In the opening round, held in Claresholm: …………………………………………………… The 12th-seeded Kainai Warriors stunned the 5th-seeded Camrose Our Lady of Mount Pleasant Catholic Royals 87-79. The Warriors led 20-13 after one quarter and 42-37 at the half. The Royals led 60-56 after three quarters. Royals coach Darby Murphy told the Camrose Canadian that “I was talking to a lot of coaches there and they were saying it’s been a long time since there was this sort of parity throughout the 12 teams that were there. Outside the top three teams, any of the teams five through 12 could have won on any given day. … As our year went along, we realized provincials was in reach and getting there was an eye-opening experience for our guys to see the level of athletes that are there. It was real cool for them to see some of those top teams play and to see what it takes to get there.” Jet Day Chief paced the Warriors with 38. Tyreece Weasel Head added 12, Tazzmaine Good Dagger 10, Paul Good Striker 9, Kogen Wells 8, Jett Black Water 6, Kristian Scout 2 and Taven Twigg 2, while Kadin Willows and C.J. Shouting were scoreless. Kieran Isnor scored 28 to lead the Royals. William Knopf added 18, Carson Baker 13, Ryan Cunningham 13, Cody Mattus 4 and Luke Johnson 3, while Dawson Fenrich, Trevonte Smith, Manuel Mangulabnan, Jaymes Sand-Kalynka, Miguel Mangulabnan and Kenneth Sedillo were scoreless. The Royals (coached by Darby Murphy, assisted by Neal Isnor) also included Fox Frigon. …………………………………………………… The 8th-seeded Lethbridge Immanuel Christian Eagles dispatched the 9th-seeded Edson Holy Redeemer Rebels 86-79. The Rebels led 22-17 40-38 and 61-57 at the quarters. Ryan Degner paced the Eagles with 41. Landon Veluw added 15, Steven Veldman 11, Levi Vroom 9, Shaun Boone 7, Cody Jonker 2 and Daymond Vande Munt 1, while Wade Withage, Justin Withage, Seth Leenstra and Josh Sluijmers were scoreless. Devin Wild scored 23 to lead the Rebels (coached by Peter James Matthew Saik, assisted by Blake Benson). Richard Webb added 15, Brian Birkenhagen 13, Shawn Rogers 9, Neil Korolishchuk 7, Jacob Chase 7, Anthony Warren 3 and Justin Breault 2, while Jarrett Pelkey, Jonas Jumaga, Kale Mole, Landon Schutz, Aidan Toner and Hunter Willox were scoreless. …………………………………………………… The 11th-seeded Calgary Christian Cougars edged the 6th-seeded Vermilion J.R. Robson Marauders 64-60. The Marauders led 17-14, 33-28 and 57-38 at the quarters. Graceson White paced the Cougars with 20. Noah Vriend added 14, Ethan Bornhof 11, Liam Brouwer 9, Elias Grasmeyer 8 and Ben Montgomery 2, while Mason Unrau, Kevin Eklund, Edward Hermanto and Mesendoo Nongo were scoreless. Axro Abuzukar scored 21 to lead the Marauders. Jackson Livingstone added 14, Carson Livingstone 9, Logan Schmahl 6, Deryk Venance 4, Cody Burke 4 and Bray Crowe 2, while Tristan McAllister, Mark Livingstone, Jace Hughes and Jonathon Pries were scoreless. The Marauders (coached by Lee Woodward, assisted by Shayne Sweeney) also included Matthew Madsen. …………………………………………………… The 7th-seeded Calgary Webber Academy Wildcats clipped the 10th-seeded Three Hills Royals 77-60 after leading 20-17, 48-34 and 65-47 at the quarters. Mackenzie Gilewicz paced the Wildcats with 27. Buchi Maduekwe added 15, Udo Wali 11, Christian Vathyam 8, David Olaniyan 7, Arjun Raina 4, Takshil Jariwala 3 and Daniel Elesin 2, while Brandon Chen, Steven Wellens, Ben Ravenscroft and Nicholas Sweerts were scoreless. Christopher ‘Gauge’ Hamm scored 28 to pace the Royals (coached by Darryl Viste, assisted by Boni Zampaga). Sidney Platt added 11, Adam Viste 8, Austin Olson 8 and Dylan Fu 5, while Deyem Lansink, Man Hin ‘Raffi’ Hui, David Zampaga, Taylor Sirois, Dyllan Gustafson and Jarrod McLeay were scoreless.
In the quarterfinals, the 4th-seeded Edmonton Millwoods Christian Royals blasted the 12th-seeded Kainai Warriors 113-74 after leading 35-27, 63-43 and 88-59 at the quarters. Anmol John paced the Royals with 30. Avery Villanueva added 16, Dawson Broda 15, Ayo Akindele 15, Carlos Ramos 9, Ben Kelati 6, Jabin Medina 6, Elijah Ledgister 5, Sam Adejumobi 5, Dustin Richards 3 and Cartmen Kinzel 3, while Brett Meeberg and Tobi Jayesimi were scoreless. Jet Day Chief paced the Warriors with 38. Kogen Wells added 10, Tyreece Weal Head 9, Jett Black Water 6, Tazzmaine Good Dagger 6 and Paul ‘Draven’ Good Striker 5, while Kristian Scout, Taven Twigg, Kadin Willows and Charles Shouting were scoreless. The Warriors (coached by Brad Holt, assisted by Elmer Soldier, Shane Wells and Lenny Weasel Head) also included Draden Plaited Hair, Raymond First Rider, Kyson Day Chief and Brett Weasel Head.
The top-seeded La Crete Lancers whipped the 8th-seeded Lethbridge Immanuel Christian Eagles 82-59 after leading 28-19, 52-27 and 69-46 at the quarters. Adam Klassen paced the Lancers with 28. Darian Goertzen added 23, Andrew Zacharias 17, Riley Janzen 6, Brandon Morris 5 and Cole Harder 3, while Michael Dick, Gary Froese, Daniel Krahn, Clayton Schellenberg, Kyle Fehr, Richard Bergen, Madison Wolfe and Adam Schellenberg were scoreless. Levi Vroom scored 20 to pace the Royals (coached by Tyren Van Ham, assisted by Dean Degner and Brendan Degner). Landon Veluw added 17, Ryan Degner 12, Daymond Vande Munt 4, Wade Withage 2, Cody Jonker 2 and Josh Sluijmers 2, while Justin Withage, Steven Veldman, Seth Leenstra and Shaun Boone were scoreless.
The 2nd-seeded Claresholm Willow Creek Cobras stomped the 7th-seeded Calgary Webber Academy Wildcats 102-56 after leading 28-15, 53-33 and 81-45 at the quarters. Nic Harder paced the Cobras with 29. Ross VanRootselaar added 23, Jean Pierre Otero Rodriguez 13, Jackson Wright 8, Logan Currie 8, Aaron Wutke 7, Ethan Watt 4, Tason Perry 3, Josh Batioco 3, Nick Anderson 2 and Daxton Woodward 2, while Cole Dixon, Tristen O’Connor and Kenneth Borebor were scoreless. Mackenzie Gilewicz scored 19 to pace the Wildcats. Christian Vathyam added 12, Chibuch Maduekwe 10, Udochukwu Wali 7, Nicholas Sweerts 5, Takshil Jariwala 2 and Steven Wellens 1, while Daniel Elsin, Brandon Chen, David Olaniyan, Arjun Raina and Ben Ravenscroft were scoreless. The Wildcats (coached by Mike Asmus, assisted by Jason Baillie) also included Jason Kwan.
In the last quarterfinal, the 3rd-seeded Sherwood Park Strathcona Christian Academy Eagles dispatched the 11th-seeded Calgary Christian Cougars 75-67. The Eagles led 18-17 after one quarter. The Cougars led 36-32 at the half. The Eagles led 51-48 after three quarters. “We didn’t shoot particularly well, but we played well on defence,” Eagles coach Vince Reynolds told the Sherwood Park News. “Thankfully we had a few guys step up and score some points.” Colton Halbersma paced the Eagles with 22. Jacob Kucher added 13, Bradley Mateuchev 11, Ryan Corp 10, Reece Anton 6, Jacob Snaterse 5, Ejuwa Oyama 2, Zachary Kaiser 2, Kamsi Okoye 2 and Jaxon Littlefair 2, while Solomon Maxwell, Kyle Hagens, David Kucher and Ryan Reed were scoreless. Ethan Bomhof scored 24 to pace the Cougars. Noah Vriend added 12, Mason Unrau 6, Ben Montgomery 6, Kevin Eklund 5, Edward Hermanto 4, Liam Brouwer 4, Graceson White 2 and Elias Grasmeyer 1, while Mesendoo Nongo was scoreless. The Cougars (coached by Phil Bonk, assisted by Brad Ulrich and Matt Bonk) also included Enoch Wang.
In the semis, the 4th-seeded Edmonton Millwoods Christian Royals stunned the top-seeded La Crete Lancers 109-102 after leading 36-23, 65-42 and 82-73 at the quarters. Avery Villanueva paced the Royals with 35. Anmol John added 22, Dawson Broda 15, Sam Adejumobi 14, Ayo Akindele 11, Jabin Medina 5 and Carlos Ramos 2, while Elijah Ledgister, Dustin Richards, Cartmen Kinzel, Ben Kelati, Brett Meeberg and Tobi Jayesimi were scoreless. Darian Goertzen paced the Lancers with 29. Andrew Zacharias added 15, Adam Klassen 19, Brandon Morris 10, Cole Harder 10, Daniel Krahn 6 and Kyle Fehr 3, while Michael Dick, Gary Froese, Clayton Schellenberg, Richard Bergen, Madison Wolfe, Riley Janzen and Adam Schellenberg were scoreless.
In the other semi, the 2nd-seeded Claresholm Willow Creek Cobras defeated the 3rd-seeded Sherwood Park Strathcona Christian Academy Eagles 85-73 after leading 32-12, 47-36 and 65-56 at the quarters. “Both teams were very well matched, we just came out cold in the first quarter and were down 20 points,” Eagles coach Vince Reynolds told the Sherwood Park News. “We fought our way back, but it was just a little too little too late. We got back to within three points, but just couldn’t get close enough at the end. Colton had 30 points and five rebounds, a phenomenal game. We had some big contributions. It was just that first quarter that set us back, especially playing against the home team with a packed gym, standing room only. Their baskets seemed to be worth more when the whole crowd was going for them.” Jean Pierre Otero Rodriguez led the Cobras with 28. Nic Harder added 17, Ross VanRootselaar 14, Aaron Wutke 6, Cole Dixon 6, Nick Anderson 5, Tason Perry 4, Jackson Wright 4 and Logan Currie 1, while Josh Batioco, Tristen O’Connor, Kenneth Borebor, Daxton Woodward and Ethan Watt were scoreless. Colton Halbersma paced the Eagles with 30. Bradley Mateuchev added 16, Jacob Kucher 9, Reece Anton 8, Jacob Snaterse 5, David Kucher 3 and Jaxon Littlefair 2, while Solomon Maxwell, Ejuwa Oyama, Kyle Hagens, Zachary Kaiser, Ryan Corp, Kamsi Okoye and Ryan Reed were scoreless.
In the bronze medal match, the top-seeded La Crete Lancers dispatched the 3rd-seeded Sherwood Park Strathcona Christian Academy Eagles 92-83 after leading 24-18, 47-43 and 67-66 at the quarters. The Eagles also lost out in the bronze medal match, downed 92-83 by La Crete. “They were the top-ranked team in the province,” Eagles coach Vince Reynolds told the Sherwood Park News. “There was still a reason they were ranked at the top, they were really strong. They had a player go off for 41 points, every shot he took went in. We just didn’t have that ourselves. They hit a ton of threes and got to the free throw line 23 times more than we did. That discrepancy really hurt us in terms of trying to keep pace. Before we were 3A, we had gone to three straight 2As. We found coming back that the level of competition had really improved. The top four teams, any one of them could have won it. The second-ranked team ended up winning over the fourth-ranked team in the final. It was just who played well on the day. We worked really hard and had good mental toughness and executed well, but honestly it was just one of those weekends where the shots weren’t falling for us.” Adam Klassen paced the Lancers with 41. Darian Goertzen added 27, Andrew Zacharias 11, Cole Harder 7, Riley Janzen 3, Kyle Fehr 2 and Gary Froese 1, while Michael Dick, Daniel Krahn, Brandon Morris, Clayton Schellenberg, Richard Bergen, Madison Wolfe and Adam Schellenberg were scoreless. Colton Halbersma scored 23 to pace the Eagles. Reece Anton added 20, Bradley Mateuchev 12, Ryan Corp 10, Jacob Kucher 6, Jaxon Littlefair 5, Jacob Snaterze 5 and Kyle Hagens 2, while Solomon Maxwell, David Kucher, Ejuwa Oyama, Zachary Kaiser, Kamsi Okoye and Ryan Reed were scoreless. The Eagles (coached by Vince Reynolds, assisted by David Rayborn and Eric Fawcett) also included Jarrett Bossert.
In the final, the 2nd-seeded Claresholm Willow Creek Cobras edged the 4th-seeded Edmonton Millwoods Christian Royals 86-80. The Cobras led 14-12 after one quarter. The Royals led 41-37 at the half. The Cobras led 66-65 after three quarters. Ross VanRootselaar paced the Cobras with 24. Nic Harder added 22, Jean Pierre Otero Rodriguez 18, Cole Dixon 11, Logan Currie 5, Tason Perry 2, Nick Anderson 2 and Aaron Wutke 2, while Josh Batioco, Tristen O’Connor, Jackson Wright, Kenneth Borebor, Daxton Woodward and Ethan Watt were scoreless. Avery Villanueva and Sam Adjumobi each scored 17 to pace the Royals. Anmol John added 15, Dawson Broda 10, Ayo Akindele 10, Brett Meeberg 4, Jabin Medina 4 and Carlos Ramos 3, while Elijah Ledgister, Dustin Richards, Cartmen Kinzel, Ben Kelati and Tobi Jayesimi were scoreless.
The bronze medalist La Crete Lancers: Daniel Krahn; Cole Harder; Clayton Schelleberg; Michael Dick; Gary Froese; Adam Schellenberg; Adam Klassen; Riley Janzen; Darian Goertzen; Kyle Fehr; Brandon Morris; Andrew Zacharias; Madison Wolfe; Richard Bergen; coach David Harder; assistant John Zacharias
The silver medalist Edmonton Millwoods Christian Royals: Anmol John; Elijah Ledgister; Dustin Richards; Jabin Medina; Dawson Broda; Samuel Adejumobi; Benhur Kelati; Carlos Ramos Espinoza; Avery Villanueva; Brett Meeberg; Cartmen Kinzel; Enoch Ayo Akindele; coach Darren Graham; assistant Rob Ledgister; assistant Ken Scharf
The gold medalist Claresholm Willow Creek Composite Cobras: Nicholas Harder; Joshua Batioco; Ross Van Rootselaar; Cole Dixon; Tristan O’Connor; Logan Currie; John Borebor; Nicholas Anderson; Daxton Woodward; Ethan Watt; Tason Perry; Jean Pierre Otero Rodriguez; Aarron Wutke; Jackson Wright; coach Keith Harder; assistant Jeff Perry