Final regular season standings:
In the quarterfinals, the Saskatchewan Polytech Moose Jaw Panthers defeated the Great Plains College Sundogs 109-85. The Panthers took command when Sundog Kristian Lubi fouled out. Matthew Benesh led the Sundogs with 38 points and 19 boards. Ben de Gala added 28 and Phillip Dyck 10.
In the semis, the 3rd-seeded Millar College of the Bible Edge dispatched the 2nd-seeded Saskatoon Polytech Amaruks-Moose Jaw Ramblers 90-87 in overtime. The Amaruks led 37-26 at the half. The score was knotted at 81 after regulation. “It was a close game, anybody’s game. A tie game and overtime, that’s exciting basketball. Once you are in overtime it’s anybody’s game. The boys just gutted it out and it was really good to see,” Edge coach Kevin Peters told the Southwest Booster. “They are another good team. They put pressure up high. We struggled when we played them the other two times with that pressure up high. The boys really buckled down. We worked a lot of defense so we could have more transition opportunities, which helped. Our game plan, especially in the second half, really came through and we started setting more screens.”
In the final, the top-seeded Prairie Pilots defeated the 3rd-seeded Millar College of the Bible Edge 81-77. The Edge led 43-34 at half after draining a host of treys. “It was exciting,” Edge coach Kevin Peters told the Southwest Booster. “We came out so hot and got the lead. It was a tale of two halves, I guess. We came out red-hot and were playing good defense. In the second half they put that three-quarter court pressure on and just slowed our game down and they kind of went into a zone. They slowed us enough that that they inched their way back. Then it was anyone’s game really.”
Peters hopes his team can learn from the championship defeat.
The bronze medalist Saskatchewan Polytech Moose Jaw Panthers: Royce Hernandez;
The silver medalist Millar College of the Bible Edge: Austin Bueckert; Jordan Bloom; Spencer Longfellow; coach Kevin Peters
The gold medalist Calgary Prairie Bible Pilots: Marcelino Buluran; Brannic Bailey; James Cardinal; Josiah Wolfe; Colin O‘Day; Lucas Fehr; Lorne Braam; Patrick Woodlands; Josh Dekker; Clayton Unger; Tim Yaceyko; coach Randy Stewart; assistant Matt Bullock