Final regular season standings:
North (7): Keyano (16-0); Alberta-Augustana (10-6); Lakeland (9-7); Grande Prairie, now North Western Polytechnic (8-8); NAIT (6-10); Concordia Univ-Edmonton (4-12); The King’s University (3-13)
South (8): SAIT (14-2); Lethbridge (13-3); Red Deer Polytechnic (9-7); St. Mary’s (8-8); Ambrose (6-10); Briercrest (5-11); Medicine Hat (5-11); Olds (4-12)
Playoff non-qualifiers:
The King’s University Eagles: Quinn Peterson, Josh Povhe, Trytin Auburn, Joshua Fraser, Cameron Gates, Nic Gregersen, Joshua Eligado, Wyatt Reefhuis, Jonathan Barwegen, Logan Den Oudsten, Tyrone Kumson, Joshua Hamilton, Cornelius Mingo Jr, William Knopf, Towo Tope-Adedipe, Parker Bull, Emmanuel Odera, redshirt Danny Ganza, coach Jay Ouellette, assistant Tim Wadson
Medicine Hat Rattlers: Peter Adonri, Paul Adonri, Dennis Enns, Kyler Dutka, Zack Olson, Jordan Biggar, Ethan Smith, David Kent-Canalejo, Kieron Burgess, John Sasi, David Hamilton, Kyle Strohmann, Fred Kabore, Tanner Scott, Jacob Richer, coach Richard Humphrey, assistant Keir Mohanraj
Olds Broncos: Eric Wopnford, Tyreik Lennox, Luke Baker, Lake Del Mar, Sina Hashemi, Jonathan Barnett, Innocent Ntwari, Nathan Calkins, Mobin Ali, Adrian Deere, Gryphon Talbot, Isaac Harris, Nick McKee, Austin Nzige-Nyambok, redshirt Shane Bullock, redshirt Jeremy Burns, coach Harrison Corolis, assistant Dean Haidar, assistant Amar Duhra
In the provincial opening round and South divisional quarterfinals: …………………………………………………… The 3rd-seeded Red Deer Kings clipped the 6th-seeded Briercrest College Clippers 88-82 in double overtime. The Clippers led 16-15 after one quarter and 40-29 at the half. The Kings led 55-51 after three quarters. The score was knotted at 67 after regulation and at 77 after the first overtime. Kings coach Darren Graham said “Briercrest is a sixth seed, but they are coming off three straight wins. They have been playing playoff basketball just to get in. They were ready to play. Their shots weren’t really falling in the first quarter, but they got rolling in the second quarter. … At half-time, Kevin [Szymanek] gave the boys a pep talk and said that losing was not an option. Ultimately, they came out, played great defence and erased an 11-point deficit in mere minutes, and played really gutsy basketball down the stretch. … Ty King made some great shots. Our defence was exceptional down the stretch. The guys picked it up. … That’s a tough gritty team and credit to the boys for pulling out a victory.” Tyronn King was chosen player of the game for the Kings, while Jude Shepherd-Hills earned the laurels for the Clippers. Tyronn King paced the Kings with 26 on 9-29 from the floor, 1-10 from the arc, 7-8 from the line, 15 boards and 4 assists. Eduardo Crespo added 21 on 7-17 from the floor, 2-5 from the arc, 5-8 from the line, 9 boards and 2 assists. Cody White notched 16 on 6-10 from the floor, 3-7 from the arc, 1-1 from the line, 6 boards and 3 steals. Payton Baltzer scored 13 on 6-18 from the floor, 1-3 from the arc, 14 boards and 3 assists. Antonio Benjamin added 8 on 3-6 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 2-4 from the line and 9 boards. Kevin Szymanek scored 2 on 0-6 from the floor, 2-4 from the line, 12 boards, 2 assists and 4 steals. Kirklan Hall added 2 on 1-4 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc and 2 steals, while Pierce Shybunka, Guilherme Lacerda Ferreira, Cole Wicker, Logan Roberts and Brett Hochhausen were scoreless. The Kings hit 32-96 (.333) from the floor, 7-30 (.233) from the arc and 17-25 (.680) from the line, while garnering 76 boards, including 26 on the offensive glass, 13 fouls, 12 assists, 22 turnovers, 2 blocks and 11 steals. Jerome Adjei paced the Clippers with 18 on 8-16 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc, 1-2 from the line and 8 boards. Jude Shepherd-Hills added 17 on 6-22 from the floor, 4-14 from the arc, 1-2 from the line, 12 boards, 7 assists and 4 steals. Brolin Simes notched 12 on 4-14 from the arc and 3 boards. Riley Seaborn scored 11 on 5-17 from the floor, 1-9 from the arc, 3 boards and 2 assists. Salem Johnson added 8 on 3-4 from the floor and 2-3 from the arc. Lual Piok scored 6 on 2-7 from the floor, 2-6 from the arc, 5 boards and 2 steals. Zach Martens notched 6 on 3-6 from the floor, 12 boards and 2 blocks. Corbin Gengenbach added 2 on 1-5 from the floor, 0-4 from the arc, 5 boards, 9 assists and 3 steals. Kyle Helsloot scored 2 on 1-4 from the floor and 3 boards, while Jackson Mayes, Ben Macdonald and Alex Ariola were scoreless. The Clippers hit 33-95 (.347) from the floor, 14-52 (.269) from the arc and 2-7 (.286) from the line, while garnering 57 boards, including 15 on the offensive glass, 20 fouls, 21 assists, 18 turnovers, 4 blocks and 12 steals. The Clippers (coach Shane Sowden, assistant Justin Wolverton, manager Hunter Tonall) also included Tyler Synesael, Christopher Cheatham and Moshe Lauber-Hamm. …………………………………………………… In the other South opening round match/quarterfinal, the 4th-seeded St. Mary’s Lightning outlasted the 5th-seeded Ambrose Lions 112-102. The Lions led 31-19 after one quarter and 53-50 at the half. The Lightning led 79-75 after three quarters. Averie Armbrister was chosen player of the game for the Lightning, while Isaac Gray earned the laurels for the Lions. Averie Armbrister paced the Lightning with 42 on 16-24 from the floor, 3-9 from the arc, 7-8 from the line, 8 boards and 4 assists. Caleb Jipp added 34 on 12-20 from the floor, 4-8 from the arc, 6-7 from the line and 7 boards. Ryan Morck notched 16 on 5-11 from the floor, 2-5 from the arc, 4-6 from the line, 9 boards, 3 blocks and 2 assists. Johnpaul Okodua scored 8 on 4-7 from the floor and 7 boards. Kamal Pennant added 4 on 2-2 from the floor and 2 steals. Angelo Santiago scored 4 on 1-5 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 2-2 from the line, 7 boards and 5 assists. Riley Follensbee added 2 on 1-5 from the floor, 0-1 from the line and 5 boards. Sean Petrone scored 2 on 1-5 from the floor, 0-4 from the arc and 4 assists, while Alex Cliché and Graceson White were scoreless. The Lightning hit 42-80 (.525) from the floor, 9-27 (.333) from the arc and 19-24 (.792) from the line, while garnering 45 boards, including 10 on the offensive glass, 17 fouls, 16 assists, 16 turnovers, 3 blocks and 9 steals. Isaac Gray paced the Lions with 35 on 13-23 from the floor, 3-5 from the arc, 6-7 from the line, 10 boards, 6 assists and 4 steals. Linden Jackson added 33 on 13-27 from the floor, 2-8 from the arc, 5-7 from the line, 2 boards and 2 assists. Isaac Amsing notched 16 on 6-19 from the floor, 4-12 from the arc and 14 boards. Hudson Wiebe scored 9 on 4-6 from the floor, 1-2 from the line, 5 boards and 3 steals. Sylvan Lombo added 5 on 2-4 from the floor, 1-1 from the arc and 0-2 from the line. Hunter Sydney scored 4 on 2-7 from the floor, 0-3 from the arc, 5 boards and 2 steals, while Jovi Custodio, Zenin Kadnar, Jackson Earle and Jace Straub were scoreless. The Lions hit 40-88 (.455) from the floor, 10-31 (.323) from the arc and 12-18 from the line, while garnering 36 boards, including 10 on the offensive glass, 18 fouls, 10 assists, 12 turnovers and 10 steals. The Lions (coach Neil Nystrom, assistant Chad Romanuk, assistant Nathan Kravetsky, assistant Josh Daniel, assistant Kaden Hruska, strength & conditioning Ian Cantello, student therapist Megan Drouin) also included Nhial Philip, Lucas Pedersen, Hudson Wiebe, Josh Del Rosario, Ethan Johnson, Connor Stel, Isaac Amsing, Brayden Daniel, Shol Ayach, redshirt Logan Bennett and redshirt Emmanuel Fagite.
In the North opening round and North quarterfinals: …………………………………………………… The 3rd-seeded Lakeland Rustlers dispatched the 6th-seeded Concordia University-Edmonton Thunder 78-64. The Thunder led 22-16 after one quarter. The Rustlers led 37-34 at the half and 56-55 after three quarters. Rashon Russell was chosen player of the game for the Rustlers, while Arjun Dhaliwal earned the laurels for the Thunder. Artavis Holiday paced the Rustlers with 18 on 9-14 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 0-2 from the line, 14 boards and 3 steals. Rashon Russell added 15 on 6-15 from the floor, 2-5 from the arc, 1-1 from the line, 4 boards and 2 assists. Riley Rathwell notched 13 on 5-13 from the floor, 3-9 from the arc, 3 boards and 2 assists. Jean-Baptiste Otshudi scored 9 on 3-6 from the floor, 1-1 from the arc, 2-4 from the line, 5 boards, 2 assists and 3 steals. Davis Tshimanga added 8 on 3-7 from the floor, 1-3 from the arc and 1-1 from the line. Shaquai Manswell notched 7 on 2-5 from the floor, 3-6 from the line, 11 boards, 7 assists and 2 steals. Michael Shelast added 6 on 3-5 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc, 3 boards and 2 assists. Bahaeddin Salma scored 2 on 1-1 from the floor, while David Dimaano and Isaiah Guerrier were scoreless. The Rustlers hit 32-68 (.471) from the floor, 7-19 (.368) from the arc and 7-16 (.438) from the line, while garnering 43 boards, including 9 on the offensive glass, 12 fouls, 15 assists, 17 turnovers, 2 blocks and 13 steals. Nick Murschell paced the Thunder with 13 on 5-10 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc, 2-2 from the line and 7 boards. Alex Maclean added 11 on 4-13 from the floor, 3-6 from the arc, 7 boards and 3 assists. Milton Lendein notched 11 on 2-9 from the floor, 0-3 from the ac and 5 boards. Arjun Dhaliwal scored 8 on 4-14 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc, 5 boards and 2 assists. Nicholas Gibb added 7 on 2-11 from the floor, 1-6 from the arc, 2-3 from the line and 4 boards. Carsten Ritter scored 6 on 2-11 from the floor, 2-9 from the arc, 2 boards and 2 blocks. Lucas Turchet added 4 on 2-9 from the floor, 0-3 from the arc and 5 boards. Noah Julien scored 4 on 1-1 from the floor, 2-2 from the line and 3 boards. The Thunder hit 25-75 from the floor, 8-30 (.267) from the arc and 6-7 (.857) from the line, while garnering 37 boards, including 9 on the offensive glass, 15 fouls, 12 assists, 17 turnovers, 3 blocks and 5 steals. The Thunder (coach Reagan Wood, assistant Steve Flowers, assistant Mathew Hale, assistant Kyle Nanan) also included Ty Hermanutz, Justin Krewenchuk, Nyasha Mubayiwa, Valentino Vo, Jeff Lee, Liam O’Hallahan, Jaxon Littlefair, Jake Svenningsen, Neil Healey, Tyler Yanick and Kaleb DeKlerk. …………………………………………………… In the other North quarterfinal, the 4th-seeded Grande Prairie Wolves (now North Western Polytechnic) dispatched the 5th-seeded NAIT Ooks 71-63 after leading 18-15, 31-23 and 52-42 at the quarters. Emmanuel Iloka was chosen player of the game for the Wolves, while Griffin Lorenz earned the laurels for the Ooks. Emmanuel Iloka paced the Wolves with 20 on 9-20 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc, 2-5 from the line, 20 boards, 3 blocks and 2 steals. Shak Nasim added 17 on 5-12 from the floor, 1-3 from the arc, 6-7 from the line, 6 boards and 2 steals. Abdul Al-Tamimi notched 14 on 5-24 from the floor, 1-3 from the arc, 3-4 from the line, 11 boards, 4 assists and 2 steals. Christian Liwanag scored 10 on 4-13 from the floor, 0-3 from the arc, 2-2 from the line, 7 boards, 2 assists and 3 steals. Liam Davison added 6 on 3-4 from the floor, 0-2 from the line and 6 boards. Bruce Beddoe scored 2 on 1-4 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc and 3 boards. Van Kozak added 2 on 1-2 from the floor, while Mason Testwitch, Sampson Watson and Colton Brochu were scoreless. The Wolves hit 28-79 (.354) from the floor, 2-12 (.167) from the arc and 13-20 (.650) from the line, while garnering 54 boards, including 11 on the offensive glass, 11 fouls, 7 assists, 20 turnovers, 3 blocks and 10 steals. Griffin Lorenz paced the Ooks with 29 on 9-24 from the floor, 5-10 from the arc, 6-11 from the line, 9 boards and 2 steals. Luka Korosec added 11 on 5-12 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc, 1-2 from the line, 7 boards, 6 assists and 2 steals. Stian Gleddie notched 10 on 3-13 from the floor, 2-7 from the arc, 2-2 from the line and 6 boards. Grayson Youngs scored 5 on 2-9 from the floor, 1-5 from the arc, 3 boards and 2 steals. Dante Dinter added 4 on 2-6 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc, 6 boards and 2 assists. Keilan Dobish scored 2 on 1-1 from the floor and 2 boards. Daniel Gann added 2 on 1-1 from the floor, while Will Pittman, Vishal Dhillon and Roka Phalen-Baker were scoreless. Pittman nabbed 6 boards and pilfered 3 balls. The Ooks hit 23-76 (.303) from the floor, 8-33 (.242) from the arc and 9-15 (.600) from the line, while garnering 40 boards, including 5 on the offensive glass, 15 fouls, 10 assists, 16 turnovers and 11 steals. The Ooks (coach Jordan Baker, assistant George Hoyt, assistant Shane Leman, assistant Graeme Ryer) also included Owen Labadie, Samuel Alebiosu, Jibrin McWesley and Conlin Thompson.
In the provincial quarterfinals and South division semis, the top-seeded SAIT Trojans clocked the 4th-seeded St. Mary’s Lightning 107-76. The score was knotted at 23 after one quarter. The Trojans led 52-40 at the half and 75-55 after three quarters. The Trojans dominated the boards and romped, leading by as many as 25. Gemie Muya was chosen player of the game for the Trojans, while Ryan Morck earned the laurels for the Lightning. Marcus Masters paced the Trojans with 25 on 8-16 from the floor, 4-10 from the arc, 5-5 from the line, 7 boards, 4 assists and 2 steals. Taliik Ross added 18 on 8-13 from the floor, 2-4 from the line, 12 boards, 2 blocks and 2 steals. Charlie Conner notched 14 on 6-18 from the floor, 1-7 from the arc, 1-1 from the line, 2 boards, 6 assists and 3 steals. Gemie Muya scored 12 on 6-9 from the floor, 0-4 from the line, 9 boards and 2 steals. Amin Suleman added 11 on 5-9 from the floor, 1-4 from the arc, 2 boards and 3 assists. Matur Maluach scored 10 on 4-10 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc, 1-1 from the line and 5 boards. Tyis Yellow Horn notched 8 on 2-3 from the floor, 2-3 from the arc, 2-2 from the line, 3 boards and 3 assists. James Owolabi scored 4 on 2-2 from the floor. Camille Kamba added 3 on 1-3 from the floor, 1-1 from the arc, 4 boards and 2 assists. Wyatt Haux scored 2 on 0-1 from the arc and 2-2 from the line, while Filip Ivanovic and Nikola Ivanovic were scoreless. Filip Ivanovic nabbed 2 boards. The Trojans hit 42-84 from the floor, 10-28 (.357) from the arc and 13-19 (.684) from the line, while garnering 51 boards, including 20 on the offensive glass, 19 fouls, 21 assists, 8 turnovers, 2 blocks and 10 steals. Averie Armbrister paced the Lightning with 18 on 8-18 from the floor, 1-5 from the arc, 1-2 from the line, 5 boards and 2 assists. Ryan Morck added 13 on 3-12 from the floor, 3-7 from the arc, 4-4 from the line, 4 boards and 2 assists. Angelo Santiago notched 12 on 5-7 from the floor, 2-3 from the arc, 6 boards and 2 assists. Sean Petrone scored 11 on 2-5 from the floor, 2-3 from the arc and 5-7 from the line. Caleb Jipp added 10 on 4-12 from the floor, 2-6 from the arc, 4 boards and 2 assists. Johnpaul Okodua notched 5 on 1-1 from the floor, 3-4 from the line, 5 boards and 2 assists. Alex Cliché added 4 on 2-2 from the floor, 2 boards and 2 blocks. Kamal Pennant scored 3 on 1-3 from the floor and 1-2 from the arc, while Ethan Minde, Riley Follensbee and Graceson White were scoreless. Follensbee dished 3 assists. The Lightning hit 26-63 (.413) from the floor, 11-28 (.393) from the arc and 13-17 (.765) from the line, while garnering 28 boards, including 5 on the offensive glass, 20 fouls, 14 assists, 7 turnovers, 4 blocks and 3 steals. The Lightning (coach Nathan Ruff, assistant Abdell Farag, assistant Paul Bagnall, therapist Kristin Streed) also included Ayudo Ayudo, Rowan Seerup and Isaiah Macdonald.
In the other South semi, the 3rd-seeded Red Deer Polytechnic Kings stunned the 2nd-seeded Lethbridge Kodiaks 86-76 after leading 14-10, 38-31 and 61-59 at the quarters. After the Kodiaks knotted the score at 61 in fourth quarter, the Kings countered with a 15-4 run and held on for the win. Tyronn King was chosen player of the game for the Kings, while Orin Porter Jr earned the laurels for the Kodiaks. Tyronn King paced the Kings with 27 on 8-24 from the floor, 2-8 from the arc, 9-9 from the line, 10 boards, 7 assists and 2 steals. Cody White added 12 on 4-11 from the floor, 4-8 from the arc, 2 assists and 2 steals. Antonio Benjamin notched 9 on 3-5 from the floor, 3-4 from the line and 6 boards. Eduardo Crespo scored 8 on 2-5 from the floor, 2-2 from the arc, 2-2 from the line, 5 boards and 2 assists. Kirklan Hall added 8 on 3-4 from the floor, 1-1 from the arc, 1-2 from the line, 2 boards and 2 assists. Payton Baltzer scored 5 on 2-5 from the floor, 1-2 from the line and 6 boards. Cole Wicker notched 5 on 2-4 from the floor, 1-3 from the arc and 2 boards. Kevin Szymaek added 4 on 2-4 from the floor. Logan Roberts scored 4 on 2-3 from the floor and 0-1 from the arc. Pierce Shybunka added 2 on 2-2 from the line. Brett Hochhausen scored 2 on 1-1 from the floor, while Guilherme Lacerda-Ferreira was scoreless. The Kings hit 29-66 (.439) from the floor, 10-23 (.435) from the arc and 18-21 (.857) from the line, while garnering 35 boards, including 7 on the offensive glass, 26 fouls, 14 assists, 10 turnovers and 6 steals. Orin Porter Jr led the Kodiaks with 24 on 8-21 from the floor, 5-14 from the arc, 3-5 from the line, 6 boards, 5 assists and 2 steals. Jack-Henry Fox-Grey added 14 on 5-12 from the floor, 4-6 from the line, 9 boards and 4 assists. Paycen Blackmore notched 12 on 6-11 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 0-2 from the line, 6 boards and 2 assists. Tomoya Owens scored 9 on 4-7 from the floor, 1-6 from the line, 7 boards and 2 steals. Leon Schenker added 8 on 3-10 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 2-5 from the line and 2 boards. Taylor Barfus scored 4 on 0-1 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc and 4-6 from the line. Chris Schlauwitz added 3 on 1-7 from the floor, 1-5 from the arc, 2 boards and 3 assists. Jackson Kasko scored 2 on 1-1 from the floor, 3 boards and 3 assists, while Ty Lewis, Moataz Hassanen, Karson Valgardson and Aydan Card were scoreless. The Kodiaks hit 28-70 (.400) from the floor, 6-22 (.273) from the arc and 14-30 (.467) from the line, while garnering 35 boards, including 10 on the offensive glass, 21 fouls, 19 assists, 9 turnovers and 7 steals. The Kodiaks (coach Ryan Heggie, assistant Taylor Jetten, assistant Michael Clemons) also included Timothy McMahon, Dawson Atwood, Vince Martin and Mason Hoffman.
In the provincial quarterfinals and North division semis, the top-seeded Keyano Huskies clubbed the 5th-seeded Grande Prairie 125-54 after leading 25-11, 58-24 and 86-42 at the quarters. Omeechi Williams was chosen player of the game for the Huskies, while Mason Testawich earned the laurels for the Wolves. Sean Michael-Clancey paced the Huskies with 26 on 11-21 from the floor, 3-8 from the arc, 1-2 from the line, 7 boards, 5 assists and 3 steals. Jusci Thompson added 20 on 5-12 from the floor, 2-7 from the arc, 8-9 from the line, 4 boards, 4 assists and 3 steals. Ringo Dau notched 18 on 6-11 from the floor, 2-3 from the arc, 4-4 from the line, 7 boards and 5 assists. Efosa Omorogbe scored 18 on 6-8 from the floor, 4-6 from the arc and 2-2 from the line. Keenan Caribou added 12 on 4-8 from the floor, 3-6 from the arc, 1-2 from the line and 4 boards. Omeechi Williams notched 9 on 4-6 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc, 1-3 from the line, 6 boards, 5 assists and 2 steals. Jack Redden added 8 on 4-5 from the floor, 10 boards, 2 assists and 2 blocks. Shaquille Bedminster scored 6 on 2-4 from the floor, 2-3 from the arc, 4 boards and 2 assists. Mazin Tiea added 3 on 1-2 from the floor, 2-2 from the line and 3 boards. Jacob Simmons scored 3 on 1-5 from the arc, 3 boards and 3 assists. Carson Tylosky added 1 on 1-2 from the line, while Nathan Carefoote-Jones was scoreless, nabbed 4 boards and dished 2 assists. The Huskies hit 44-83 (.530) from the floor, 17-40 (.425) from the arc and 20-26 (.769) from the line, while garnering 53 boards, including 16 on the offensive glass, 20 fouls, 30 assists, 4 turnovers, 4 blocks and 11 steals. Abdul Al-Tamimi paced the Wolves with 16 on 6-21 from the floor, 1-3 from the arc, 3-5 from the line and 5 boards. Christian Liwanag added 11 on 2-10 from the floor, 1-3 from the arc, 6-6 from the line, 5 boards and 3 assists. Emmanuel Iloka notched 7 on 3-11 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 1-2 from the line and 9 boards. Mason Testawich added 7 on 3-3 from the floor and 1-4 from the line. Shak Nasim scored 5 on 2-7 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc, 1-2 from the line and 2 assists. Van Kozak added 4 on 4-6 from the line and 2 boards. Bruce Beddoe scored 2 on 1-1 from the floor and 3 boards. Liam Davison added 2 on 1-3 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 0-2 from the line and 4 boards, while Colton Brochu was scoreless. The Wolves hit 18-57 (.316) from the floor, 2-11 (.182) from the arc and 16-27 (.593) from the line, while garnering 29 boards, including 7 on the offensive glass, 18 fouls, 8 assists, 20 turnovers, 1 block and 3 steals. The Wolves (coach Evan Lloyd, assistant Troy Sandboe, assistant Rob Levy, assistant Lucas Gorgichuk, manager Christopher Davies, strength & conditioning James Phillips, yoga instructor Makenzie Moreside) also included Bryce Hardisty-Phillips, Eric Fehr, John Kaweesi, Terrance Lennox, Sampson Watson, Kwame Okyere and Jinseop Lim.
In the other North semi and last provincial quarterfinal, the 3rd-seeded Lakeland Rustlers edged the 2nd-seeded Alberta-Augustana Vikings 60-55. The Vikings led 17-11 after one quarter and 32-31 at the half. The Rustlers led 47-45 after three quarters Artavis Holiday led the Rustlers with 14 on 6-11 from the floor, 0-3 from the arc, 0-2 from the line, 12 boards, 2 assists and 2 steals. Rashon Russell added 10 on 4-8 from the floor, 0-3 from the arc, 2-2 from the line, 5 boards and 2 assists. Shaquai Manswell notched 10 on 5-15 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc and 6 boards. Riley Rathwell 10, along with 2 boards, 4 assists and 3 steals, Jean-Baptiste Otshudi scored 9 on 2-6 from the floor, 0-3 from the arc, 5-6 from the line and 2 boards. David Tshimanga added 4 on 1-4 from the floor and 2 boards. Bahaeddin Salma notched 3 on 1-2 from the floor and 1-1 from the line. Michael Shelast scored 2 on 1-4 from the floor and 5 boards, while David Dimaano and Isaiah Guerrier were scoreless. Guerrier nabbed 3 boards. The Rustlers hit 25-67 (.373) from the floor, 3-19 (.158) from the arc and 7-12 (.583) from the line, while garnering 41 boards, including 13 on the offensive glass, 13 fouls, 10 assists, 3 blocks and 11 steals. Nic Harder paced the Vikings with 19 on 7-17 from the floor, 5-7 from the line, 19 boards and 3 assists. Nathan Bowie added 10 on 3-14 from the floor, 1-5 from the arc, 3-4 from the line, 4 boards and 2 assists. Jon Mueller notched 8 on 3-11 from the floor, 2-8 from the arc, 3 boards and 2 assists. Marc Parma scored 6 on 2-14 from the floor, 2-11 from the arc, 4 boards and 2 assists. Jake Frostad added 4 on 2-4 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 6 boards, 4 assists and 2 steals. Calen Dubuc scored 3 on 1-11 from the floor, 1-4 from the arc and 6 boards. Tyler Weenink added 3 on 1-4 from the floor, 1-2 from the line and 6 boards. Eli Schmuland scored 2 on 0-3 from the floor, 2-2 from the line and 5 boards, while Cale Scotton, Cooper Nelson, Ryan Degner and Jack Smilski were scoreless. The Vikings hit 19-78 (.244) from the floor, 6-29 (.207) from the arc and 11-15 (.733) from the line, while garnering 53 boards, including 19 on the offensive glass, 17 fouls, 12 assists, 23 turnovers, 1 block and 6 steals. The Vikings (coached by Dave Drabiuk) also included Connor Peake, Shaun Callihoo, Tarik Reed, Jonathan Gomes, Gavin Limber, Brett Marlow, Jonathan Mueller, Marco Parma, Colton Sampson, Merick Sampson, Jack Smilski and Dominic del Rosario.
In the crossover provincial semis, the Keyano Huskies (1st, North) clipped the Red Deer Polytechnic Kings (3rd, South) 100-88. The Kings led 26-25 after one quarter. The Huskies led 56-42 at the half and 72-64 after three quarters. Ringo Dau was chosen player of the game for the Huskies, while Tyronn King earned the laurels for the Kings. Sean Michael-Clancey paced the Huskies with 35 on 9-20 from the floor, 2-7 from the arc, 15-18 from the line, 9 boards, 2 assists and 3 steals. Ringo Dau added 29 on 9-15 from the floor, 3-6 from the arc, 8-12 from the line, 6 boards and 4 assists. Jacob Simmons notched 9 on 4-10 from the floor, 1-1 from the arc and 4 boards. Jusci Thompson scored 9 on 3-4 from the floor, 1-1 from the arc, 2-4 from the line and 2 boards. Mazin Tiea added 6 on 2-3 from the floor and 2-2 from the line. Omeechi Williams scored 5 on 1-4 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc, 3-4 from the line, 4 boards, 5 assists and 3 steals. Shaquille Bedminster notched 3 on 1-7 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc and 3 boards. Efosa Omorogbe added 3 on 1-3 from the arc. Keenan Caribou scored 1 on 1-2 from the line, while Emeka Asiegbu, Nathan Carefoote-Jones, Carson Tylosky and Jack Redden were scoreless. The Huskies hit 30-66 (.455) from the floor, 9-22 (.409) from the arc and 31-42 (.738) from the line, while garnering 33 boards, including 9 on the offensive glass, 21 fouls, 16 assists, 9 turnovers, 2 blocks and 8 steals. Tyronn King paced the Kings with 27 on 10-27 from the floor, 2-9 from the arc, 5-6 from the line, 10 boards and 3 assists. Eduardo Crespo added 24 on 8-13 from the floor, 1-3 from the arc, 7-9 from the line, 9 boards and 4 assists. Cody White notched 17 on 5-13 from the floor, 3-10 from the arc, 4-5 from the line, 4 boards, 2 assists and 2 steals. Antonio Benjamin scored 9 on 4-4 from the floor, 1-2 from the line, 9 boards and 2 assists. Payton Baltzer added 9 on 3-6 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 1-2 from the line and 3 boards. Kirklan Hall scored 3 on 0-3 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc and 3-4 from the line. Kevin Szymanek added 1 on 1-2 from the floor and 6 boards, while Pierce Shybunka, Guilherme Lacerda Ferreira, Cole Wicker, Logan Roberts and Brett Hochhausen were scoreless. The Kings hit 30-67 (.448) from the floor, 6-24 from the arc and 22-30 (.733) from the line, while garnering 42 boards, including 14 on the offensive glass, 30 fouls, 12 assists, 11 turnovers, 1 block and 4 steals.
In the other semi, the SAIT Trojans (1st, South) trimmed the Lakeland Rustlers (3rd, North) 92-83 after leading 15-12, 42-27 and 68-60 at the quarters. The Rustlers knotted the score at 78 in the final frame on a trey by Isaiah Guerrier but Matur Maluach countered with a pair of free throws and the Trojans pulled away down the stretch. Charlie Conner was chosen player of the game for the Trojans, while Artavis Holiday earned the laurels for the Rustlers. Charlie Conner paced the Trojans with 28 on 11-17 from the floor, 5-10 from the arc, 1-1 from the line, 10 boards, 3 assists and 2 steals. Marcus Masters added 23 on 8-17 from the floor, 2-7 from the arc, 5-6 from the line, 3 boards and 2 assists. Matur Maluach notched 15 on 5-11 from the floor, 1-4 from the arc, 4-5 from the line and 5 boards. Taliik Ross scored 10 on 4-10 from the floor, 2-4 from the line, 10 boards, 2 blocks and 2 steals. Amin Suleman added 9 on 3-10 from the floor, 3-7 from the arc and 3 assists. Camille Kamba scored 5 on 1-5 from the arc, 2-2 from the line, 6 boards and 3 assists. Gemie Muya added 2 on 1-2 from the floor, 4 boards and 2 assists, while Wyatt Haux, Filip Ivanovic, Nikola Ivanovic, Tyis Yellow Horn and James Owolabi were scoreless. The Trojans hit 33-73 (.452) from the floor, 12-34 (.353) from the arc and 14-18 (.778) from the line, while garnering 39 boards, including 15 on the offensive glass, 13 fouls, 14 assists, 5 turnovers, 2 blocks and 5 steals. Artavis Holiday paced the Rustlers with 24 on 9-14 from the floor, 5-8 from the arc, 1-3 from the line and 9 boards. Jean-Baptiste Otshudi added 17 on 5-11 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 7-8 from the line, 7 boards and 9 assists. David Tshimanga notched 12 on 5-13 from the floor and 2-4 from the arc. Isaiah Guerrier scored 9 on 3-7 from the floor, 2-3 from the arc, 1-1 from the line, 2 boards and 2 assists. Shaquai Manswell added 7 on 3-9 from the floor, 1-3 from the arc and 5 boards. Riley Rathwell scored 7 on 3-7 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc and 9 boards. Michael Shelast added 5 on 2-2 from the floor and 1-1 from the arc. Rashon Russell scored 2 on 1-6 from the floor, 0-3 from the arc and 3 boards, while Bahaeddin Salma and David Dimaano were scoreless. The Rustlers hit 31-69 (.449) from the floor, 12-25 (.480) from the arc and 9-12 from the line, while garnering 37 boards, including 12 on the offensive glass, 19 fouls, 15 assists, 7 turnovers, 1 block and 2 steals.
In the bronze medal match, Lakeland Rustlers (3N) edged the Red Deer Polytechnic Kings (3S) 82-79 after leading 26-15, 39-29 and 56-43 at the quarters. Shaquai Manswell paced the Rustlers with 23 on 8-17 from the floor, 1-4 from the arc, 6-6 from the line, 5 boards and 6 assists. Artavis Holiday added 14 on 5-10 from the floor, 1-4 from the arc, 3-3 from the line and 12 boards. Jean-Baptiste Otshudi notched 14 on 4-5 from the floor, 6-8 from the line, 5 boards and 5 assists. Isaiah Guerrier scored 9 on 3-6 from the floor, 1-1 from the arc, 2-3 from the line and 5 boards. Rashon Russell added 8 on 3-12 from the floor, 0-5 from the arc, 2-2 from the line and 5 boards. Michael Shelast scored 6 on 3-8 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc, 0-2 from the line and 8 boards. David Tshimanga added 6 on 2-9 from the floor, 0-3 from the arc, 2-2 from the line, 7 boards and 2 assists. Bahaeddin Salma scored 2 on 1-2 from the floor and 2 boards, while Riley Rathwell was scoreless. The Rustlers hit 29-71 (.408) from the floor, 3-21 (.143) from the arc and 21-26 (.808) from the line, while garnering 50 boards, including 14 on the offensive glass, 17 fouls, 16 assists, 7 turnovers, 2 blocks and 2 steals. Tyronn King paced the Kings with 22 on 9-26 from the floor, 2-11 from the arc, 2-2 from the line, 4 boards and 2 assists. Eduardo Crespo added 17 on 5-15 from the floor, 1-4 from the arc, 6-8 from the line, 10 boards and 2 steals. Cody White notched 15 on 4-11 from the floor, 2-7 from the arc, 5-5 from the line and 3 boards. Payton Baltzer scored 10 on 5-9 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc, 5 boards, 4 assists and 2 blocks. Antonio Benjamin added 7 on 2-5 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 3-4 from the line, 5 boards and 2 steals. Logan Roberts scored 3 on 1-2 from the arc. Kirklan Hall added 3 on 1-2 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc and 1-1 from the line. Cole Wicker scored 2 on 1-2 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc and 2 boards, while Kevin Szymanek, Pierce Shybunka, Guilherme Lacerda Ferreira and Brett Hochhausen were scoreless. Szymanek nabbed 6 boards. The Kings hit 28-76 (.368) from the floor, 6-30 (.200) from the arc and 17-22 (.773) from the line, while garnering 37 boards, including 11 on the offensive glass, 16 fouls, 9 assists, 6 turnovers, 3 blocks and 4 steals. The Kings (coach Darren Graham, assistant Hakim Sewaya, assistant Charlie Jorgensen, assistant Ed Major) also included Azro Abuzukar, MacGregor Manyluk, Parker Weinrauch and Jared Gamble.
In the final, SAIT Trojans (1S) edged the Keyano Huskies (1N) 91-88 to capture their fifth consecutive provincial title. The Huskies led 22-19 after one quarter. The Trojans led 42-37 at the half as they began pounding the ball inside to Taliik Ross. The Huskies led 67-63 after three quarters as Shaquille Bedminster began drilling mid-range jumpers. Amin Suleman nailed a trey with 6:23 to play to give the lead back to the Trojans and they never trailed again. Charlie Conner hit two critical free throws with 17 seconds to play to give the Trojans a 91-86 lead. Sean-Michael Clancey answered with a trey but a last second perimeter bomb failed to drop and SAIT escaped with the win. Trojan Charlie Conner said “that is one of the toughest teams I have ever faced. Hats off to their team because they played hard. I don’t think there was a bigger swing than seven points the whole game. … One thing I love about my team is when I put my head down, there are other guys pushing through and keeping me motivated. That’s what I love about all of these guys and I am happy for all of them that we got this done tonight. … I get asked what’s so special about SAIT. It’s the guys and what we instill during training camp – everybody out here are warriors so keep pushing.” Amin Suleman, who was chosen player of the game for SAIT, said two tough overtime late in the season against St. Mary’s and Lethbridge prepared the Trojans for the championship final. “Those two games really tested our team, and tested our team chemistry. The fact that we were able to come out on top in those games gave us confidence that we were going to come out on top tonight. We knew it was going to be a dogfight, but we were ready for it.” Trojans coach Marty Birkey said “I can go through our whole team, but you have to give a shoutout to Taliik Ross for dominating inside and his defensive presence in the first half. He came up big when we needed him to.” Marcus Masters paced the Trojans with 19 on 5-14 from the floor, 3-8 from the arc, 6-8 from the line, 6 boards and 3 assists. Amin Suleman added 18 on 5-9 from the arc, 3-3 from the line, 4 boards and 4 assists. Charlie Conner notched 17 on 5-12 from the floor, 0-4 from the arc, 7-9 from the line, 4 boards and 8 assists. Matur Maluach scored 16 on 8-13 from the floor, 4 boards and 2 assists. Taliik Ross added 12 on 4-6 from the floor, 4-12 from the line and 12 boards. Camille Kamba scored 5 on 1-4 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 3-3 from the line and 3 assists. Gemie Muya added 4 on 2-4 from the line and 4 boards, while Wyatt Haus, Filip Ivanovic, Nikola Ivanovic, Tyis Yellow Horn and James Owolabi were scoreless. The Trojans hit 30-64 (.469) from the floor, 8-23 (.348) from the arc and 23-35 (.657) from the line, while garnering 36 boards, including 12 on the offensive glass, 24 fouls, 20 assists, 9 turnovers, 2 blocks and 4 steals. Sean Michael-Clancey paced the Huskies with 22 on 9-23 from the floor, 0-7 from the arc, 4-7 from the line and 8 boards. Omeechi Williams added 16 on 5-9 from the floor, 3-5 from the arc, 3-6 from the line, 9 boards and 2 assists. Shaquille Bedminster notched 11 on 5-7 from the floor and 1-1 from the arc. Jusci Thompson scored 11 on 4-8 from the floor, 1-4 from the arc, 2-2 from the line, 6 boards and 4 assists. Ringo Dau added 10 on 4-11 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc, 1-1 from the line, 6 boards and 3 assists. Keenan Caribou scored 7 on 2-5 from the floor, 1-4 from the arc, 2-2 from the line and 2 boards. Mazin Tiea added 5 on 2-4 from the floor and 1-2 from the line. Jacob Simmons scored 4 on 2-3 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 3 boards and 4 assists. Efosa Omorogbe added 2 on 0-3 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc, 2-4 from the line and 2 boards, while Nathan Carefoote-Jones, Carson Tylosky and Jack Redden were scoreless. The Huskies hit 33-73 (.452) from the floor, 7-26 (.269) from the arc and 15-24 (.625) from the line, while garnering 39 boards, including 12 on the offensive glass, 23 fouls, 13 assists, 6 turnovers, 1 block and 2 steals.
The bronze medalist Lakeland Rustlers: Jace Klinkner; Artavis Holiday; Jean Baptiste Otshudi; Rashon Russell; Shaquai Manswell; Elijah Grant; Shevon Noel; Michael Shelast; Lucas Armstrong; Riley Rathwell; David Dimaano; David Tshimanga; Samuel Matice; Isaiah Guerrier; redshirt Steve Mbachu; coach Sheray Thomas; assistant Luke Kuypers; manager Greg Perillat
The silver medalist Keyano Huskies: Ringo Dau; Jacob Simmons; Jusci Thompson; Keenan Caribou; Sean Michael-Clancey; Shaquille Bedminster; Nathan Isbor; Efosa Omorogbe; Nathan Carefoot-Jones; Omeechie Williams; Carter Hartigan; Mazin Tiea; Carson Tylosky; Emika Asiegbu; redshirt? Solon Ellis; redshirt? Jordan Horebetz-Simpson; redshirt? Noah Horobetz Simpson; redshirt Stefan Jovcic; redshirt? Tyrone Kumsone; redshirt? Khadre Lane; redshirt?; redshirt? Riley Pardy; redshirt? Pere Surada Camps; coach Jeremy Wielenga
The gold medalist SAIT Trojans: Marcus Masters; Amin Suleman; Matur Maluach; Taliik Ross; Nikola Ivanovic; Tyis Yellow Horn; Mikasi Allen; Charlie Conner; Wyatt Haux; Noah Lehto; Camille Kamba; Benjamin Kamba; Gemie Muya; Meva Dhami; Sabino Dumo; Filip Ivanovic; James Owolabi; coach Marty Birky; assistant Pat Boulin; assistant David Francis