REGULAR SEASON
| U.B.C. | 15-5 | 30-8 | Bruce Enns | |||||
| Victoria | 15-5 | 18-8 | Guy Vetrie | |||||
| Alberta | 9-11 | 14-20 | Don Horwood | |||||
| Lethbridge | 9-11 | 13-16 | Dave Crook | |||||
| Saskatchewan | 7-13 | 13-20 | Steve Roth | |||||
| Calgary | 5-15 | Gary Howard | ||||||
Playoff non-qualifiers:
Calgary Dinosaurs: Tony McDougall, Ian Minnifee, Bruce Irving, Andrew Vaughan, Jeff Smith, David Johnson, Ken Sunderland, Kurt Pedersen, Sean McLean, Jay Zuck, Chris McLean, Sheldon Brady, Tom Henry, Lawrence Watkin, Bruce Irving, Tom Henry, Brad Bolton, coach Gary Howard
Saskatchewan Huskies: Matt McCullough, Blair Garneau, Brent Allison, Brett Powell, Darrin Rask, Doug Wegren, Dean Wiebe, Andy Stepaniuk, Brad Schoenfeld, Ken Morris, Brent Gordon, David Patola, Richard Lovelace, Carlton Haak, Nolton Knippel, Scott Moore, coach Steve Roth, assistant Greg Jockims, assistant Dave Pekus, assistant Kent Holoboff
In the semis, U.B.C. defeated Lethbridge 115-93; 88-104; and 108-86 (2g-1). …………………………………………………… In game one, U.B.C. stomped Lethbridge 115-93. Fifth-year senior Al Lalonde said the T-Birds were rounding into form. “We feel it. We feel confident,” he said after scoring 14 points, including six over a span of 1:21 early in the second-half to help give the Thunderbirds the push they needed to put away the Pronghorns 115-93. “Compared to all of the other teams I’ve played on, the others maybe had more talent,” Lalonde continued. “But they didn’t have the desire and the want to get there that this one does. That’s what we have this year. I have a very good feeling.” The T-Birds young front-line, Derek Christiansen, Dereck Dirom and Bob Heighton combined for 54 points. “I think our big guys, who are young, came in and dominated. They played well inside,” said Lalonde. Added UBC head coach Bruce Enns: “This was the best game that our post players have played all year. Our three young posts played a heck of a game.” Christiansen was the most explosive, scoring 29 points, including 17 in the second half. Dirom added 11 and freshman Heighton another 14. J.D. Jackson led U.B.C. with a game-high 34, 29 of which came in the first half. Harbir Bains with 23 points and Keith Pushor with 22 led Lethbridge. …………………………………………………… In game two, Lethbridge defeated U.B.C. 104-88 as former Richmond Colt star Joey deWit shot 80 per cent from the field and scored 23 points. “I’ve loved Joey deWit for years,” said a disappointed UBC head coach Bruce Enns after his team lost its first game at home this season. “I’ve watched him from his Grade 11 year onward and we tried very hard to get him. He sure had a good game tonight.” DeWit, who helped Richmond win back to back provincial titles in 1987 and 1988, said that he was enervated to play against former high school teammate and current T-Bird guard Brian Tait. “I’m supposed to just play defence and score maybe 12 or 15 points a game,” he smiled. “So yeah, I’m pretty happy.” The patient Pronghorns lead by as many as 13 points before heading off the floor at the break with a 46-35 lead. They then kept their composure through the final 20 minutes. “Our minds were not at all united tonight,” said Enns. “Mentally we were just a step behind. We never initiated anything. We spent the whole night constantly reacting.” Harbir Bains led the winners with 31 points, including 20 in the second half, while UBC’s Canada West player of the year J.D. Jackson managed only two points over the first half and finished with 12, less than half his season average. “We went into the game just hoping to keep J.D. under 25 points, but I guess we did even better than that,” said happy Pronghorn coach Dave Crook, who recruited deWit out of Edmonton’s Grant McEwen College. Derek Christiansen, the ‘Birds’ second year forward, finished with a team-high 28 points. …………………………………………………… In game three, U.B.C. stomped Lethbridge 108-86. “I woke up this morning saying, ‘No, no, this can’t be my last game’,” said fifth-year T-Birds floor leader Al Lalonde, who had 19 points, eight rebounds and six assists. Lalonde added that the T-Birds were determined to make it past the semis, having been dumped by Alberta a year earlier. “We said we were not going to let that happen again,” continued Lalonde, whose pair of three-point bombs contributed to an early T- Bird barrage. Intimidating the lighter ‘Horns with an impressive, physical display led by David Williscroft, Derek Christiansen and Dereck Dirom, UBC romped to a 13-4 advantage and 56-36 at the half. “The key for us is to come out strong,” said 6-foot-6, 230-pound Christiansen, whose 10 points and eight rebounds came mostly when the ‘Horns were dizzied by a revolving door of UBC power. “If we don’t, we struggle.” J. D. Jackson scored 22 to lead the T-Birds. Williscroft added 15, Bob Heighton 14 and Dirom 11. The Pronghorns, despite Harbir Bains’ valiant effort (26 points), never got in gear. But it was UBC’s nagging inability to drive that final nail in the Lethbridge coffin that irritated Enns. “There was a lack of discipline in the second half,” said Enns, particularly upset with a spate of over-anxious fouls. “It’s been a problem for us all year. Perhaps I have to get a strap and take them across my knee.” Christiansen later noted of the series that “Lethbridge was a pretty small team. They were pretty easy to post.”
In the other semi, Victoria defeated Alberta 106-83; 95-70 (2g-0). …………………………………………………… In game one, Tom Johnson scored 30, Spencer McKay 13 and Dave Lescheid 15 to lead Victoria to a 106-83 win. Brian Halsey led the Bears with 27. Sean Foote added 15. …………………………………………………… In game two, Victoria prevailed 95-70.
In the finals, U.B.C. defeated Victoria 102-100; 93-92 (2g-0).
In game one, U.B.C. edged Victoria 102-100 after rallying from a 46-42 halftime deficit. Derek Christiansen hit two free throws with nine seconds to go that proved to be the winning points. He finished with 17, while J.D. Jackson scored 30 before fouling out with 1:57 to play. Al Lalonde scored 21 including 3-3 from beyond the arc. Victoria was led by Spencer McKay 26, guard Dave McIntosh 24 and guard Tom Johnson 23. Having lost veterans Jackson and Jason Leslie to fouls late in the fourth quarter, Thunderbirds coach Bruce Enns called on his youngsters to hold the wheel and their confidence proved the difference in a match that featured 13 lead changes and a first-half where neither team led by more than four points. With 1:57 left, Jackson fouled out of the game, taking his game-high 30 points with him. Then, with 51 seconds remaining and UBC clinging to a precarious 98-95 lead, Leslie also took a seat on the bench. But that’s when forward Derek Christiansen shed his learner’s license tag, hitting two key free throws with nine seconds remaining to give UBC a 102-98 lead. “Yeah, didn’t they show composure?” said Enns of Christiansen and fellow second-year players Brian Tait, David Williscroft and Dereck Dirom, who all held their own against a veteran-laden UVic team led by national team member Spencer McKay. “They really kept their cool,” added Enns, “and the nice thing was, we decided in the huddle with 12 seconds left that we wanted Christiansen to shoot the free throws.” The 6-foot-6 North Vancouver native got the ball and forced UVic’s Bruce Crowle to foul him. He showed absolutely no hesitancy in draining the two decisive free throws, finishing the night with 17 points. “Last year I didn’t play too much,” Christiansen said. “I was very nervous. It was the first-year syndrome. I got the jitters. “But this year the confidence has gotten better and that’s helping me out. The more that I score and the more that I show that I can play, the more confidence they have shown in me.” The only UBC veteran on the floor in the late stages of the game was Al Lalonde who finished with 21 points. Enns said his lone graduating senior played “his best game since December.”
In game two, U.B.C. swept the series with a one-point 93-92 victory as Al Lalonde hit the winning field goal, sending an estimated 3,500 supports into a frenzy in the sardine-packed War Memorial Gymnasium. Guard J.D. Jackson had three Vikes draped all over him in the final seconds but somehow got a pass to Lalonde with three seconds on the clock. Lalonde hit a 15-foot jumper with one tick left. He later noted “we all dream of big things when we’re kids. I got a lucky roll and it went in.” Jackson and Derek Christiansen each scored 25 while Lalonde finished with 22. Spencer McKay led Victoria with 19. Tom Johnson added 18. The homecourt advantage was phenomenal, said Thunderbirds coach Bruce Enns. “It was the most exciting and deafening since I have been here. It was the most exciting back-to-back games that I have been involved in since I started coaching.”
The co-bronze medalist Lethbridge Pronghorns: Harbir Bains; Keith Pushor; Todd Van Der Burg; Rob Blais; Mike Hansen; Dan Tudor; Joey de Witt; Brian Kannekens; Cheyno Finnie; Mike Hecker; Tim Mclenahan; Mike Pajic; Dilbog Deol; Troy Parker; coach Dave Crook
The co-bronze medalist Alberta Golden Bears: Brian Halsey; Rick Stanley; Scott Karaim; Dan Vanhooren; Dale Vanhooren; Chris Harrison; Scott Wilde; Sean Foote; Greg Badger; Scott Martell; Mike Frisby; Peter Mrazik; Brian Halsey; Rob Wild; coach Don Horwood
The runner-up Victoria Vikings: Spencer McKay; Tom Johnson; David Lescheid; David McIntosh; Willis Parnell; Bruce Crowle; Chris Schriek; Rich Mesich; Clint Hamilton; Andrew Wilmot; Rick Gill; Todd Langley; Greg Pierce; Colin Brousson; coach Guy Vetrie; athletic director Wayne MacDonald
The champion University of British Columbia Thunderbirds: J.D. Jackson; Al Lalonde; Derek Christiansen; Dereck Dirom; Greg Williscroft; Bob Heighton; Jason Leslie; Brian Tait; Dereck Dirom; Brent Henderson; Jason Pamer; Mike Potkonjak; Damon Robb; coach Bruce Enns; assistant Kevin Hanson; interim coach Vic Pruden; assistant Perrie Scarlett; athletic director Joanne Jones; SID Don Wells