Final regular season standings:
North (7): Concordia (20-4); NAIT (17-7); Lakeland (15-9); Alberta-Augustana (13-11); Keyano (8-16); Grande Prairie (7-17); King’s (4-20)
South (8): Medicine Hat (18-3); SAIT (15-6); Lethbridge (15-6); Red Deer (15-6); Ambrose (7-14); Briercrest Bible (7-14); Olds (4-17); St. Mary’s (3-18)
Playoff non-qualifiers:
Ambrose Lions: Dyson Surmik, Josh Daniel, Israel Reyes, Carl Bantaya, Kyler Shula, Gop Majak, Jordan Halbersma, Kyle Swiednick, Chad Kelloway, Daniel Libert, Alexander Saayman, Marcus Harris, Blake Seebach, coach Neil Nystrom
Briercrest Bible Clippers: Trevor Mabalon, Zephaniah Moore, Ben Kornelsen, Thomas Neustaedter, Brennan Gardner, Josh Mohammed, Michael Greeno, Kyle Helsloot, Colton Rayburn, Spencer Parrot, Ethan DaSilva, Brian Tolentino, Dan Reynolds, Brandon Tolentino, Zak Tamlin, Chris McLachlan, coach Gradyn Childerhose
Grande Prairie Wolves: Grant Calvert, Cavan Chong, Tyson Giesbrecht, Kellen Morris, Dane Philipenko, Logan Rempel, Terron Velichka, Nate Boulding, Kenny Johnson, Stanley Bateman, Yasser Abdullahi, Derek McKnight, Ryan Pelster, Jackson Taguedong, Chance Velichka, Dustin Reber, Parker Toppings, coach Thomas Slifka, assistant Evan Lloyd, assistant Pierce Anderson, assistant Troy Sandboe, assistant Rob Levy, manager Nolan Ashworth, mental performance consultant Matt Bain
Keyano Huskies: Terence Crisostomo, Zammy Quiambao, Jack Redden, Rami Ghanem, Elisee Dondon, Elie Dondon, Khalid Osman, Jonatas Michel, Laurence Long, Aaqib Dhillon, Braxton Penner, Cassio Rodrigues, coach Lunzaya Nlandu, assistant Clarence Smith
King’s University Eagles: Devin Shorter, Reegin Maki, Jamen Young, Brandon Issaac, Brendon Degner, Mitch Burnett, Benjamin VanSpronsen, Cameron Bush, Craig Panek, Kyle Tresevic, Seth Moser, Josh Tuason, Tyler Anton, Jarrell de Jesus, Ace Sindico, Cameron Wagensveld, coach Matthew Barreiro
Olds Broncos: Jamelle Davis, Mike Hamilton, Paolo de Soto-Parente, Carson Young, Cody Bouchard, Tyler Knopp, Anthony Heintzman, Matt Francisco, Abraham Murray, Jacob Simmons, coach Mike Stevens
St. Mary’s University Lightning: Ethan Minde, Mahir Ali Ibrahin, Jordan Britton, Brad Hassal, Garrett Kawa, Coal Clark, Ostao Obaseki, Brandt Seibel, Aaron Brown, Cordell Minnifee, Tavis Lee, Issac Amsing, Averie Armbrister, Jordan Trisevic, Josh Matosevic, coach Nathan Ruff
In the quarterfinals, the Red Deer Kings (4th, South division) stunned the Concordia Thunder (1st, North division) 95-73. The Kings pushed the tempo from the start and led 28-15, 50-26 and 69-51 at the quarters. “The 1st half of the game was probably the best half of defence that we’ve played all year,” said Kings coach Clayton Pottinger. “While teams may try to key on Ian Tevis, it’s nice that we had many players contributing.” Matt Matear paced the Kings with 21 on 6-7 from the floor, 9-13 from the line, 12 boards and 2 assists. Anthony Robbs scored 16 on 7-10 from the floor, 2-4 from the line, 10 boards and 2 assists. Shayne Stumpf added 15 on 6-10 from the floor, 1-1 from the arc, 2-4 from the line and 6 boards. Khurram Sultan scored 13 on 5-9 from the floor, 3-6 from the arc and 2 assists. Ian Tevis added 13 on 6-18 from the floor, 0-8 from the arc, 1-2 from the line, 7 boards, 7 assists and 5 steals. Spencer Klassen added 11 on 4-8 from the floor, 2-3 from the arc, 1-2 from the line and 3 boards. Kai Greene scored 6 on 2-6 from the floor and 2-4 from the line, while Cody White, Zach Morgan, Darryl Broderick, Kevin Szymanek and Dillan Sutherland were scoreless. The Kings hit 36-68 (.529) from the floor, 6-18 (.333) from the arc and 17-29 (.586) from the line, while garnering 41 boards, including 9 on the offensive glass, 18 assists, 9 steals, 1 block, 17 turnovers and 18 fouls. Brett Jakubec paced the Thunder with 29 on 11-15 from the floor, 2-2 from the arc, 5-8 from the line, 2 boards and 4 steals. Mike Malin added 15 on 4-12 from the floor, 2-2 from the arc, 5-6 from the line, 5 boards and 2 assists. Ben Grimsrud added 10 on 5-8 from the floor and 3 boards. Ryan McLaren scored 7 on 2-10 from the floor, 0-5 from the arc, 3-3 from the line, 2 boards and 2 assists. Euriah Pemberton added 4 on 1-8 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc, 1-2 from the line and 3 boards. Bevan Purnell scored 3 on 1-5 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc, 1-5 from the line, 6 boards and 2 assists. Kwame Kang scored 3 on 1-5 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc and 1-1 from the line. Julien McFadden scored 2 on 1-2 from the floor, while Matthias Alleckna, Will Pittman, Alex Eskandarkhah and Garrett McKie were scoreless. Pittman nabbed 2 boards, dished 3 assists and pilfered 3 balls. The Thunder hit 26-68 (.382) from the floor, 5-18 (.278) from the arc and 16-26 (.615) from the line, while garnering 24 boards, including 6 on the offensive glass, 11 assists, 10 steals, 1 block, 12 turnovers and 23 fouls. The Thunder (coached by Reagan Wood) also included Blake Butler, Skyler deBoon, Aiden Purnell, Indianapolis-product Ronald Bacon Jr., Jackson Walsh and Paul Smith-Profit.
The SAIT Trojans (2nd, South division) clipped the Lakeland Rustlers (3rd, North division) 86-74. “To get a win in the playoffs, and move on to the championship bracket is so huge,” said Trojans coach Marty Birky. “The first game is everything, and now it’s about regrouping, refocusing. . . Lakeland is a very dangerous team — I wasn’t sleeping much going into that game.” The Trojans trailed 14-7 early but Birky switched the defence to a zone, which ignited a 16-2 Trojans run and yielded a 23-16 lead at the half. “This is the playoffs, you can’t let anyone get comfortable,” Birky said. “We missed some shots early as we adjusted to post-season basketball. … Lakeland started hotter than we did and were getting comfortable, but we came into today prepared to throw different things at them defensively. The guys responded well.” SAIT opened up a 10-point lead before Lakeland’s Travis Blacker came off the bench late in the half to hit a trio of treys to rally the Rustlers within 41-38 at the half. The teams traded the lead in the third quarter, after which the Rustlers led 65-64. Back-to-back treys by Ryan Nummi and John Smith Jr. gave the Trojans a 70-64 lead in the fourth quarter and they iced the win at the free throw line. “I’ve said this about this group of guys all year, they’re winners and they find ways to win,” Birky said. “I’ve seen them do stuff to win games that I’ve never seen before. I could say I saw that in them before I recruited them, but I’d be lying. You try and find that as a coach, and this group just has it.” John Smith Jr. was chosen player of the game for the Trojans, while Jonathan Sappleton earned the laurels for the Rustlers. John Smith Jr. paced the Trojans with 27 on 11-23 from the floor, 5-13 from the arc, 7 boards, 4 assists and 2 steals. Murphy Beya added 16 on 5-10 from the floor, 1-3 from the arc, 5-7 from the line and 12 boards. Taner Parrington scored 11 on 4-9 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 3-6 from the line and 7 boards. Dathon Spencer added 8 on 2-9 from the floor, 4-6 from the line and 4 boards. Sherif Taha added 7 on 2-4 from the floor, 2-3 from the arc, 1-2 from the line and 3 assists. Justin Makasiar scored 6 on 3-4 from the floor and 0-1 from the arc. Ryan Nummi added 6 on 2-6 from the floor, 2-5 from the arc and 2 boards. Nick Molina scored 5 on 0-1 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 5-6 from the line, 5 boards and 2 assists, while Amitoj Rehill, Marcus Bautista, Dylan Cline and Logan Hymas were scoreless. The Trojans hit 29-66 (.439) from the floor, 10-27 (.370) from the arc and 18-27 (.667) from the line, while garnering 40 boards, including 13 on the offensive glass, 12 assists, 8 steals, 2 blocks, 10 turnovers and 13 fouls. Jonathan Sappleton paced the Rustlers with 21 on 9-17 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 3-6 from the line, 8 boards and 4 assists. Artavis Holiday added 16 on 6-12 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 4-6 from the line and 12 boards. Travis Blacker scored 14 on 4-10 from the floor, 4-9 from the arc, 2-2 from the line and 2 assists. Terrell Murdaugh added 9 on 3-10 from the floor, 2-7 from the arc, 1-2 from the line, 2 boards and 4 assists. Kryin Cybenko scored 5 on 2-2 from the floor, 1-2 from the line and 3 boards. Jacob Hawboldt notched 4 on 1-1 from the floor. Angosom Tekheste scored 3 on 1-5 from the floor and 1-4 from the arc. Niklaos Papavasilei scored 2 on 1-4 from the floor, 5 boards an d3 steals, while Nigel Rolle, Akeem Phillip and Ricardo Joseph were scoreless. The Rustlers hit 28-63 (.444) from the floor, 7-23 (.304) from the arc an d11-18 (.611) from the line, while garnering 34 boards, including 6 on the offensive glass, 12 assists, 7 steals, 14 turnovers and 23 fouls. The Rustlers (coached by Sheray Thomas) also included Arnold Nandwa and Prentice Gardner.
The Medicine Hat Rattlers (1st, South division) blasted the University of Alberta-Augustana Vikings (4th, North division) 88-53 after leading 31-14, 47-30 and 74-42 at the quarters. Jordan Wynter was chosen player of the game for the Rattlers, while Eddy Nkerabahizi earned the laurels for the Vikings. Michael Farion paced the Rattlers with 16 on 7-10 from the floor, 2-4 from the arc, 0-3 from the line, 2 boards, 2 assists and 2 steals. Salissou Abdoul Kade added 13 on 5-10 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 3-3 from the line, 3 boards, 2 assists and 4 steals. Jaamel Slack scored 13 on 4-8 from the floor, 1-3 from the arc, 4-4 from the line and 5 boards. Jordan Wynter added 12 on 5-9 from the floor, 1-4 from the arc, 1-1 from the line, 9 boards, 3 assists and 4 steals. Pietro De Andrade scored 12 on 5-8 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 2-3 from the line, 3 boards and 2 blocks. Guilherme Fuck added 8 on 3-15 from the floor, 0-5 from the arc, 2-3 from the line, 10 boards, 6 assists, 3 steals and 2 blocks. Stephen Jones added 6 on 2-3 from the floor, 2-3 from the line and 4 boards. Michael Grol scored 3 on 1-2 from the arc. Collin Ralko added 3 on 1-7 from the floor, 1-7 from the arc, 4 boards and 2 assists. Javontae Jones added 2 on 1-5 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc and 2 boards, while Jarred Wenzel and Logan Spruyt were scoreless. Wenzel nabbed 2 boards. The Rattlers hit 34-81 (.420) from the floor, 6-29 (.207) from the arc and 14-20 (.700) from the line, while garnering 45 boards, including 14 on the offensive glass, 19 assists, 14 steals, 6 blocks, 12 turnovers and 14 fouls. Eddy Nkerabahizi paced the Vikings with 19 on 5-14 from the floor, 2-5 from the arc, 7-8 from the line and 6 boards. Darian Smigorowsky added 8 on 3-8 from the floor, 2-6 from the arc, 2 boards and 3 assists. Riley Wallace scored 6 on 3-11 from the floor, 0-3 from the arc and 7 boards. Nathan Bowie scored 6 on 2-4 from the arc. Chad Chessall added 3 on 1-1 from the floor and 1-2 from the line. Graeme Haney scored 3 on 1-2 from the floor, 1-1 from the arc and 2 boards. Steven Spracklin scored 2 on 1-2 from the floor and 4 boards. Michael Stasuik added 2 on 0-3 from the floor, 0-3 from the arc, 2-3 from the line, 5 boards and 2 assists. Cameron Vilcsak scored 2 on 1-11 from the floor, 0-5 from the arc, 5 boards, 2 assists and 2 steals. Spencer Marion scored 2 on 1-3 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc and 4 boards, while Connor Gusdal and Ian Ferguson were scoreless. Gusdal nabbed 3 boards. The Vikings hit 18-63 (.286) from the floor, 7-31 (.226) from the arc and 10-15 (.667) from the line, while garnering 39 boards, including 7 on the offensive glass, 9 assists, 2 steals, 22 turnovers and 19 fouls. The Vikings (coached by Dave Drabiuk) also included Kobe Borowetz, Josh Lawal and Austin Brulotte.
In the last quarterfinal, the Lethbridge Kodiaks (3rd, South division) nipped the NAIT Ooks (2nd, North division) 80-77 after leading 22-12, 44-31 and 65-53 at the quarters. Chris Maughan was chosen player of the game for the Kodiaks, while Jackson Jacob earned the laurels for the Ooks. Chris Maughan paced the Kodiaks with 30 on 12-21 from the floor, 6-9 from the line, 9 boards, 3 assists and 2 blocks. Grady Taylor added 24 on 11-22 from the floor, 2-5 from the arc, 0-2 from the line and 3 boards. Robert Miles III added 8 on 3-8 from the floor, 0-3 from the arc, 2-4 from the line, 7 boards, 5 assists and 2 steals. Pierce Van Gaalen scored 5 on 2-10 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc, 8 boards and 4 assists. Rory Russell added 4 on 1-3 from the floor, 2-3 from the line and 2 boards. Keanu Funa added 4 on 2-5 from the floor and 7 boards. Cory Richardson scored 3 on 1-5 from the floor, 1-4 from the arc, 5 boards and 4 assists. Taylor Hammel added 2 on 1-2 from the floor, while Jackson Kasko, Nathan Orr, Morgan Gunderson and Chris Thomson were scoreless. Gunderson nabbed 4 boards. The Kodiaks hit 33-76 (.434) from the floor, 4-14 (.286) from the arc and 10-18 (.556) from the line, while garnering 46 boards, including 14 on the offensive glass, 18 assists, 5 steals, 2 blocks, 15 turnovers and 23 fouls. Jackson Jacob paced the Ooks with 21 on 5-19 from the floor, 1-8 from the arc, 10-14 from the line, 6 boards, 4 assists and 2 steals. Sebastian Cava scored 16 on 6-16 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc, 4-5 from the line, 4 boards, 3 assists and 5 steals. Wyatt Beaver added 16 on 5-14 from the floor, 3-10 from the arc, 3-6 from the line, 11 boards and 4 assists. Jarod Caufield scored 9 on 3-7 from the arc. Andrew Rauch added 8 on 4-6 from the floor and 3 boards. Jordan Brown scored 5 on 2-8 from the floor, 1-3 from the line and 9 boards. Jamal Hinds added 2 on 0-1 from the floor and 2-2 from the line, while Nauman Awan, Keilan Dobish, Logan Pease and Cam Clemence were scoreless. The Ooks hit 25-71 (.352) from the floor, 7-27 (.259) from the arc and 20-30 (.667) from the line, while garnering 35 boards, including 9 on the offensive glass, 12 assists, 8 steals, 2 blocks, 14 turnovers and 20 fouls. The Ooks (coach Mike Connolly, assistant Blaine LaBranche, assistant Donny Moss, strength & conditioning Luc Lefebvre, student trainer Minela Masic, manager Nauman Awan) also included Chris Mooney and Brady MacKay.
In the semis,
the SAIT Trojans dumped the Red Deer Kings 94-83. “It was just belief,” said Trojans
coach Marty Birky. “We’ve done this. We’ve done this against this team. We just
know that we can come back and win any game. I keep saying it, but these guys just
keep finding ways to win. I’d like to take credit for it, but I can’t. I have a
hell of a coaching staff and I have tough, tough, players.” The Kings
broke to a 6-0 lead and extended the margin to 28-17 after one quarter as
Shayne Stumpf dominated the paint. They kept drilling treys and maintained a comfortable
47-39 lead at the half despite a huge trey from John Smith Jr. to close out the
quarter. Smith later said the trey was a major factor. “It was super big,
because my shot was just falling in and out.
But I just thought if I keep shooting, eventually it’s going to go and then
I hit that one and that was it.” Birky said that “we came in and they hit
everything. And it wasn’t wide open; they were tough, contested shots.” The
Trojans began chipping away at the lead in the third quarter, after which they
trailed by just 65-62. They took their first lead at 69-66 on a Murphy Beya
trey and never trailed again, icing the win at the foul line. “These sharks saw
blood in the water,” Birky said. “My guys stayed confident and then once we got
the lead, we made sure we were not going to give it back. … Winners find ways
to win. On my first day at SAIT, I told the guys that I’m going to nationals. I’ve
been saying it all year since the first day of training camp. To not be made a
liar is definitely a great thing.” Kings coach Clayton Pottinger said “we had a
good start to the game but it was a weaker finish and perhaps some fatigue set
in.” John Smith Jr. was chosen player of the game for the Trojans, while Spencer
Klassen earned the laurels for the Kings. John Smith Jr. paced the Trojans with
30 on 11-23 from the floor, 2-7 from the arc, 6-6 from the line, 7 boards and 2
steals. Dathon Spencer added 20 on 5-9 from the floor, 10-11 from the line, 3
boards, 2 assists and 3 steals. Nick Molina added 13 on 5-9 from the floor, 2-4
from the arc, 1-2 from the line, 10 boards and 2 assists. Murphy Beya notched
11 on 3-8 from the floor, 1-4 from the arc, 4-4 from the line, 11 boards and 3
assists. Taner Parrington scored 10 on 4-9 from the floor, 1-3 from the arc,
1-2 from the line and 3 boards. Sherif Taha scored 6 on 2-4 from the floor, 1-1
from the arc and 1-2 from the line. Justin Makasiar added 4 on 2-5 from the
floor and 0-1 from the arc, while Ryan Nummi, Amitoj Rehill, Marcus Bautista,
Dylan Cline and Logan Hymas were scoreless. Nummi pilfered 2 balls while Hymas
nabbed 3 boards. The Trojans hit 32-70 (.457) from the floor, 7-21 (.333) from
the arc and 23-27 (.852) from the line, while garnering 38 boards, including 10
on the offensive glass, 11 assists, 10 steals, 1 block, 9 turnovers and 17
fouls. Kent, Washington-product Ian Tevis paced the Kings with 29 on 9-31 from
the floor, 6-20 from the arc, 5-7 from the line, 7 boards and 5 assists.
Spencer Klassen added 17 on 5-13 from the floor, 4-8 from the arc, 3-4 from the
line, 2 boards, 3 assists and 2 steals. Shayne Stumpf scored 15 on 7-11 from
the floor, 1-5 from the arc and 9 boards. Khurram Sultan scored 7 on 2-5 from
the floor, 1-4 from the arc, 2-2 from the line and 2 boards. Matt Matear added
7 on 2-5 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 3-6 from the line, 9 boards and 5
steals. Kae Greene added 6 on 3-6 from the floor. Anthony Robbs added 2 on 1-2
from the floor and 5 boards, while Cody White, Zach Morgan, Darryl Broderick,
Kevin Szymanek and Dillan Sutherland were scoreless. The Kings hit 29-73 (.397)
from the floor, 12-38 (.316) from the arc and 13-19 (.684) from the line, while
garnering 35 boards, including 9 on the offensive glass, 16 assists, 2 steals,
1 block, 10 turnovers and 19 fouls.
In the other semi, the Lethbridge
Kodiaks stunned the Medicine Hat Rattlers 78-66. The Rattlers led 22-19 after
one quarter. The Kodiaks led 43-34 at the half and 58-51 after three quarters.
Robert Miles III paced the Kodiaks with 23 on 10-19 from the floor, 0-3 from
the arc, 3-6 from the line, 7 boards, 3 assists, 5 steals and 2 blocks. Cory Richardson
added 20 on 7-15 from the floor, 3-7 from the arc, 3-6 from the line, 3 boards
and 3 assists. Grady Taylor scored 16 on 5-11 from the floor, 3-6 from the arc,
3-3 from the line and 3 boards. Chris Maughan added 11 on 5-9 from the floor,
1-1 from the line, 6 boards, 2 assists and 2 steals. Pierce Van Gaalen scored 4
on 2-2 from the floor, 0-3 from the line and 4 boards. Taylor Hammel added 2 on
1-1 from the floor. Keanu Funa scored 2 on 1-3 from the floor, while Jackson
Kasko, Nathan Orr, Morgan Gunderson, Rory Russell and Chris Thomson were scoreless.
Gunderson and Thomson each nabbed 2 boards. The Kodiaks hit 31-63 (.492) from the
floor, 6-16 (.375) from the arc and 10-19 (.526) from the line, while garnering
28 boards, including 9 on the offensive glass, 9 assists, 9 steals, 2 blocks,
19 turnovers and 23 fouls. Jordan Wynter paced the Rattlers with 16 on 7-9 from
the floor, 1-2 from the arc, 1-4 from the line, 13 boards, 5 assists and 4 steals.
Salissou Abdoul Kade added 12 on 4-15 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc, 4-9
from the line, 2 boards and 4 steals. Pietro De Andrade scored 11 on 5-12 from
the floor, 1-5 from the line and 5 boards. Guilherme Fuck scored 10 on 4-11
from the floor, 2-7 from the arc, 8 boards and 2 blocks. Michael Farion notched
8 on 3-13 from the floor, 1-7 from the arc, 1-4 from the line, 5 boards and 2
assists. Collin Ralko scored 6 on 2-5 from the arc. Stephen Jones added 2 on
2-2 from the line and 2 boards. Jaamel Slack scored 1 on 0-2 from the floor,
0-1 from the arc, 1-2 from the line and 4 boards, while Javontae Jones, Jarred
Wenzel, Michael Grol and Logan Spruyt were scoreless. The Rattlers hit 25-67 (.373)
from the floor, 6-24 (.250) from the arc and 10-26 (.385) from the line, while
garnering 39 boards, including 16 on the offensive glass, 12 assists, 11 steals,
5 blocks, 22 turnovers and 14 fouls.
In the bronze medal match, the Medicine Hat Rattlers dispatched the Red Deer Kings 96-82. The Rattlers led 28-14, 51-41 and 68-61 at the quarters. Matt Matear was chosen player of the game for the Kings. Kings coach Clayton Pottinger said “we got down early and can’t spot a good team like the Rattlers a big lead in their own gym. I give credit to our players for trying to battle back and they did many good things. We used everybody in the game and the guys did a great job with their minutes.” Guilherme Fuck paced the Rattlers with 21 on 9-16 from the floor, 3-7 from the arc, 0-1 from the line, 8 boards, 6 assists and 3 blocks. Michael Farion added 19 on 8-13 from the floor, 3-7 from the arc, 0-1 from the line, 7 boards and 8 assists. Salissou Abdoul Kade added 16 on 8-15 from the floor, 0-3 from the arc, 0-1 from the line, 12 boards, 6 assists and 2 blocks. Jaamel Slack scored 12 on 5-10 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc, 2-2 from the line, 6 boards and 3 assists. Pietro De Andrade added 11 on 5-10 from the floor, 1-3 from the arc, 11 boards and 3 assists. Jordan Wynter scored 9 on 3-3 from the floor, 1-1 from the arc, 2-2 from the line, 4 boards, 3 assists and 2 steals. Stephen Jones added 6 on 3-5 from the floor. Collin Ralko scored 2 on 1-2 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc and 3 boards, while Javontae Jones, Jarred Wenzel, Michael Grol and Logan Spruyt were scoreless. The Rattlers hit 42-74 (.568) from the floor, 8-24 (.333) from the arc and 4-10 from the line, while garnering 51 boards, including 16 on the offensive glass, 29 assists, 5 steals, 8 blocks, 20 turnovers and 15 fouls. Ian Tevis paced the Kings with 22 on 7-18 from the floor, 2-11 from the arc, 6-6 from the line, 6 boards, 7 assists and 3 steals. Kai Greene added 10 on 4-8 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc, 1-5 from the line and 2 steals. Spencer Klassen scored 10 on 3-13 from the floor, 1-4 from the arc, 3-6 from the line, 5 boards, 5 assists and 3 steals. Shayne Stumpf added 9 on 4-11 from the floor, 1-5 from the arc, 8 boards and 3 assists. Matt Matear scored 7 on 3-9 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 1-2 from the line, 4 boards and 2 assists. Cody White added 6 on 2-4 from the arc. Khurram Sultan scored 6 on 2-3 from the arc. Anthony Robbs added 5 on 2-8 from the floor, 1-4 from the line and 3 boards. Darryl Broderick added 3 on 1-1 from the arc. Kevin Szymanek scored 2 on 1-2 from the floor. Dillan Sutherland added 2 on 1-1 from the floor and 2 boards, while Zach Morgan was scoreless. The Kings (coach Clayton Pottinger, assistant Joel Carroll, assistant Patrick Bauer, video editor Hakim Sewaya, strength coordinator Shawn Taggart, manager Tyson Fehr) also included Shadrak Mpiana, Ramadan (Ramo) Adun, and Jabin Binnendyk.
In the final, the SAIT Trojans dusted the Lethbridge Kodiaks 85-65. “Fantastic. Just fantastic. It’s unbelievable,” said Trojans coach Marty Birky. “This is such a difficult league. We started August 1, and we worked and worked and worked – both as a coaching staff and as a team. … This is what we dreamed about all year. I’m so excited.” Tournament MVP and Lacey, Washington-product John Smith Jr. dominated the floor. “I really wanted to come out and be aggressive the whole game,” said Smith. “We kind of had a bit of a different game plan, but I figured if I just stayed aggressive, we were going to be alright down the stretch.” The Trojans struggled early which allowed the Kodiaks to take a 17-16 lead after one quarter. But the Trojans then took command and every Lethbridge run was countered by a trey from John Smith Jr. or an aggressive take by Dathon Spencer. The Trojans led 31-26 at the half and 50-39 after three quarters. They embedded the dagger in the fourth when Justin Makasiar nailed a trey with 8:24 on the clock to ignite a 7-0 run and take a 70-54 lead. The Kodiaks never recovered. “This might go down as the happiest moment of my life right now, I’m not going to lie,” said Makasiar. “After five years, and how hard training camp was with the coaches pushing us to get to this moment, it’s all been worth it. All the practices, all the hard work, it’s been worth it.” Kodiaks coach Ryan Heggie said his troops couldn’t contain Smith. “Then he hit that big shot at the buzzer to put them up at the half. He is a good player.” John Smith Jr. scored 40 on 14-25 from the floor, 7-15 from the arc, 5-6 from the line, 4 boards, 3 assists and 2 steals. Dathon Spencer added 15 on 6-13 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 3-4 from the line, 8 boards, 2 assists and 3 steals. Taner Parrington added 9 on 4-13 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 1-1 from the line and 7 boards. Murphy Beya scored 7 on 3-6 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc, 1-2 from the line, 9 boards and 2 steals. Ryan Nummi added 3 on 0-1 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 3-4 from the line and 5 boards. Justin Makasiar added 3 on 2-2 from the arc. Sherif Taha scored 3 on 1-9 from the floor and 1-7 from the arc. Logan Hymas scored 3 on 1-1 from the floor, 1-2 from the line and 4 boards. Nick Molina added 2 on 1-3 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc, 4 boards and 2 assists, while Amitoj Rehill, Marcus Bautista and Dylan Cline were scoreless. The Trojans hit 31-73 (.425) from the floor, 9-30 (.300) from the arc and 14-19 (.737) from the line, while garnering 42 boards, including 13 on the offensive glass, 11 assists, 9 steals, 1 block, 13 turnovers and 17 fouls. Chris Maughan paced the Kodiaks with 21 on 10-15 from the floor, 1-2 from the line and 10 boards. Keanu Funa added 13 on 5-7 from the floor, 2-3 from the arc, 1-2 from the line and 4 boards. Cory Richardson added 10 on 3-13 from the floor, 2-8 from the arc, 2-4 from the line, 4 boards and 2 assists. Rory Russell added 7 on 3-4 from the floor and 1-1 from the arc. Robert Miles III added 5 on 1-10 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc, 3-4 from the line and 5 assists. Grady Taylor scored 4 on 1-13 from the floor, 0-4 from the arc, 2-2 from the line and 7 boards. Morgan Gunderson added 3 on 1-5 from the floor, 1-2 from the line and 6 boards. Taylor Hammel added 2 on 1-2 from the floor, while Pierce Van Gaalen, Chris Thomson, Jackson Kasko and Nathan Orr were scoreless. The Kodiaks hit 25-69 (.362) from the floor, 5-18 (.278) from the arc and 10-16 (.625) from the line, while garnering 35 boards, including 15 on the offensive glass, 9 assists, 2 steals, 3 blocks, 14 turnovers and 20 fouls.
The bronze Medicine Hat Rattlers: Jordan Wynter; Javontae Jones; Salissou Abdoul Kader; Kyle Fischer; Collin Ralko; Jaamel Slack; Jarred Wenzel; Khaleeq Abdul-Rahman; Michael Grol; Logan Spruyt; Guilherme Fuck; Pietro de Andrade; Stephen Jones; Brady Resch; Michael Farion; coach Richard Humphrey
The silver medalist Lethbridge Kodiaks: Pierce Van Gaalen; Cooper Hayward; Chris Thomson; Chris Maughan; Tom Anderson; Taylor Hammel; Keanu Funa; Jackson Kasko; Nathan Orr; Robert Myles III; Cory Richardson; Jaxon Davison; Rory Russell; Grady Taylor; Keaton Josuttes; coach Ryan Heggie; assistant Taylor Jetten
The champion SAIT Trojans: Dathon Spencer; Ryan Nummi; Justin Makasiar; Murphy Beya; John Smith Jr.; Taner Parrington; Tyrell Lindgren; Dylan Cline; Nick Molina; Logan Hymas; Hunter Kosiorek; Nikola Ivanovic; Meva Dhami; Tautvydas Lipshitz; Amitoj Rehil; coach Marty Birky; assistant Pat Boulin; assistant Zach Alger; student therapist Olivia Lau