In the opening round: …………………………………………………… The top-seeded Calgary Sir Winston Churchill Bulldogs whipped the 16th-seeded Grande Prairie Tomahawks 119-31. …………………………………………………… The 8th-seeded Airdrie Bert Church Charges dumped the 9th-seeded Edmonton Harry Ainlay Titans 92-76. The Titans included Jordan Baker, Tommy Watson, Jonathan Suderman. …………………………………………………… The 5th-seeded Cardston Cougars edged the 12th-seeded Calgary Dr. E.P. Scarlett Lancers 90-88. The Lancers (coached by Tom Bishop) included Spencer Foley, Schaffer Montgomery. …………………………………………………… The 4th-seeded Okotoks Foothills Falcons defeated the 13th-seeded Calgary St. Mary’s Saints 94-84. The Saints included Ian Tomaszewski. …………………………………………………… The 2nd-seeded St. Albert Paul Kane Blues defeated the 15th-seeded Lloydminster Barons 100-59. …………………………………………………… The 10th-seeded Calgary Western Canada Redmen upset the 7th-seeded Edmonton Ross Sheppard Thunderbirds 72-70. …………………………………………………… The 6th-seeded Calgary Centennial Coyotes clipped the 11th-seeded Magrath Zeniths 97-85. The Zeniths (coached by Brad Sabey) included Steve Scott, Gregg Karren, Nick Haynes, Carson Heninger, Zac Fairbairn, Connor Barnett, Russell Bennett, Benson Wilde, Parker Dahl, Grady Taylor, Chance Sabey and Tyson Hudson. …………………………………………………… The 3rd-seeded Edmonton Jasper Place Rebels dumped the 14th-seeded Red Deer Hunting Hills Lightning 102-69. “I don’t think our guys were ready for that opening game,” Lightning coach Scott Doan told the Red Deer Advocate. “It was a big gym with a big crowd and we just couldn’t deal with it.” The Lightning (coached by Doan) included Adam Glover, Ryan Wachter, Zack Doan, Brent Higgins, Darren Wright, Landon Vaneck.
In the
quarterfinals, the top-seeded Calgary Sir Winston Churchill Bulldogs defeated
the 8th-seeded Airdrie Bert Church Chargers 77-70. “We had an opportunity to win
that game,” Bert Church coach Allen Gallup said. “We created open shots for
ourselves, we just didn’t make them. If we make a couple of those shots, we win
the game. It just came down to the fact that it was a ball game right to the
whistle. and in the last couple of minutes they made their shots and we didn’t
make ours.”
The 4th-seeded Okotoks Foothills
Falcons dumped the 5th-seeded Cardston Cougars 96-84. The Cougars included Jon McMurray,
Robbie Olsen, Brandt Dewsberry, Nic Bardfuss, Shawn Traweek, James Brooks,
Craig McMurray, Carson Walburger, Cody Wood and Travis Hartley.
The 2nd-seeded St. Albert Paul Kane Blues dumped the 10th-seeded Calgary Western Canada Redmen 85-68. The Blues shot the lights out with 10 threes in the first half and 16 in total. “They never had a chance. We were up by as much as 40,” said coach Don Phillips. The Redmen (coached by Steve Wiebe) included Rito Joseph, Drew Puffer.
In the last quarterfinal, the 3rd-seeded Edmonton Jasper Place Rebels dumped the 6th-seeded Calgary Centennial Coyotes 99-83. The Coyotes included Austin Romeril, James Wohlgeschaffen, Eric Bakker.
In the semis, the 4th-seeded Okotoks Foothills Falcons stunned the top-seeded Calgary Sir Winston Churchill Bulldogs 88-77.
In the other
semi, the 2nd-seeded St. Albert Paul Kane Blues defeated the 3rd-seeded
Edmonton Jasper Place Rebels 78-70. The Blues opened up a 15-point lead, then
watched the Rebels storm back to make it close before falling short 78-70.
Coach Don Phillips said, “like always, these kids in the fourth quarter really
honed in on their defensive end and got key defensive stops. Jake Hawboldt was
an animal down low. He took over the paint and he did the same thing against
Foothills with defensive rebounding and finishing down low. Colin James also
helped Jake take over the paint.”
In the bronze medal match, the
3rd-seeded Edmonton Jasper Place Rebels edged the top-seeded Calgary Sir
Winston Churchill Bulldogs 82-78 as Brett Melnick scored 31. Tyson Kwasney was
first to foul out for the Sir Winston Churchill Bulldogs. Then Ryan Baker was
shunted to the sidelines, and it wasn’t long before Jordan Tudor joined him. As
the Bulldogs tried to dig out of a hole and storm back to claim the bronze medal
at the provincial high school 4A basketball championships, a little help from
three of their veteran regulars would’ve gone a long way. “It was tough. Those
are some of our key guys that we needed at the end,” said Bulldogs point guard
Trevor Debolt, one of just two starters to survive the entire contest. “Especially
at the end, when it was really close, we needed some shooters on the floor.” Bulldogs
coach Mike Fullerton insisted he was satisfied with the result. “The four teams
that were in the semifinals were all deserving to be a No. 1 seed. I’m disappointed
for our kids, but am I disappointed for our program? Not at all.” Playing without
the services of some of his key sidekicks, Debolt did everything he could to
close the gap. As the Bulldogs tried to erase a seven-point deficit in the third
quarter, he stifled a fast-break with an aggressive swat, then aired out a long
pass to Kwasney, who banked a lay-up off the glass for a pair of points.
Moments later, Debolt swiped the ball from an unsuspecting Rebel and fed Scott
Peris for an easy two. The Bulldogs tied the contest twice in the fourth
quarter, but couldn’t hold off the Rebels’ attack. Dallin Bachynski had 23 points
in a losing effort. The Bulldogs (coached by Fullerton) also included Chris
Boudier, Dallin Bachynski.
In the final, the
2nd-seeded St. Albert Paul Kane Blues defeated the 4th-seeded Okotoks Foothills
Falcons 67-62. Paul Kane coach Don Phillips called the win “sweet. … I’ve
gained a lot of silvers and this is the first gold. It’s good to get the monkey
off our backs.” The Blues improved their record to (70-6) over the previous two
seasons. “It starts with great kids,” Phillips told the Calgary Herald. “I’ve
been blessed with beautiful kids; not only are they good students and great athletes,
but they’re exceptional people.” Travis Blacker paced the Blues with 20 points,
including three key three-pointers in the fourth quarter. Coleton Derochie
collected 19 points for the Falcons. The Falcons were (31-3) on the season. “We
did everything we wanted to, except win,” sighed Foothills coach Dave
Wooldridge. The Falcons scored six points quickly in the fourth quarter, but
didn’t hit another basket until a three-pointer by Derochie late in the game. “We
ran out of gas,” acknowledged Wooldridge. “It feels great,” Phillips said on Monday.
“Defence wins ball games and we kept them to only 12 fourth-quarter points.” Both
teams took turns taking the lead in the hard-fought contest. “But it was never
more than six points either way,” said Phillips. “They were a really gritty team
and grabbed a lot of loose balls.” Phillips was effusive in praising his team,
and not only for their abilities on the court, calling them “great
student-athletes. It’s a huge accomplishment for Paul Kane because it’s the first
provincial title for the senior boys’ program since 1963, when Paul Kane was created
45 years ago.” Guard Klaus Figueirido noted that “we’ll always be remembered as
the first basketball team to bring home the provincial title and that’s pretty
special. We went into hostile territory in Calgary to get the job done. I
wanted to leave with a bang and everybody had that same mentality. We had to
win.” Phillips said his troops “played typical Paul Kane Blues basketball.
Tough on defence, rebounded very well and we shot the ball. It was a back and forth
game. The most any team led by was six but we were determined and very focused.
We executed on both ends when we had to.” Figueirido said that after losing in
the 2007 final, the Blues were determined to achieve “redemption. We were a little
more battle tested. We were in tough games in tough situations. Going to
Calgary all the time for tournaments, we were ready for it this time.” The Blues
started the fourth quarter down by five points after Foothills star Noble
Crowfoot uncorked a desperation three-pointer from half-court just before the third
quarter ended. “To be honest the crowd [of PK supporters] was dejected and for
the first time in my career my kids were dejected. As they were walking back to
the huddle their heads were down. I kind of jogged onto the court and said,
‘Hey, get in here and get your heads up. If they have to hit half-court shots
to beat us then we’re doing something good,’” Phillips said. “I told them that
we’re deeper than them and sooner or later our conditioning is going to take
over. We’re going to start knocking down shots and they’re going to start
missing them and that’s what happened. We held them to 12 fourth-quarter
points. They rattled off a quick six and then they went on a no-hitter for a
long time.” Crowfoot struggled in the late stages against a tough and tenacious
Paul Kane defence. “He is arguably the best point guard in Canada and we really
shut him down. It really deflated their team when he wasn’t hitting his shots
because we were all over him,” said Blaine van Bruggen. The silky-smooth Grade
12 shooter pumped up the Blues with an early three-pointer in the last quarter
to kick-start the comeback. He hit four three-pointers in the game. Travis
Blacker also drained a trio of threes in the deciding quarter. The Grade 11
guard led the Blues in scoring with 20 points. A wicked play involving
Figueiredo and Marcus Bennett to keep the ball not only in bounds, but in Paul
Kane’s possession allowed Colin James to dish the ball off to Travis Blacker
for a pivotal layup. “He got hammered and that was a big-time turning point. He
must have went seven for eight at the free throw line down the stretch to seal
the deal,” Phillips said. James also dropped a shot through the rim to give the
Blues some clutch go-ahead points. “Our players kept making big time plays when
we needed them,” Phillips said. The Blues simply refused to lose. “We kept our
composure,” said Figueiredo, who logged heavy minutes against the Falcons, seeded
fourth in the 16-team draw. “When [Blacker] stepped up and hit a couple of big
threes he got us back into the game and from there on we just pulled through.”
When time ran out on the Falcons, pandemonium ensued. “I was about to run out
on the court and celebrate when I see this dark object run from the three-point
line of the Foothills basket, opposite to us, and when it got to half-court it
did three cartwheels and then did a back flip and that was Klaus. This kid
played 35 minutes and he still had the energy to pull that off at the end of
the game,” Phillips said. “I then look to the left and Blaine did a couple of
back flips. I couldn’t believe it.” Figueiredo, 17, was caught up in the
magnitude of the moment when the game ended. “Something just hit me. Blaine was
doing flips and I decided to do flips and then everybody started yelling and
screaming at centre court. We were crying. Hugs everywhere. It was wild.” Van
Bruggen, 17, was also floored by the tidal wave of emotion. “It was so
exciting. It was probably the best feeling I’ve ever had,” he said. “Having
lost last year really helped motivate us for the game. There are five returners
and we know how it felt to lose last year, and we felt we had to win it for
those guys not back from last year.” Even the stoic-looking Phillips showed he
really is a softie. “I had to shed a tear. It was an emotional time for myself
because I know how hard these kids worked and the coaching staff worked to have
an opportunity to hopefully take advantage of a second opportunity at a provincial
gold.” Figueiredo’s all-around performance in the final drew praise from Phillips,
who is confident his valuable point guard will be playing post-secondary
basketball in the fall. “He probably had 10 points and at least 13 to 15 rebounds,”
Phillips said. “Whether they were six-foot seven or six-foot-eight it didn’t
matter, he boxed them out and went up and got it with authority. I can’t say
enough about that kid’s heart and desire. You have to really know the game to
see the effects of Klaus Figueiredo. He’s not going to score 30 points like a
Travis Blacker or Blaine or even Evan Eger from last year [Metro Edmonton
league MVP for the Blues]. He just does it all. Deflections. Steals. Rebounds.
He has the heart of a champion.”
The bronze medalist Edmonton
Jasper Place Rebels: Alex Butts; Spencer Campbell; Ryan Coleman; Jared Comish;
Grady Gibson; Tyler Gushaty; Mike Janke; Brett Melnick; Brett Olafson; Milan
Rival; Brett Rouault; Marcus Shafer; Nick Suvanto; Dallas Wright; coach Rick
Stanley; assistant Constantine Kastrinos; assistant Dale Wright; manager
Winston McDonnell
The silver medalist Okotoks Foothills Falcons: Braeden Anderson; Noble Crowfoot; Coleton Derochie; Janz Engen; Kyle Karl; Kris Robinson; Brett Rutherford; Cory Selk; Eric Switzer; Dan Watwood; coach Dave Wooldridge; assistant Walter Armsworthy; manager Taylor Armsworthy
The gold medalist St. Albert Paul Kane Blues: Christoph Albrecht; Marcus Bennett; Travis Blacker; Kevin Blair; Gavin Bradley; Chris Dobko; Paul Edmonds; Klaus Figueiredo; Jacob Hawboldt; Colin James; Ben Nelson; Blaine Van Bruggen; Justin Wiebe; Lyndon Bolomac; Joel Mahe; coach Don Phillips; assistant Cam Fischer; assistant Mark Dobko; manager Fraser Fulton; trainer Jim Thompson; trainer Dr. Evans