Final regular season standings: Dawson (18-0); John Abbott (12-6); Vanier (12-6); Champlain-St. Lambert (x-x); Maisonneuve (x-x); also Champlain-Lennoxville; Outaouais
Playoff non-qualifiers:
Champlain-Lennoxville Cougars: Wayne Tummings, coach Morgan Quinn
Outaouais Griffins: Martin Deschiens, Pascal Lescarbeau
Maisonneuve Vikings: Sebastien Gauthier
In the semis, the John Abbott Islanders defeated the Vanier Cheetahs 88-70 as Bruce Bird and Leon Pierre each scored 18. Pierre scored 14 of his 18 in the first half as the Islanders built a 44-39 lead. Bird came off the bench when Pierre picked up his fourth foul. “Leon (Pierre) was in a four-foul situation early in the second half and that’s when we pressed Bird into service. He came through in sensational fashion,” Islanders coach Steve Seabrooke told the Montreal Gazette. Cheetahs coach Keith Coffin said “we were leading by three when Pierre got his fourth foul and we figured we’d sail through with a win. But that kid Bird came out of nowhere to turn it around for them. … We were outhustled, outplayed and outcoached. … We’d spent the best part of three weeks putting together a game plan which I figured was good enough to win. What I didn’t count on was their ability to take us apart as effectively as they did.” Vanier tried a 2-3 zone. “We wanted to challenge them on the rim to neutralize the perimeter shooting of Donald Guy and Alex Aviles. They countered by getting the ball inside to Leon Pierre and Bruce Bird with the result that we wound up chasing people and they took our game away. They did a super job and anyone who understands the game would have noticed instantly that they had our number and there wasn’t a thing we could do about it.” John Abbott coach Steve Seabrooke said “we knew our opponent well in advance and we knew that if we hoped to reach the nationals, we had to beat Vanier.” Bob Ferguson paced Vanier with 24.
In the other semi, the Dawson Blues defeated the Champlain-St. Lambert Cavaliers 86-75. “We played an absolutely terrible game and we could just as easily have lost it,” Dawson coach Varouj Gurunlian told the Montreal Gazette. “I thought St. Lambert played their best game of the year against us but I’m afraid some of my guys were looking beyond this game.”
In the bronze medal match, the Champlain-St. Lambert Cavaliers defeated the Vanier Cheetahs 88-69 as Stephen Aubert scored 21. The Cheetahs (coached by Keith Coffin) included Robert Ferguson, Perry Douglas, Donald John, Emerson Thomas, Mark Girgus, Justin Solomon, Jim Hubert, Kevin Foreman, Paul Tinawi, Ivan DiDomenic, Carl Comeau.
In the final, the top-seeded Dawson Blues smoked the John Abbott Islanders 77-49. “We were totally unprepared for them,” Islanders coach Steve Seabrooke told the Montreal Gazette. “We came to Lennoxville with a single game plan, to beat Vanier in the semifinal. We managed that alright but we weren’t prepared for the Sunday avalanche triggered by the Blues. I guess in the back of my mind I had the idea that maybe we’d catch them in a mini-slump but it didn’t happen. They exploded from the start and everything they put in the air went in.” Dawson coach Varouj Gurunlian said he’d leveled the Blues for a poor performance in the semis. “Let’s just say we regrouped after that game and put aside all thoughts of winning a national title until we’d taken care of the business at hand. It was a superb effort on the part of everyone. If I had to single one person out for special mention, it would have to be Allan Cox. He’s our quarterback. He directs the attack and he had them going in high gear through the game.” The Blues took an early 8-2 lead and never looked back. Michael Smith blanketed Islander scorer Leon Pierre in the paint. Cox finished with 16 points. Dexter John added 15 and Raphael Tyrrell 14. After the season, Dawson coach Varouj Gurunlian retired.
The bronze medalist Champlain-St. Lambert Cavaliers: Gennaro Patella; Stephen Aubert; Wojtek Hryckowian; Laird MacDonald; Danny Eveleigh; Patrick Sullivan; Terry Lalonde; Tim Lefebvre; Tommy Crowe; Doug Nelson; coach Joe Eveleigh
The silver medalist John Abbott Islanders: Leon Pierre; Marcello Biocchi; Alex Aviles; Donald Guy; Bruce Bird; Mike Power; Sean McDonaugh; Cabral Douglas; Brian Duguay; Greg Ruffin; Dale Marshall; Paul Lauzier; John Lapp; Glenn Faucher; Scott Ride; coach Steve Seabrooke; assistant Cam Farquharson
The champion Dawson Blues: Dexter John; Allan Cox; Leslie Alleyne; Conroy Barnes; Ricardo Daley; Rodney Hampden; Kim McDowell; Ian Ployart; Michael Smith; Raphael Tyrrell; Frank Ziegler; John Rimple; Sean Dear; coach Varouj Gurunlian; assistant Chris Francis; manager David Estwick