In the opening round, held in Langley: …………………………………………………… The top-seeded Vancouver St. Patrick Celtics torched the 16th-seeded Terrace Caledonia Kermodes 107-37 after leading 21-6, 47-11 (after notching a 25-0 run) and 81-27 at the quarters. Celtics coach Nap Santos told Varsity Letters that “it’s not about what’s ahead of us, it’s what’s in front of us in any given moment. I’m try not to let them focus on the opponent as much as I want them to focus on what we do best as a team. If we do what we need to, like play defense, that’s going to be enough. Our energy starts on defense – that’s how we stay engaged on any play.” Ethan Santa Juana said the pressure of being the two-time defending champ is “nothing we haven’t seen. We had the expectations coming in last year, we were the target that people wanted to come after. All we can do is focus on what we do best, and the ability we know we have. If we can rely on what we’ve trained for I know good things will happen.” Riley Santa Juana paced the Celtics with 17. Ethan Santa Juana added 16, Arkin Solis 11, Jovin Sunner 11, Jakbi Matabalos 10, Jerome Alojado 10, Markell King-Collins 8, Jaiden Quan 7, Chris Delima 6, Ryan Garcia 5 and Ivan Simbulan 2, while Aden Nguyen, Franz Cabanilla, Donovan Wood-Gaines and Tyson Japuncic were scoreless. Brome Hansen paced the Kermodes with 9. Owen LeBarge added 7, Jonah Gagnon 5, Simon Dominguez 4, Logan Myers 2, Cassius Adams 2, Linden Rego 1 and Justin Caritta 1, while Jay Clayton, Marcus Matheis, Chaz Genaille, Tom Kim, Jory Rego and Viggo Ingenhut were scoreless. The Kermodes (coach Joe Dominguez, coach Matthew Lowndes) also included Damon Jaswal, Jesse Cote and Jonah Gagnon. …………………………………………………… The 8th-seeded Richmond A.R. MacNeill Ravens clipped the 9th-seeded South Kamloops Titans 70-58 after leading 13-9, 27-20 and 45-35 at the quarters. Ravens guard Chad Gammad knocked down 8 treys in the rout. Ravens coach Steward Siy told Varsity Letters that guard Chad Gammad, who knocked down 8 treys, while scoring all 18 MacNeill points in the third quarter, “was terrific. He can score with the best of them. … It’s going to be a grind. I thought we did well to stick with it. We knew they had the size advantage on us, so we had to grind. And we did – I thought we executed well when we needed to, and we got it done. … We also try to use our bench – we go 10 deep if needed, guys know their roles and work hard. They defend, and they battle. We’ll need that.” Chad Gammad scored 36 to pace the Ravens. Joaquin Bautista added 22, Migel Galano Tan 6, Saleh Algazal 4 and Samer Awar Raouf 2, while Nate Pacheco, Josh Tansey, Miko Bacarac, Aydin Khan, Caleb Mayan, Marco Ip, Wahkig Lay, Yosef Abdelhamid and Francis Chan were scoreless. Charlie McKay scored 14 to pace the Titans (coach Corey Yamaoka, assistant Cam McKay). Noah Henson added 12, Thomas Nowicki 11, Keenan Brulotte 10, Max Ritchie 9 and Larry Shayaka-Gisa 2, while Gage Androlick, Kawato Holmes, Andrew Graham and Cruz Parsons were scoreless. …………………………………………………… The 4th-seeded North Delta Huskies clubbed the 13th-seeded Nanaimo Wellington Wildcats 66-45 after leading 17-9, 38-19 and 51-28 at the quarters. The Huskies zone defence befuddled the Wildcats. “We just told our guys to work hard on defence and make sure they know their rotations,” Huskies coach Jas Hothi told Varsity Letters. “They had a really good player, No. 23 (forward Grayson Ritzand) and our goal was to try and shut him down. … they are a good, tough strong team so we had to match their intensity.” Harvir Hothi paced the Huskies with 28. Amar Lalli added 22, Gurdas Dhillon 6, Harjan Virk 5, Joseph Maku 4, Victor Obzughanmwen 3 and Bhavjot Deol 2, while Lakshya Mehta, Jovin Bahia, Arjan Atwal, Subhan Choudhry, Harman Sidhu, Hargun Deol, Kushvir Pabla and Maanav Sidhu were scoreless. Grayson Ritzand paced the Wildcats with 18. Demetri Vassilopolous added 7, Mack Bach 7, Jackson Peters 4, Brayden Savage 3, Joe Madill 3, Noah Robertson 2 and J.J. Gonzalez 1, while Jacob Merilees, Hudson Minifie, Gavin Duncanson, Max Hurren, James Park, Holden West and Keegan Brouwer were scoreless. The Wildcats (coach Luke Letham) also included Jaxon Goncalves. …………………………………………………… The 5th-seeded Clearbrook Mennonite Educational Institute Eagles stomped the 12th-seeded North Vancouver Windsor Wolves 74-53 after leading 21-13, 39-36 and 55-45 at the quarters. Spencer Tatlock paced the Eagles with 19. Isaac Skeels added 18, Carter Walker 9, Isaiah Lee 9, Mercer Thiessen 5, Nathan Laspa 5, Bailey Neufeld 4, Ben Brandsma 3 and Micah Enns 2, while Shaun Madahar, Malcolm Reid, Cole Neufeld, Carter Geisbrecht, Jackson He and Kaden Vandervelden were scoreless. Perrin Taylor paced the Wolves with 16. Oscar Rouillard added 15, Stuart Thompson 10, Xavian Washington 6, Emmet Ward 3 and Lukas Chung 3, while Oliver Kvick, Willia Kristiansen, Joaquim Dharamsi and Dylan Patterson were scoreless. The Wolves (coach Marco Fong, assistant Krista Wood) also included Cameron Coan. …………………………………………………… the 11th-seeded Courtenay Mark R. Isfeld Ice dispatched the 6th-seeded Maple Ridge Ramblers 76-68. The Ramblers led 21-19 after one quarter. The Ice led 33-31 at the half and 58-45 after three quarters. Parker Guile paced the Ice with 23. Bryson Gailloux-Milina added 19, Daxin Moldenhauer 14, Torr Robertson 11, Mattias Johnson 4 and Noah Mallis 3, while Ethan Moss, Jayden Kuo, Jacob Borden-Sayah, Andrew Rolfe and Owen Stewart were scoreless. Dwayne Tabang and Moe Mouawia each scored 15 to pace the Ramblers (coach Brody Herman, assistant Carson Power, assistant Grant Frend, assistant Brendan Pardy, assistant Amit Rakhra, assistant Trevor Connor, manager Yousuf Ram, manager Jacob Jarnell). Liam Sampson added 14, Owen Fernandes 11, Vincent Longmuir 7, Colin Mandell 4 and Matthew Shanley 3, while Dawson McKee, Liam Trathen, Ty Bikic, Clarence Sacalle, Jaden Llarena and Nathan Haynes were scoreless. …………………………………………………… The 3rd-seeded Vancouver Lord Byng Grey Ghosts blasted the 14th-seeded Prince George College Heights Cougars 77-31 after leading 22-13, 40-20 and 60-26 at the quarters. Dylan King paced the Grey Ghosts with 16. Hart Kreter added 15, Marko Radic 13, Jeffery Brown 9, Sebastian Minns 8, Vincent Xu 7, Attila Storhas 4, Eli Mullin 3 and Issac Dance 2, while Jonas Groves, Quinn Handy, Finley Buder, Tatsuru Taguchi and Rio Sanchez were scoreless. Tolu Bankole scored 11 to pace the Cougars (coach Jordan Yu, athletic director Jason Sacher) with 11. Connor Brasson added 7, M.J. Kim 3, David Oso 3, Jacob Mclean 2, Alex Lucarelli 2, Caleb Fuller 2 and Carson Connelly 1, while Evan Zhang, Dominic Powar, Jeona Gill, Cameron Pidgeon, Zach Loewen, Jackson Moleski and Owen Johansen were scoreless. …………………………………………………… The 7th-seeded Burnaby St. Thomas More Knights defeated the 10th-seeded Surrey Grandview Heights Grizzlies 75-63 after leading 21-18, 42-30 and 61-46 at the quarters. Zeru Abera paced the Knights with 29. Jacob Oreta added 26, Shane Deza 13, Isaac Jimenez 3 and Gurjaan Siddoo 2, while Joey Nguyen, Jai Sahota, Dylan Isog, Zeeshan Solanki, Angelo Figueroa, Daniel Kay, Devannand Rana and Juan Gomez were scoreless. Xavier Riddler-Brown paced the Grizzlies with 17. Cruz San Antonio added 12, William Bromilow 10, Tyson Craven 9, Carter Curby 7, Aidan Fitzgerald 4, Ethan Mahaffey 2 and Oliver Chin 2, while Jayden Dhaliwal, Jerry Zhang, Aaradh Oberoi, Ethan Yang, Aneale Dhatt, Liam Olmedo-Laycock and Martin Prince were scoreless. The Grizzlies (coach Harp Gill, assistant Eddy Jovel) also included Daniel Kim, Gaurav Saini and Gabe Ilagan. …………………………………………………… The 2nd-seeded Nanaimo Dover Bay Dolphins crushed the 15th-seeded Vancouver Gladstone Gladiators 82-40 after leading 23-11, 48-20 and 68-33 at the quarters. Tarman Sandhu led the Dolphins with 20. Frank Linder added 14, Hudson Trood 11, Evan Slater 8, Braxton Abney 8, Van Suiter 6, Joe Linder 5, Oyama Crouch 4, Arden Alfonso 3, Manmeet Gurm 2 and Andrii Zhuko 2, while Arsh Chahal, Marcus Lee and James McGuire were scoreless. Venedick Madrid and Andrei Todio each scored 7 to pace the Gladiators (coach Onkar Hayre). Simon Bakhchedjian added 5, Brandon Dela Cruz 5, Braham Nair 4, Jaryll Rebucai 4, Gus Crysler-Hill 2, Arvin Cabiladas 2, Ted Odron 2 and Aldrich Arellano 2, while Joseph Ndjoma, Josh Galang, Winson Zhou, Pasidu Pebotuwe-Gamage and Dwayne Bonus were scoreless.
In the quarterfinals, the top-seeded Vancouver St. Patrick Celtics defeated the 8th-seeded Richmond A.R. MacNeill Ravens 68-58. The Celtics led 11-10 after one quarter and 32-23 at the half. They extended the argin to as 20 before the Ravens closed out the third quarter with a 14-4 run capped by a buzzer-beating trey from Migel Galano-Tan to draw within 49-39 heading into the fourth quarter. But Riley Santa Juana, who was stepping up from the junior ranks took command in the final frame. Celtics coach Nap Santos told Varsity Letters that “we’ve had him (Santa Juana)since Grade 1. We knew he was ready for this. It’s his time. Playing for the juniors, losing in the finals last week … He was ready for this stage, and I knew it. I had to give him that chance. He played around 10 games with us this season, and he practices with us as well. He’s so familiar with the guys and our sets.” Santa Juana said “it just feels good to step up on a team with a lot of big-time players like Jovin (Sunner) and Ryan Garcia. I’ve been playing with them ever since I was in elementary school. The senior team always has trust in me, so I just take whatever they give me. I was just seeing open lanes. Even when I got stopped in the middle by help side, I was able to just kick it out to my teammate and trust them to hit the shot.” Santos said “we pretty much knew their (the Ravens) sets, they knew our sets, we knew who their players were and vice versa. A lot of them play for my club team, so we know each other pretty well. We have a lot of respect for MacNeill – I’ve known Stew (Siy, Ravens head coach) for a long time. So we knew it was going to be that kind of a game. It’s the provincials, so you know they’re going to bring everything – it’s expected. But it doesn’t matter whether you win by one or by 50 – just as long as you advance.” Riley Santa Juana paced the Celtics with 28. Jerome Alojado added 14, Jakobi Matabalos 9, Ethan Santa Juana 6, Jovin Sunner 6, Ryan Garcia 3 and Markell King-Collins 2, while Heracles Mai, Arkin Solis, Franz Cabanilla, Jaiden Quan, Donovan Wood-Gaines, Ivan Simbulan, Chris Delima and Tyson Japuncic were scoreless. Chad Gammad scored 29 to pace the Ravens (coach Steward Siy, assistant Landon Dy, assistant Justin Dy-Pe, assistant Oscar Hung, assistant Miki Macapgal; manager Dwyane Francia, manager Emmanuel Untalan, media mager Miko Macapagal). Samer Awar Raouf added 12, Joaquin Bautista 9, Wahkig Lay 4, Migel Galano-Tan 2 and Yosef Abdelahmid 2, while Nate Pacheco, Joshua Tansey, Miko Bacarac, Aydin Khan, Saleh Algazal, Caleb Mayan, Marco Ip and Francis Chan were scoreless.
The 5th-seeded Clearbrook Mennonite Educational Institute Eagles edged the 4th-seeded North Delta Huskies 67-66 in overtime. Grade 11 post Spencer Tatlock, who’d suffered a severe ankle injury (according to Varsity Letters, his left foot was at a 90-degree angle relative to the rest of his leg) during the Eagles opening round match, came off the bench in the second half to ignite an Eagles rally, nail a bucket to force an extra session, and eventually score the winning bucket in overtime. The score was knotted at 14 after one quarter as the Huskies zone gave the Eagles fits. The Huskies led 34-27 at the half as post Joseph Maku dominated the paint, while Harjan Virk nailed a pair of treys and Harvir Hothi a series of buckets. After Tatlock came off the bench and the Eagles switched to a zone, the Huskies expanded their lead to 8 but the Eagles began to gain traction and drew within 44-40 after three quarters. Mercer Theissen and Shaun Madahar came off the bench and hit jumpers as the Eagles took their first lead at 49-48. With the score knotted at 57, Tatlock pilfered the ball and fed it downcourt to Nathan Laspa with seven seconds to play. But Huskie Amarpreet Lalli forced a turnover and fired a pass to Hothi who notched a layup with 0.5 seconds on the clock. After a timeout, Isaiah Lee fired an alley-oop to a back-cutting Tatlock who eased it over the rim, to force overtime. “Isaiah threw it up magically, and I saw it and was like, ‘Alright, go get it’,” Tatlock told Varsity Letters. “It just felt natural.” Huskie Arjan Atwal drained a runner with 35 seconds to play as North Delta took a 66-62 lead in overtime. But Madhar nailed a trey and on the ensuing in-bounds pass, the Eagles press forced a turnover. Madawar collected the ball at the free throw line and fed Tatlock for the winning layup with 5.9 seconds to play. Tatlock said “the adrenaline took over, and that (the injury) was the last thing I was worried about. I took a fall there, but I was fine as soon as I walked it off. … I love playing, so whenever I’m not on the floor, it hurts a little bit. But I trust my guys completely and wholeheartedly to get the work done. We’re all stoked. This is the farthest any of us have made it at provincials, and this is a great moment for us as a team. We played so well as a team, and we’re excited for the next opportunity.” Eagles coach Mike Lee said Tatlock “begged me in the first half, about six different times – ‘Please, let me go in, let me go in,’. It’s hard not to get emotional – I’ve been coaching Spencer since he was nine years old. Watched him go through a ton of growing pains, and to just see him excel on the biggest stage at the brightest time, I get emotional about it, just thinking back to when he was a little guy. Same with a lot of these kids.” Lee called Madahar “our own Vinnie ‘The Microwave’ Johnson. Press a button, and he’s hot, immediately. I sat down beside him (in the fourth quarter) and said, ‘Hey, if I put you out there, is this stage too big?’ And he said, ‘I’m ready, coach.’ As soon as he said that, I knew it. Usually there’s a hesitation there, but when you get that look in the eye.” Huskies coach Jas Hothi said “what a battle. This is what B.C. basketball is all about. What do you do? Both teams hit shots. Great game. We gave it everything we had, and unfortunately came out on the wrong side.” Mercer Thiessen paced the Eagles with 18. Isaiah Lee added 12, Nathan Laspa 12, Shaun Madahar 10, Spencer Tatlock 8, Carter Walker 2, Ben Brandsma 2, Kaden Vandervelden 2 and Bailey Neufeld 1, while Micah Enns, Isaac Sheels, Malcolm Reid, Cole Neufeld, Carter Geisbrecht and Jackson He were scoreless. Joseph Maku scored 20 to pace the Huskies (coach Jas Hothi, assistant Bill Edwards, athletic director Jaskaran Dhanda). Arjan Atwal added 17, Harvir Hothi 11, Harjan Virk 9 and Amarpreet Lalli 8, while Victor Obzughanmwen, Lakshya Mehta, Jovin Bahia, Bhavjot Deol, Gurdas Dhillon, Subhan Choudhry, Harman Sidhu, Hargun Deol, Kushvir Pabla and Maanav Sidhu were scoreless.
The 3rd-seeded Vancouver Lord Byng Grey Ghosts clocked the 11th-seeded Courtenay Mark R. Isfeld Ice 78-53. The Ice led 15-11 after one quarter as Daxin Moldenhauer dominated the paint. The Grey Ghosts opened the second quarter with an 8-0 run and led 32-24 at the half as Dylan King kept driving the paint for layups or dishing it to open shooters on the perimeter. They extended their lead to 59-44 after three quarters as King kept scoring in the blocks or kicking the ball out to Marco Radic and Jonas Groves, each of whom notched a pair from the arc, as the Grey Ghosts pulled away down the stretch. Grey Ghosts coach Kevin Sandher told Varsity Letters that it “definitely wasn’t an oil painting tonight. But at this time of the year? We’ll take it. We saw (Isfeld) on film, we saw them in person yesterday, and they play hard. Our guys, a few fouls went the wrong way, and maybe they didn’t think it was going to be as hard as it was.” Sandher added that King “was our first team all-star here last year. He’s our main scorer – he averages probably 15 (points) per game, but in the bigger games, it goes up. He’s versatile, and I think that’s what coaches are looking for these days. He can switch on defence, he can get to the rim, and he didn’t shoot a three today, but he can shoot the three-ball. We just tell him to keep putting pressure on the defence – that’s his main role. Later in the game, he drove one and kicked it out for a three, and that was great. Last year he might force things at times, but that play – reading the D and kicking it out, making a good decision – was, as a coach, really good to see.” Dylan King paced the Grey Ghosts with 23. Marko Radic added 17, Jonas Groves 13, Eli Mullin 10, Hart Kreter 9 and Jeffrey Brown 6, while Attila Storhas, Issac Dance, Sebastian Minns, Quinn Handy, Finley Buder, Tatsuru Taguchi and Vincent Xu. Daxin Moldenhauer scored 22 to pace the Ice (coach Kent Milburn, assistant Dawson Fox, assistant Hayden Fieret, assistant Blake Tobacca, assistant Denis Beausoleil). Parker Guile added 10, Bryson Gailloux-Milina 6, Andrew Rolfe 6, Torr Robertson 3, Mattias Johnson 2, Jayden Kuo 2 and Noah Mallis 2, while Ethan Moss, Jacob Borden-Sayah and Owen Stewart were scoreless.
In the last quarterfinal, the 2nd-seeded Nanaimo Dover Bay Dolphins stomped the 7th-seeded Burnaby St. Thomas More Knights 89-65 after leading 22-9, 47-25 and 68-43 at the quarters. The Dolphins effectively utilized a 2-2-1 press falling back into a 2-3 zone to disrupt the Knights. “Our coaches do a great job of getting us locked in before the game,” Dolphins guard Tasman Sandhu told Varsity Letters. “They tell us, ‘Just focus on doing what you came here to do and block out all the noise. They’re here to watch you, so we have to go out and perform and give them a show.’ … Just felt like waking up and proving to everyone that guys from the Island can really play. Just because we’re not from Vancouver . . . we mean business and we want to prove it. We feel a lot of disrespect. We want to prove that guys from the Island aren’t soft. . . . (We hear it) from our own fans sometimes. I hear it at school – ‘Oh, those Vancouver guys, they’re coming for heads.’ But we’re here to show them how we practice and how we play.” Tarman Sandhu paced the Dolphins with 29. Hudson Trood added 14, Joe Linder 13, Oyama Crouch 13, Van Suiter 7, Evan Slater 6, Braxton Abney 3, Manmeet Gurm 2, Andrii Zhukov 2 and Frank Linder 2, while Arden Alfonxo, Arsh Chahal, Marcus Lee and James McGuire were scoreless. Zeru Abera scored 25 to pace the Knights (coach Denzel Laguerta, assistant Aaron Mitchell, assistant Dominic Zimmermann, assistant Paolo Labrador, manager Hayden Tang, manager Shanelle Ros, manager Kayla Fortuna). Jacob Oreta added 17, Shane Deza 9, Dylan Isog 5, Juan Gomez 5 and Daniel Kay 4, while Joey Nguyen, Jai Sahota, Issac Jimenez, Zeeshan Solanki, Angelo Figueroa and Gurjaan Siddoo were scoreless.
In the semis, the 2nd-seeded Nanaimo Dover Bay Dolphins defeated the 3rd-seeded Vancouver Lord Byng Grey Ghosts 68-56. The Dolphins led 15-14 after one quarter and 34-32 at the half. The score was knotted at 48 after three quarters. They opened the final frame with an 11-4 run, capped by an Oyama Crouch layup with 4:56 left and then held the tiring Grey Ghosts to just two buckets down the stretch. Frank Linder, who notched a triple-double, told Varsity Letters that the win was a function of the team’s character. “Just being unselfish, trust my teammates, and they trust me and that is how we go.” Dolphins coach Darren Seaman called Linder “the heart and soul, he’s the motor, he is everything… our poise, our stature. Everything.” Grey Ghosts coach Kevin Sandher said “I don’t know if we could have done much different. Tied at 48 and all of their best players hit shots and we couldn’t get anything to fall in that fourth quarter. So credit to them. They are a hell of team, a hell of program. … they never take a night off. But honestly, I have no regrets. Everything we had, we gave.” Tarman Sandhu paced the Dolphins with 20. Frank Linder added 17, Hudson Trood 11, Oyama Crouch 8, Joe Linder 5, Van Suiter 4 and Evan Slater 3, while Arden Alfonso, Manmeet Gurm, Arsh Chahal, Marcus Lee, Andrii Zhukov, James McGuire and Braxton Abney were scoreless. Dylan King paced the Grey Ghost with 21. Marko Radic added 11, Eli Mullin 10, Jeffery Brown 5, Attila Storhas 4, Issac Dance 3 and Hart Kreter 2, while Jonas Grove, Sebastian Minns, Quinn Handy, Finley Buder, Tatsuru Taguchi and Vincent Xu were scoreless.
In the other semi, the 5th-seeded Clearbrook Mennonite Educational Institute Eagles stunned the two-time defending champ and top-seeded Vancouver St. Patrick Celtics 79-75 after leading 20-15, 35-31 and 57-50 at the quarters. Both squads played 2-3 zones, with the Eagles seeking to pound the ball inside to Spencer Tatlock and the Celtics pushing the pace and bombing treys. Celtics point guard Ryan Garcia notched a personal 8-0 run as St. Patrick rallied to within five in the third quarter. The Celtics opened the final frame with a 7-0 run capped by a Jovin Sunner bucket to level the score at 57. Eagle Ben Brandsma countered with the baseline jumper and then fed Tatlock for a dunk. Mercer Thiessen and Tatlock added buckets as the Eagles extended their lead to 11 and withstood a final Celtics charge. Brandsma told Varsity Letters that “it feels amazing. I just can’t believe it. To go from yesterday’s game (an overtime win over North Delta), to now going to the final? I’m blown away. I’m super proud of our team, and so thankful.” Celtics coach Nap Santos said “the difference was Spencer. We don’t have a big kid like that. We did a good job on him in the first half, but sometimes we forget they’re teenage boys – we’re fronting (Tatlock), but they forget to front. Those small little things we have to remember when the game is going on. … We just ran into a team that played just a little bit better than us.” Spencer Tatlock paced the Eagles with 20. Isaiah Lee added 17, Nathan Laspa 12, Ben Brandsma 10, Shaun Madahar 6, Mercer Thiessen 5, Bailey Neufeld 5 and Kaden Vandervelden 2, while Micah Enns, Issac Skeels, Carter Walker, Malcolm Reid, Cole Neufeld, Carter Giesbrecht and Jackson He were scoreless. Ryan Garcia paced the Celtics with 23. Jovin Sunner added 18, Jerome Alojado 15, Ethan Santa Juana 8, Jakobi Matabalos 5, Riley Santa Juana 5 and Markell King-Collins 1, while Arkin Solis, Franz Cabanilla, Jaiden Quinn, Ivan Simbulan, Chris Delima, Tyson Japuncic, Heracles Mai and Donovan Wood-Gaines were scoreless.
In the bronze medal match, the 3rd-seeded Vancouver Lord Byng Grey Ghosts nipped the top-seeded Vancouver St. Patrick Celtics 70-68. The Grey Ghosts led 17-14 after one quarter. The Celtics led 35-34 at the half. The Grey Ghosts led 51-50 after three quarters. Marko Radic paced the Grey Ghosts with 23. Eli Mullin added 17, Dylan King 12, Hart Kreter 6, Jonas Groves 5, Sebastian Minns 4 and Jeffery Brown 3, while Attila Storhas, Issac Dance, Quinn Handy, Finley Buder, Tatsuru Taguchi, Rio Sanchez and Vincent Xu were scoreless. Jovin Sunner paced the Celtics with 16. Jakobi Matabalos added 13, Ryan Garcia 13, Jerome Alojado 11, Riley Santa Juana 11, Markell King-Collins 2 and Arkin Solis 2, while Franz Cabanilla, Ethan Santa Juana, Jaiden Quinn, Ivan Simbulan, Chris Delima, Tyson Japuncic, Heracles Mai and Donovan Wood-Gaines were scoreless. The Celtics (coach Nap Santos, assistant Luigi Carrion, assistant Mike Reyes) also included Aden Nguyen and Danny Geppert.
In the final, the 2nd-seeded Nanaimo Dover Bay Dolphins dispatched the 5th-seeded Clearbrook Mennonite Educational Institute Eagles 75-61 after leading 16-13, 32-29 and 52-40 at the quarters. Tournament MVP and player of the game Frank Linder told Varsity Letters that “it’s amazing, to work with your brother (Joe) and your dad (Michael, an assistant coach) the entire season. It’s been a journey and really, the whole team is the family. … This is the best team we could have ever asked for. … It’s a team. It’s an actual team. That’s why we won. We’re an actual team.” Dolphin Tarman Sandhu said “we’ve been working since last year, since we lost. I promised myself we are going to be back here (and) we’re going to have a gold medal instead of a silver one. And we are here and we are doing it.” Dolphins coach Darren Seaman said Linder “just bought in to every thing I said, and everything I put in front of him, he was willing to do. He believed in me and I believed in him and that is the very special part. These guys believed in me. … (We knew it was possible) in April of last year (after losing the 2023 final), we just have the pieces. The guys were willing to do the work. These kids would show up for anything I put in front of them. We flipped over every rock trying to do it. They literally worked six days a week since April of last year trying to do this. … For me there’s been hours and hours and hours spent trying to figure this game out. Every time I look, I realize how much more there is to learn, so I just keep digging and digging and digging. It just seems quick. For me it’s been every day. And all night. … (The difference was) the fitness. Fitness. We put fitness at the top. We play fast in practice. We run. We do all kinds of stuff to keep our guys fit. And I am a fitness guy. … from ultramarathons. … There’s the mental part of it, too. You have to be able to suffer to do those races and I am just getting these guys into their psyche, and I get them to go past places that they never thought they could. As you can see. … they do that every day.” MEI coach Mike Lee called Frank Linder “a stud. The frame on him? And what is he? Six-seven? He’s so strong. And he doesn’t get tired. He just goes and goes and goes.” Lee added that star Eagles post Spencer Tatlock suffered a concussion during the season. “He was out for three weeks. He came back. Only three games back, then he has one of the most gross and ugly ankle sprains I’ve seen in my basketball career.He’s a warrior. That is all I can say. For all these grade 12’s, I am sad for them. But we’re loaded for next year and a bunch of guys have already said ‘Same time, same place next year, let’s go’.” Tatlock said rebounding proved the difference. “I picked up three (fouls) way too early (3:32 left third-quarter) and it just came down to who wanted it more, and they wanted the rebounds more than us.” Frank Linder and Tarman Sandhu each scored 22 to pace the Dolphins. Linder nabbed 15 boards. Oyama Crouch scored 13, defensive player of the tournament Hudson Trood 8, along with 12 boards, Joe Linder 6 and Van Suiter 4, while Arden Alfonso, Manmeet Gurm, Arsh Chahal, Marcus Lee, Andrii Zhukov, Evan Slater, James McGuire and Braxton Abney were scoreless. Ben Brandsma paced the Eagles with 17, while nabbing 10 boards. Spencer Tatlock added 16, Isaiah Lee 13, Mercer Thiessen 5, Kaden Vandervelden 4, Isaac Skeels 2, Carter Giesbrecht 2 and Nathan Laspa 2, while Micah Enns, Bailey Neufeld, Shaun Madahar, Carter Walker, Malcolm Reid, Cole Neufeld and Jackson He were scoreless.
The all-tournament team featured MVP Frank Linder (Dover Bay); Tarman Sandhu (Dover Bay); Isaiah Lee (MEI) Spencer Tatlock (MEI); Dylan King (Lord Byng); and Ryan Garcia (St. Patrick)
The 2nd-team featured: Harvir Hothi (North Delta), Chad Gammad (A.R. MacNeill), Zeru Abera (St. Thomas More Collegiate), Joe Linder (Dover Bay), Jovin Sunner (St. Patrick).
The bronze medalist Vancouver Lord Byng Grey Ghosts: Marko Radic; Eli Mullin; Dylan King; Hart Kreter; Jonas Groves; Sebastian Minns; Jeffery Brown; Attila Storhas; Issac Dance; Quinn Handy; Finley Buder; Tatsuru Taguchi; Rio Sanchez; Vincent Xu; Lucas Epp; Alex Dabrowski; Justin Liu; coach Kevin Sandher; assistant Mike Pettifer; manager Miya Hayazaki; manager Maisie Meneer; manager Maya Dabrowski
The silver medalist Clearbrook Mennonite Educational Institute Eagles: Spencer Tatlock; Ben Brandsma; Isaiah Lee; Mercer Thiessen; Kaden Vandervelden; Isaac Skeels; Carter Giesbrecht; Nathan Laspa; Micah Enns; Bailey Neufeld; Shaun Madahar; Carter Walker; Malcolm Reid; Cole Neufeld; Jackson He; Malakai Klassen; coach Mike Lee; assistant Pat Lee; assistant Brad Neufeld
The gold medalist Nanaimo Dover Bay Dolphins: Frank Linder; Tarman Sandhu; Oyama Crouch; Hudson Trood; Joe Linder; Van Suiter; Arden Alfonso; Manmeet Gurm; Arsh Chahal; Marcus Lee; Andrii Zhukov; Evan Slater; James McGuire; Braxton Abney; coach Darren Seaman; athletic director Bill McWinnie