knotted the score at 67 with a trey but Wright answered with a trey with 2:54 to play. The Capers never relinquished the lead.
Third-seeded Toronto, which qualified as OUAA champ and arrived fresh from its first OUAA title since 1958, riding an eight-game winning streak, edged the sixth seeded wildcard McMaster Marauders 92-87. The Blues, led by the 6-7 Dressler twins from Mississauga, Lars and Jason, used a stifling pressure defence to defeat McMaster. Guard Eddy Meguerian stole the ball seven times in second half, finished with 15 points and nine assists, while 6-5 guard Carl Swantee scored 26, guard Roland Semprie 15, and Lars Dressler 13. The Dressler twins dominated the boards. McMaster led by one at the half, 48-47, but the Blues turned up the pressure. “That’s what we try to do,” said Blues coach Ken Olynyk. “We try to put a little pressure on the basketball and create some things that make it difficult for people to play us. We try to get a running game out of turnovers.” Two-time finalist McMaster was again plagued by inconsistency in the backcourt. The Marauders had lost to the Blues 68-58 in December but blamed the outcome on injuries and the fact that the game was held on the Blues’ home court. In the rematch, there were no excuses left. “They made a lot of excuses last time,” said Meguerian. “We try to get a running game out of turnovers. … We feel we can beat anyone.” Shawn Francis led McMaster with 22 points and 10 boards. Titus Channer added 20, including 15 in the second half and a three-pointer with 19 seconds to play that rallied the Marauders to within 89-85, and Tom Newton 13. Toronto hit 25-38 from the line and 30-65 from the floor. McMaster hit 19-26 from the line and 30-59 from the floor. Francis told the Hamilton Spectator that “some of our passes were lazy. Meguerian was just stepping in and picking them off.” Marauders coach Joe Raso said “it’s easier to steal the ball when someone throws it to you.” Blues coach Ken Olynyk said “we got some defensive rebounds that could been putbacks for them. I think was a big factor. Also, we didn’t lose our composure.” McMaster led 48-47 at the half. Francis noted that the Marauders were careless with the ball and lackadaisical on defence. ‘They were getting middle penetration all the time and then they were able to kick out to open shooters.”
Seventh-ranked Quebec champ Concordia, making its third straight CIAU tourney appearance, knocked off second-ranked Victoria 79-75. The Vikings, who were bigger but slower, out-rebounded Concordia 31-13 in first half. But the Stingers used their speed and athleticism to better the Vikings in the second half. Concordia’s full court press kept the ball on the perimeter. “It came down to a battle of the boards,” guard Emerson Thomas told the Montreal Gazette. “We lost it in the first half but I think we did a good job in the second half.” Thomas finished with 16 points. Guard Maxime Bouchard added 13, as did Jean Pierre Reimer. Point guard Justin Padvaiskas dished 10 assists and made four steals. “Padvaiskas was great today,” said Stingers coach John Dore. “He defends. He handles the ball. He’s the glue that keeps us together.” Victoria outrebounded Concordia 51-32. The Singers shot 9-22 from the line but 32-56 from the floor. Dore noted that “Victoria dominated the boards in the first half. They really embarrassed us, the way they manhandled us inside. Fortunately, in the second half, we were a little better. I think our presses hurt them throughout the game. We were able to take some time off the 30-second clock, so they couldn’t get up and pound it inside against us. I think it kept them off balance.” The Vikings, who’d knocked off Alberta in the Canada West finals, were the tallest team in the draw and were led by guard Andy Willmott and forward Eric Hinrichsen, who scored 20 and grabbed 13 boards. Patrick Cannon added 15 points and 13 boards.
In the last quarterfinal, 4th-seeded wildcard Alberta started slowly against 5th-seeded Guelph but eventually prevailed 91-80. Both offences appeared pathetic in the first half, fumbling and bumbling away scoring chances. Guelph led 24-23 with six minutes to play but Alberta went on an 8-0 run to pull ahead 31-24 before Guelph rallied back to tie the game at 47 heading into the lockers. Alberta pulled their game together in the second half, with Devries scoring 28 on 5-8 from the arc. Jay Johnston added 20 while hitting a trio from beyond the arc. Scott Martell notched 18. The Golden Bears out-rebounded Guelph 35-25, shot 28-54 from the field, .500 from the arc and 21-24 from the line. G-F Paul Eldridge and guard Cam Nekkers each scored 17 for Guelph, which had the top-ranked defence in the OUA and a veteran point guard in Alex Brainis, whose experience included a year playing pro ball in Israel. The Gryphons qualified as OUAA West champs. Alberta was led by Sales, a small but wiry backcourt ace who moved the ball well. “We’ve been a slow-starting team this year and that’s something we can ill afford to have,” said Bears guard Greg Badger. De Vries noted that “Eldrige is a really good player and he was just taking us down the whole first half, so we had to concentrate on him a little more and just step our defence in the second half.”
Alberta coach Don Horwood said “early in the game, I thought maybe we could have done a few more things defensively but even then, we held them to 37 points in the first half and that wasn’t too bad.” Tally Sweiss put tremendous pressure on Gryphon guards. As forward Jeff Collier noted, “they had a 6-8 guy bringing the ball up the court and Tally is just hungry for that. You could see him foaming at the mouth ready to get the ball. The difference was definitely defence. We know what it takes. We’ve been here before. We were just dying to play tonight.” DeVries said “on offence, we had a bit more patient. I think they were a little tired down the stretch and that makes (assistant coach) Nevin Gleddie look good because that’s who gets us into shape and I think we were in better shape than the other team was.”
In semis, Concordia defeated Toronto 75-65 despite a dreary first half. Although the Stingers raced out to a 16-5 lead, Blues guard Roland Semprie sunk three consecutive three pointers and Toronto outscored Concordia 37-17 to take a 43-33 halftime lead. Head coach John Dore said he told his players not to panic. “We lost our composure a little bit in the first half but defensively we played tremendous in the second half. They only had 22 points in the second half.” Using their trademark stingy defence, as Concordia pressed Toronto the entire second half and went on a 17-6 run to take the lead, capped by a Maxime Bouchard reverse dunk with 12 minutes to play. Bouchard scored 26, including 17 in the second half. Carl Swantee led the Blues with 17 and Eddy Meguerian had 16. Toronto’s Towering Twins, Lars and Jason Dressler combined for a mere 15 points. “All year long, we’ve felt we have the potential to play in the final and here we are,” Dore said. Jean-Pierre Reimer added 14 and nabbed 8 boards for the Stingers. Fred Arsenualt added 11 and Gaetan Prosper 10. “I think our press really threw them off,” said Dore. “We had a couple of turnovers early. I think they became a little tentative and the more tentative they became, the more aggressive we became. … This team, potentially, is probably the most talented team we’ve had at Concordia, top to bottom. We have 12 athletes. They can run. They can jump. Everybody on the team can dunk the ball. We’re very, very athletic. We’re a little young and that shows when we lose our composure like we did at the end of the first half tonight.”
In the other semi, Greg Devries led Alberta to an 88-84 victory by hitting clutch baskets every time Cape Breton pulled within a few points. Devries finished with a game-high 26 points. Coach Don Horwood said Devries was exceptional. “There’s no doubt who was Mr. Clutch for us. There were a number of times when he was struggling but, bang, he’d hit a three.” The Cinderella Capers were elated with having made the semis. “The school program has come a long way,” said fifth-year forward Michael Dailey. “It would have been great to finish it off with a national championship. We made it to the semifinals and I guess that’s a really big accomplishment. It’s small consolation right now. It’s hard to believe it went by so fast. I’m going to miss the guys on the team. They’re like brothers, you know. I’ll be able to play somewhere else next year but I don’t think it will be the same.” Dailey picked up his fifth foul with 6:57 to play and promptly sprinted to the sidelines and curled up between a table and a TSN camera. A technical was soon charged to the Cape Breton bench. Greg De Vries hit both foul shots to put Alberta ahead 72-63. Jay Johnstone followed that up with a bucket as Alberta increased its lead to 11. “That was the emotion of not believing he called a fifth foul to end my career,” said Daily. “I thought I had a clean steal.” Alberta went 8-8 from the line in the final 45 seconds, including 6-6 by Devries. The Capers hit a trio from beyond the arc, including two by Terry Wright and one by Rawle Philadelphia, to make the final margin seem closer. John Ryan, who scored 18, was disconsolate. “Mike and I, we just knew it was game by game. At a point there, I didn’t think it was ever going to end. I thought it was going to be going out with a win. We feel bad tonight but it’s been a great five years. Cape Bretoners, they love their sports and they should be proud of this team because we gave it everything we had.” Philadelphia added 16, Dailey 13 and Shaun Robinson 13. Alberta led 45-41 at the half. Murray Cunningham notched 23 for Alberta, while nabbing 11 boards. Scott Martell scored 12 and grabbed 16 boards. Johnstone added 13. “I think we’ve pretty tough mentally,” said De Vries. “We have a strong nucleus of players that have been here before. We’re familiar with what’s going on and we’re not afraid of a big crowd or of a strong team making a push.” Alberta out-rebounded the Capers 40-27 and shot .600 from the field. Capers coach Greg Jockims noted that “we were having trouble stopping them defensively, which is a problem we haven’t really had on this run that we’ve been in. We played as hard on defence as we have all the way through the playoffs and it’s a testament to the skill of their team.” Murray Cunningham dominated the paint in the first half. “it goes back and forth,” said Cunningham. “If Greg is now shooting well, we pound it inside. It’s the way our offence works. It’s why we’re a balanced team.” Greg Sale said “we played a lot smarter than they did. Our big guys played great – Murray and Marty – that was the difference right there.” Horwood said “If we could maintain our composure, take care of the basketball and not allow Cape Breton to get too excited about what was happening on the court, then I felt we had a good chance to beat them by pounding the ball inside.” Capers forward Shaun Robinson said “experience is what won it for them. They knew how to take advantage of us. Plus, Michael Dailey got into foul trouble early and one of our other big men was down for the weekend, so it was just up to me and we just couldn’t do it.” Alberta outrebounded Cape Breton 40-27, with Martell nabbing 16 boards. “They executed very well,” said Cape Breton coach Jim Charters.
In the final, the Golden Bears easily handled Concordia 84-66 before a relatively sparse crowd of 4,154. Although only a wildcard, the Bears were clearly the toughest defenders in the draw and had a balanced offence, marked by poise and experience. They started quickly and led 26-10 after 10 minutes when reserve forward Peter Knechtel hit a pair of free throws, but went into a seven-minute drought to allow Concordia to rip off a 21-5 run to knot the score at 31 with four minutes left. But the Bears rallied to take a five-point lead at half time 37-32 and opened the second half with an 11-2 run to take command. The Stingers offensive woes continued in the second half. They fell behind 48-34 in the first five minutes and trailed 64-52 when all-Canadian senior guard Emerson Thomas picked his fourth foul with eight minutes to play. Less than five minutes later they trailed by 15 and the outcome was never in doubt. Scott Martell scored 16 for the Bears, while ripping down 10 boards. Forward Murray Cunningham notched 15 and nabbed 11 rebounds. Maxime Bouchard led Concordia with 18 and Jean-Pierre Reimer scored 14. Alberta coach Don Horwood couldn’t find the words to describe back-to-back titles. “Winning last year, and it being the first national championship, was a dream realized. But really, I’m numb right now. I can’t believe that we are a good enough team to win back-to-back championships. I mean, we don’t look like we’re good enough to beat a lot of the teams that were here. But over these three days, our guys played sensational.” Devries told Canadian Press that the Golden Bears determination proved the difference. “I think we’re pretty mentally tough. It was a very tough road for us. We proved all the doubters wrong again. It’s an unbelievable feeling.” Fifth-year point guard Greg Badger, who’d won a pair of provincial high school titles at Ross Sheppard High in Edmonton, scored 13, dished six assists and snagged 5 of Alberta’s 55 boards. “This is by far the most phenomenal feeling I have ever had in my life,” he noted. “My basketball career has come to an end and there’s no better way to have ended it.” Centre Murray Cunningham was equally thrilled. “Crazy, I can’t believe we did it. We talked about it all year. We had the pressure on us all year.” Concordia coach John Dore was at a loss to explain the Stingers poor marksmanship. “I don’t know if it was their defence or the 10 or so easy hoops that we missed in the first half alone. The misses definitely were a big factor in the game. We don’t normally miss easy ones like we did today. Today, we just didn’t finish. … Their chemistry is tremendous. If you look back to 1990 when we won it, the team with the best chemistry over three days is the team that wins the tournament. And they have it. … Alberta played the complete game. That’s a complete package with Badger distributing the ball to the shooters, good guys working inside and good role players. They have everything to be champions and they played like champions. I don’t know if it was their defence or the 10 or so easy hoops that we missed in the first half alone. The misses definitely were a big factor in the game. We don’t normally miss easy ones like we did today. Today, we just didn’t finish.” Forward J.P. Reimer said the Stingers just couldn’t hit the bunnies. “If we had made a lot of the little ones that we missed inside, things may have been different. I don’t know. We had a tough time putting the ball in off layups and rebounds. I guess the misses hurt us in the long run.” Emerson Thomas, playing the last game of his career, noted that “it’s been a great run. I have no regrets and the team should have none. We had a helluva year and some guys don’t even get this chance. I’ll cherish my memories and hopefully, another chance will come for these guys.” The Golden Bears finished (26-9) on the season. Devries said of his tournament MVP selection: “We have a great team. I think they could have picked any one of Murray (Cunningham), myself and Jay Johnstone and Marty (Scott Martell) for the MVP but I’m glad they picked me. It’s a great honour.” Martell said “he deserved it. He deserved it all the way.” Martell noted that winning back-to-back titles was incredible. “That’s something that’s not even dreamed of.” Peter Knechtel said “it’s a high. A high I’ve only experiences one other time and that was a year ago today.” Horwood said “we played probably about as well as we can play. If you play with control and intensity and determination, you’ve got a chance against anybody.” Devries said “they were scared of our posts. That’s why they played the zone the whole day. We had to knock down the open shots and we did that.” Badger said “this is a perfect Cinderella story. It’s a perfect ending to a great career.” Dore said “they have everything to be champions and they played like champions today. Their chemistry is tremendous. The team with the best chemistry is the team that wins the tournament.” Knechtel said “I’m really happy for our graduating players. You can’t leave on a better note than this. Two championships. Not many players can say they even have one.” Horwood said “winning the first one was something every coach hopes for and not a lot of coaches accomplish. Winning back to back is something you really don’t even spend a lot of time thinking because it doesn’t seem like it’s possible.” Greg Badger said “they were taking bad shots, whereas the Gold Bears always played under control and took what they got.” Guard Jay Johnstone said “it’s just unbelievable. We came out and played hard all three games. I had a little trouble getting to sleep last night but other than that I was able to keep pretty focused.” Marc Semeniuk added that “it’s the best feeling in the world. Last year, I didn’t get to play very much and this year I was able to contribute. It’s a whole different experience when you’re actually on the floor.” Mikel Schmidt beamed that “this is the best day of my life,” while Scott Martel said “we came together perfectly. We were up and down throughout the year and we finally brought it all together at just the right time.”
The all-tourney team featured: MVP Greg Devries (Alberta); Jean-Pierre Reimer (Concordia); Maxime Bouchard (Concordia); Murray Cunningham (Alberta); Rawle Philadelphia (Cape Breton); and Eric Hinrichsen (Victoria).
The co-bronze medalist Toronto Varsity Blues: Vidak Curic; Anthony Daly; Jason Dressler; Lars Dressler; Chris Ellison; Jason Gopaul; Gabriel Gonda; Neil Kowlessar; Joe Lombardi; Eddy Meguerian; Andrew Rupf; Glen Selkirk; Roland Semprie; Carl Swantee; coach Ken Olynyk; assistant John Robb
The co-bronze medalist Cape Breton Capers: Terry Wright; Michael Dailey; Rawle Philadelphia; Troy Jones; John Ryan; Sam Worrell; Shaun Robinson; Ian Thomas; Jude Lamorre; Todd Lewis; Dave Murphy; Wade Hackl; Marvin Murphy; Michael Woods; coach Tim McGarrigle
The silver medalist Concordia Stingers: Emerson Thomas; Maxime Bouchard; Ezra Franklin; Justin Padvaiskis; Fred Arsenault; Jean Pierre Reimer; Rob Dawson; Gaetan Prosper; Djernel Burris; Michael Eagleton; Daniel Furlong; Justin Padvaiskas; David Rimple, Johnny Yotis; coach John Dore; SID Katherine Grace; athletic director Harry Zarins
The champion University of Alberta Golden Bears: Greg Devries; Murray Cunningham; Scott Martell; Peter Knechtel; Jay Johnstone; Gregory Badger; Tally Sweiss; Stephen Curran; Marc Semeniuk; Mikel Schmidt; Jeff Collier; Greg Sale; Joel Chalifoux; Marc Marciniuk; coach Don Horwood