In the opening round, held in Fort McMurray: …………………………………………………… The 9th-seeded Grand Prairie Peace Wapiti Academy Titans stomped the 8th-seeded Ponoka Broncs 73-46. Reece Monnette paced the Titans with 23. Brandon Berg added 15, Colby Fournier 13, Ryan Pelster 9, Spencer Lougheed 6, Favor Adkojo 3, Grant Calvert 2 and Ben Livingston 2. Keenan Haines paced the Broncs with 12. Carter Makofka added 7, Jaden Sandin 7, Dawson Dease 6, Tavis Lee 4, Justin Braithwaite 4, Jordan Labrie 2, Dillon Parson 2 and Corey Fillinger 2. The Broncs (coached by Blair Hanes, assisted by Eric Dortman and trained by Ron Labrie) also included Ryan Haines, Nils Simons and Ashton Soosay. …………………………………………………… The 5th-seeded Sherwood Park Strathcona Christian Academy Eagles whipped the 12th-seeded host Fort McMurray Holy Trinity Catholic Knights 93-36. “We knew that anybody we played that fought their way to this tournament, was going to be a very good team,” Knights head coach Aaron Barrington told Fort McMurray Today. “We were going to be in tough against whoever we played. (I’m) proud of the way the boys fought. They didn’t give up. They played all 40 minutes and they worked really hard. We just said all we can control is our attitude and effort and that’s what we’ve been preaching all week is (to) keep our attitude and effort where it needs to be and that’ll be a win for us.” Tre Ross paced the Eagles with 18. Brayden Jacobson added 14, Tyler Anton 12, Bankole Alade 12, Logan Beaudet 10, Christian Ugwoeri 9, Ryan Koop 7, Alex Zabel 4, Curtis Wall 3, Brandon Kaiser 2 and F.F. Oyama 2. Shark Khan paced the Knights with 12. Shaziel Ghouri added 10, Neil Laurent 8, Huissain Duad 2, Joe Thibault 2 and Ali Mawaai 1. The Knights (coached by Aaron Barrington, assisted by Craig Hiller and trained by Chris McKenzie) also included Moses Contreras, Elton Jarvis, Arshad Khan, Flynn Walsh and Bryan Watson. …………………………………………………… The 6th-seeded Wetaskiwin Composite Sabres clipped the 11th-seeded Fort McMurray Father Patrick Mercredi Trappers 67-50. Aaron Abrahamson paced the Sabres with 16. Elias Buwalda added 15, Kenjie Espeleta 11, Tristan Camp 8, Alex Omeasoo 5, Jaeden Norton 4, M.J. Orlina 2, Joseph Cutknife 2, Isaiah Feldberg 2 and Pierre Munoz 1. Jamie Limbitco paced the Trappers with 27. Blaine Cruz added 12, Arnold Nandwa 4, John Tacderas 4, Renzel Malulaun 2, Alex Chong 2 and Dominic Matienzo 1. The Trappers (coached by Craig Hamner, assisted by Mike Hull) also included Isaac Attoh, Blaine Cruz, Delzan Derange, Renzo Geronimo, Justice Grandjambe, Fernando Martinez and Kyle Tibayan. …………………………………………………… The 10th-seeded Taber W.R. Myers Rebels nipped the 7th-seeded Barrhead Composite Gryphons 78-75. Nathan Bennett paced the Rebels with 34. Blake bullock added 14, Marcus Andrus 9, Josh Mouland 7, Thomas Platt 4, Lewis Leray 4 and Jesse Witwer 3. Cole Knudsen led the Gryphons with 47. Eli Nanninga added 9, Jacob Deinum 7, Matthew Li 7 and David Kleinfeldt 1. The Gryphons (coached by Bill Knudsen, assisted by Hen Akkerman and Greg Gomet, and managed by Joey Degner) also included Brad Bujold, Josh Dittmer, Riley Forward, Marcel Jansen, Justin Johnson and Nathan Schmidt.
In the quarterfinals, the 2nd-seeded Leduc Composite Tigers stomped the 10th-seeded Taber W.R. Myers Rebels 84-28. Austin Brulotte paced the Tigers with 14. Kole Eichelt added 12, Devin Wittow 11, Matt Powell 10, Jordan Kulhavy 9, Dan Kilmartin 8, Jamen Young 6, Adam Faval-Zoudine 4, Darren Hannas 4, Brennan Carriere 2, Brett Myshak 2 and Delaine Van der Wal 2. Blake Bullock paced the Rebels with 11. Thomas Platt added 7, Colten Terry 4, Nathan Bennett 4 and Lewis Leray 2. The Rebels (coached by Greg Bowes, assisted by Doug Leavitt) also included Marcus Andrus, Mahika Basele, Daxon Matthews, Josh Mouland and Jesse Witwer.
The 6th-seeded Wetaskiwin Composite Sabres stunned the 3rd-seeded Okotoks Holy Trinity Academy Knights 63-60. Aaron Abrahamson paced the Sabres with 18. Kenjie Espeleta added 15, Elias Buwalda 7, Alex Omeasoo 6, Jaeden Norton 6 M.J. Orlina 4, Tristan Camp 4 and Isaiah Feldberg 3. Jacob Zelenski paced the Knights with 18. Dylan Wheeler added 15, James Hielema 9, Arnaud Nimenya 7, Nate Wall 6, Nick Villarreal 3 and Jared Helinsky 2. The Knights (coached by Sam Aiello, assisted by Kirby Coderre and managed by Andy Miciak) also included John Buck, Seth Moser, Starlyn Rivas-Perez and Shibo Wang.
The top-seeded Chestermere Lakers clocked the 9th-seeded Peace Wapiti Academy Titans 79-56. Corey Hendry paced the Lakers with 15. Jag Gill added 14, Kareem Pires 11, Ali Abdulghani 9, Jeff Rodehutskors 8, Mark Rodehutskors 7, Tyis Yellowhorn 6, Bryce Dunaway 5, Garry Gill 3, Ivan Dhaliwal 2 and Channer Yellowhorn 1. Colby Fournier paced the Titans with 20. Ryan Pelster added 15, Tristan Evans 7, Grant Calvert 5, Reece Monnette 4, Ben Livingston 3 and Brandon Berg 2. The Titans (coached by Evan Lloyd, assisted by Eric Dortman and trained by Ron Labrie) also included Favor Adkojo, Jessie Cartwright, Spencer Lougheed and Brandon Lyons.
In the last quarterfinal, the 4th-seeded Spruce Grove St. Peter the Apostle Catholic Spartans crushed the 5th-seeded Sherwood Park Strathcona Christian Academy Eagles 76-58. Evan Grise paced the Spartans with 25. Eddy Nkerabihizi added 19, Ben Dewling 12, Chad Chessall 10, Jordan Dunning 4, Mike St. Pierre 4 and Brandon Besant 2. Brayden Jacobson paced the Eagles with 15. Bankole Alade added 12, Tre Ross 10, Tyler Anton 7, Christian Ugwoeri 6, F.F. Oyama 6 and Logan Beaudet 2. The Eagles (coached by Vincent Reynolds, assisted by Dave Raborn and Eric Fawcett and managed by Matt Dohms) also included Ryley Creighton, Brandon Kaiser, Ryan Koop, Curtis Wall and Alex Zabel.
In the semis, the 4th-seeded Spruce Grove St. Peter the Apostle Catholic Spartans stomped the top-seeded Chestermere Lakers 86-61. “We didn’t lose the semi-final game, St. Peter’s won it,” Lakers coach Rob Wilson told the Rocky View Weekly. “They were definitely the better team on that day. It’s unfortunate, but that’s the way it goes.” Gilles St. Arnault paced the Spartans with 24. Evan Grise added 23, Eddy Nkerabihizi 18, Ben Dewling 7, Chad Chessall 6, Brandon Besant 3, Jordan Dunning 2 and Zach Persson 2. Tyis Yellowhorn paced the Lakers with 22. Jeff Rodehutskors added 19, Kareem Pires 9, Corey Hendry 5, Ali Abdulghani 3 and Jag Gill 3.
In the other semi, the 2nd-seeded Leduc Composite Tigers crushed the 6th-seeded Wetaskiwin Composite Sabres 79-46. Austin Brulotte paced the Tigers with 21. Devin Wittow added 13, Dan Kilmartin 13, Jordyn Kulhavy 8, Brett Myshak 8, Brennan Carriere 6, Matt Powell 4, Darren Hannas 2, Delaine Van der Wal 2 and Kole Eichelt 2. Tristan Camp paced the Sabres with 10. Kenjie Espeleta added 9, Alex Omeasoo 8, John Krause 7, Elias Buwalda 4, M.J. Orlina 4, Jaeden Norton 2 and Aaron Abrahamson 2.
In the bronze medal match, the top-seeded Chestermere Lakers dispatched the 6th-seeded Wetaskiwin Sabres 88-82. “The boys were disheartened after the semi-final loss, but they showed a lot of character by bouncing back in the bronze medal game. It was a gutsy win by our guys,” Lakers coach Rob Wilson told the Rocky View Weekly. “We thought we were the best team in the province, but unfortunately we weren’t as healthy as we would have liked to have been at this time of year. … “For a kid that had been unable to run for four weeks leading up to the tournament, Tyis (Yellowhorn) played solid. He was nowhere near 100 per cent, and neither was Jeff (Rodehutskors), but they both showed a lot of grit and determination. It would have been nice for us to go out as provincial champions, but overall we can look back on this season and be able to say it was still pretty awesome.” Jag Gill paced the Lakers with 25. Jeff Rodehutskors added 22, Tyis Yellowhorn 14, Mitch Marjoran 8, Kareem Pires 5, Bryce Dunaway 4, Ali Abdulghani 3, Mark Rodehutskors 3 and Corey Hendry 3. Alex Omeasoo paced the Sabres with 24. Kenjie Espeleta added 22, Aaron Abrahamson 15, Jaeden Norton 12, M.J. Osina 4, Elias Buwalda 2, Tristan Camp 2 and Isaiah Feldberg 1. The Sabres (coached by Rob Cross, managed by Tanner Leeb and trained by Wilson Cross) also included Joseph Cutknife, John Krause and Pierre Munoz.
In the final, the 4th-seeded Spruce Grove St. Peter the Apostle Catholic Spartans bombed the 2nd-seeded Leduc Composite Tigers 88-56. “We were not going to let anyone stand in the way of our goal, we were on a completely different level,” Spartans point guard Evan Grise told the Spruce Grove Examiner. “It was hard work. As a team we were willing to go where other teams weren’t, and we pushed ourselves to the point other teams couldn’t.” Coach Chris Delano added that “we’ve been getting better every single day. We got hot and peaked at the right time. This is my eighth year coaching here, to have this championship is an amazing feeling. It justifies how we have done things and developed them the right way.” Swingman Gilles St. Arnault said “cutting down the net, that’s something that you see on TV. It was high school provincials but it felt like we won everything, a national championship on a pro sports team. That will stick with me. … Our zone defence caused a lot of confusion, it’s not your regular 2-3 or 3-2 zone. We used a 1-3-1, which applies soft pressure on the offence and made our opponents make bad plays because it was something they didn’t see every day, they weren’t practising it.” Delano called the “unique” and perfect for the Spartans talents. “We are a large and long team. With our length, it was tough to move the ball around us. It put teams in tough situations.” Evan Grise added that “we were moving the ball really well on offence which led to some wide-open shots. The bucket starts to look a lot bigger when you have so many wide-open looks. … It’s a surreal feeling. It was really exciting to get this chance. We were so motivated and left everything on the court.” Ben Dewling paced the Spartans with 24. Evan Grise added 23, Eddy Nkerabihizi 14, Jordan Dunning 6, Gilles St. Arnault 6, Chad Chessall 5, Zach Persson 4, Brandon Besant 3 and Liam Lindsay 3. Jordan Kulhavy paced the Tigers with 18. Austin Brulotte added 9, Jamen Young 9, Darren Hannas 5, Kole Eichelt 5, Dan Kilmartin 4, Brett Myshak 2, Spencer Nelson 1 and Adam Faval-Zoudine 1.
The bronze medalist Chestermere Lakers: Ali Abdulghani; Chris Dhaliwal; Ivan Dhaliwal; Bryce Dunaway; Garry Gill; Jag Gill; Corey Hendry; Jake Layton; Mitch Marjoran; Kareem Pires; Jeff Rodehutskors; Mark Rodehutskors; Channer Yellowhorn; Tyis Yellowhorn; coach Rob Wilson; coach Kirby Dugdale; manager Aimee Wilson
The silver medalist Leduc Composite Tigers: Austin Brulotte; Brennan Carriere; Kole Eichelt; Adam Faval-Zoudine; Darren Hannas; Dan Kilmartin; Jordyn Kulhavy; Brett Myshak; Spencer Nelson; Matt Powell; Delaine Van der Wal; Devin Wittow; Jamen Young; coach Vincent May; assistant Trevor Hall; assistant Cec Israel; manager Nash May
The gold medalist Spruce Grove St. Peter the Apostle Catholic Spartans: Brandon Besant; Chad Chessall; Ben Dewling; Jordan Dunning; Evan Grise; Liam Lindsay; Justin Melville; Eddy Nkerabihizi; Zach Persson; Keaton Smith; Gilles St. Arnault; Mike St. Pierre; coach Chris Delano; assistant Anthony Mann; manager Joey Nelligan; trainer Brandon Orr