In the opening round, held in Langley: …………………………………………………… The 13th-seeded Abbotsford Christian Knights stunned the 4th-seeded Gibsons Elphinstone Cougars 64-61. The Cougars led 17-11 after one quarter and 29-27 at the half. The Knights led 47-39 after three quarters. The Cougars rallied to knot the score at 54 on a pair of Guz Goerzen treys. Zach Meinen drove the lane and dishing a no-look pass to Spencer Langelaar for the and-one layup for the Knights. They never trailed again, despite a pair of highlight-reel plays from Elphinstone’s Elan Kimpton-Cuellar. The 6-5 forward hammered a dunk, and later rose to catch a baseline inbounds pass and fire home a close-range jump shot with one second on the shot clock. But Meinen hit a pair of free throws to make it 63-58 with 22 seconds to play. Elphinstone Grade 10 guard Nathan Parulski responded with a triple from well back of the arc, though, getting his team back to within 63-61 with 19.6 seconds remaining. The Knights went 1-4 from the line in the dying seconds, and Parulski had a chance to send it to OT. But Brandsma rose to block his first attempt, and when the ball came back to Parulski, his follow-up effort missed. “It was a rough start, and we spent most of the first half trying to catch up,” Knights forward Cole Brandsma told Varsity Letters. “But we decided, you know what, we’ve got nothing to lose. We’re not supposed to win this game, so why not just go for it? We worked hard, and that’s what the fourth quarter was all about for us.” Zach Meinen led Abbotsford Christian with 16. Cole Brandsma added 12, Zach Fleming 12, Spencer Lang 11, Ben Rogers 9, Rick Summers 3 and Brendan Visser 1, while Logan Onderwater, James Vanderkwaak, Darius Crump, Toby Siebenga, Aaron Van Belle, Thomas Andrews and Jared Vanderveen were scoreless. The Knights hit 23-67 (.343) from the floor, 5-27 (.185) from the arc and 13-21 (.619) from the line, while garnering 32 boards, including 7 on the offensive glass, 15 fouls, 11 assists, 15 turnovers, 9 blocks and 12 steals. Gus Goerzen paced Elphinstone with 17, along with 17 boards. Elan Kimpton-Cuellar added 14, Joseph Schembri 11, Noah Woodin 6, Seth Starsage 4, Nathan Parulski 4, Landseer Enga 4 and Gavin Lynagh 1, while Henry Larsen, Lucas Bartley, Jamie Hansen, Harsimran Deol, Brett Kopeck and Aiden Neilson were scoreless. The Cougars hit 20-80 from the floor, 11-34 (.324) from the arc and 10-14 (.714) from the line, while garnering 48 boards, including 19 on the offensive glass, 17 fouls, 13 assists, 18 turnovers, 3 blocks and 5 steals. The Cougars (coached by Shane Heuring, assistant Bob Hoy, manager Nyle Lebell) also included Mikhail Hanning. …………………………………………………… The top-seeded Prince Rupert Charles Hays Rainmakers stomped the 16th-seeded Sparwood Spartans 119-45 after leading 15-0 early, and 33-9, 61-21 and 90-35 after three quarters. Spartans coach Pete Templin told Varsity Letters that he said to the Utah State-bound Liam McChesney after the game: “I told him, ‘Nice game. Thanks for taking it easy on us’. They’re very impressive. They took it easy on us, and they still won by 60 points. It was good for our kids to see the talent level that they bring to the table.” Rainmakers coach Mel Bishop said “we played loose today – the guys were a little bit relaxed. Everybody played, and that was a positive. … (McChesney is) very athletic for 6’9”, and he’s quite quick and skilled. He’s not just a back-to-the-basket guy. We tried to make him a basketball player, where he could score inside, he’s good on the perimeter, he can handle the basketball, he’s a good passer, all those things.” Tyler Jones led Charles Hays with 20. Kai Leighton added 19, Liam McChesney 16, Quinton Nisyok 15, Caden Pagens 10, Dylan Calder 9, Colby Stephens 8, Daniel Cachero 6, Kai Chan 5, Aiden Leighton 4, Eric Lees 3, Brandon Burnett 2 and Xander Gerritsen 2, while Brendan Eshom, Sehjot Sahdra were scoreless. The Rainmakers hit 51-105 (.486) from the floor, 6-25 (.240) from the arc and 11-14 (.786) from the line, while garnering 61 boards, including 23 on the offensive glass, 18 fouls, 29 assists, 8 turnovers, 3 blocks and 21 steals. Tanner Barclay (who scored 83 during a game in the regular season) led Sparwood with 24. Devon Elliott added 12, along with 13 boards, Brendan Walgren 5, Brady Drake 2 and Wyatt MacDonald 2, while Gage Paskiewich, Isaac Park, Dylan Myles, Drycen Beranek, William Doratty and Braidie Merrigan were scoreless. The Spartans (coach Pete Templin, assistant Adam Christensen) hit 13-63 (.206) from the floor, 6-32 (.188) from the arc and 13-27 (.481) from the line, while garnering 27 boards, including 4 on the offensive glass, 9 fouls, 6 asssists, 25 turnovers, 1 block and 4 steals. …………………………………………………… The 2nd-seeded Prince George D.P. Todd Trojans dispatched the 15th-seeded Surrey Pacific Academy Breakers 81-68 after leading 19-17, 41-32 and 59-44 at the quarters. Saagar Shergill paced D.P. Todd with 24. Cameron Sale added 14, Shane Sandhu 13, Chris Magrath 12, Holden Black 7, Randy Sandhu 5, Aman Bansal 3, Reif Petrovicky 2 and Colton Meehan 1, while Khabir Nijjar and Brody Begg were scoreless. The Trojans hit 30-66 (.455) from the floor, 5-27 (.185) from the arc and 16-27 (.593) from the line, while garnering 36 boards, including 10 on the offensive glass, 21 fouls, 18 assists, 16 turnovers, 4 blocks and 6 steals. Michael Chifan paced Pacific Academy with 13, along with 16 boards. Ethan Mesfin added 16, Isaiah Francis 14, Jacob Ronald 11, Chris Chang 2 and Sam Akindele 2, while Bevin Nutakor, Alex Yoo, Alex Ronald, Victor Etti, Michael Badili, Joey Li, Tiger Lu, Josh Craford and Matthew Chifan were scoreless. The Breakers (coach Joel Ashbee, assistants Seth Sorensen, Tysen Stoddart and Ethan Sorensen, manager Judah Ashbee) hit 25-83 (.301) from the floor, 9-43 (.209) from the arc and 9-17 (.529) from the line, while garnering 36 boards, including 16 on the offensive glass, 24 fouls, 8 assists, 11 turnovers and 8 steals. …………………………………………………… The 11th-seeded Victoria St. Michael’s University Jaguars edged the 6th-seeded Vancouver Brittania Bruins 49-46. The Bruins led 10-8, 31-21 and 44-37 at the quarters. Jaguars coach Ian Hyde-Lay told Varsity Letters that “to be honest, we haven’t defended that well this year – not by normal SMUS standards. But 46 points (allowed)? That would have surprised me if you’d said that before the game. Sometimes your defence is tied to them probably not shooting the ball as well as they can. They had some open looks. Our whole focus was on trying to deny Josh (Kagande, Britannia point guard), and we were moderately successful at times. But I think if you’re going to do well in a tournament like this, your defence has to be pretty solid, and some days it goes your way. … It’s the biggest cliché in the world, but when you’re in a tournament like this, it’s survive and advance.” Noah Helman paced Saint Michael’s with 20, along with 15 boards. Karter Fry added 13, Tristan Khun 8, Ty Olynyk 3, Will Kinahan 3 and Jin-Woo park 2, while Yunus Ozer, Ken Huang, Justin Lee, Elvis Duru and Izzy Helman were scoreless. The Jaguars hit 20-63 (.317) from the floor, 3-21 (.143) from the arc and 6-11 (.545) from the line, while garnering 39 boards, including 8 on the offensive glass, 9 fouls, 3 assists, 11 turnovers, 1 block and 8 steals. Joshua Kaganade paced Brittania with 15, along with 11 boards. John Deng added 10, along with 14 boards, Dorian Gonzales 8, Alex Ta 7 and Jadon Wanless 6, while Billy Grayer, Eric Truong, Steven Tran, Tavan Jobin, Sanjhot Lehal, Tucker Spino, Ethan Sacco and Hajhard Seddiq were scoreless. The Bruins (coached by Wayne Hoang, assisted by Edward Hoang) hit 18-69 (.261) from the floor, 5-34 (.147) from the arc and 5-7 (.714) from the line, while garnering 42 boards, including 13 on the offensive glass, 13 fouls, 10 assists, 12 turnovers, 1 block and 11 steals. …………………………………………………… The 9th-seeded Kamloops Westsyde Whundas edged 8th-seeded defending champion Mill Bay Brentwood College 59-54. Brentwood led 15-10 after one quarter. The Whundas led 30-25 at the half and 52-41 after three quarters, and then hung on for the win. “Mad respect to Brentwood,” Westsyde coach Ryan Porter told Varsity Letters. “We had to game-plan our butts off in the last couple days just to have a chance against them. They are a step down from last year, but they’re an amazingly well-coached team with hard-working, big-bodied players. It took everything out of our boys to get that win today.” The strategy that proved effective? Switching everything off the ball screen. A.J. McInnis paced Westsyde with 15. Cam Treadwell added 12, Darling Murasiran 8, Carsen Day 8, Trey Dergousoff 8, Tyrelle Chadwich 4 and Alex Toplak 4, while Emerson Foster, Dylan Barrett, Devon Caldwell, Jacob Bennett, Janeson Rende, Noland Austin and Reed Watson wee scoreless. The Whundas hit 25-67 (.373) from the floor, 4-22 (.182) from the arc and 5-10 from the line, while garnering 42 boards, including 10 on the offensive glass, 16 fouls, 9 assists, 18 turnovers and 14 steals. Shaw Blaisdell paced Brentwood with 19. Ian Grabher added 14, Juan Navarro 13, along with 10 boards, Rei Kondo 5 and Grant Dillard 3, while Matthias Streblow, Keaton Heisterman, Jack Napier-Ganley, Peter Quackenbush, Jamie Trow, Joseph Eche-Ameh, Dylan Gage, Feury Kelly, Olin Dahlstrom and Noah Pasloske were scoreless. Brentwood (coach Blake Gage, assistant Liam Sullivan, managers Robin Gage and Richard Watson) hit 20-71 (.282) from the floor, 6-24 from the arc and 8-15 (.533) from the line, while garnering 32 boards, including 10 on the offensive glass, 13 fouls, 8 assists, 20 turnovers and 12 blocks. …………………………………………………… The 12th-seeded Kamloops Sa-Hali Sabres stunned the 5th-seeded Vancouver King George Dragons 56-53 in overtime. The Sabres led 9-7 after one quarter. The Dragons led 30-24 at the half, by as many as 9 in the third quarter, and 38-32 after three quarters. The score was knotted at 47 after regulation. Kalem Wilson led Sa-Hali with 18. Jaydian Smith added 14, Kaito Futemma 9, Luis Cojuangco 8, Jalen Nuun 4, Ty McCall 2 and Ben Anderson 1, while Jackson Fitzgerald, Harjun Serown, Eric Jumaga, Eric Hembling, Carson Dumais, Govah Tajeddini, Mitchell Vosper and Josh Glover were scoreless. The Sabres hit 18-66 (.273) from the floor, 6-26 (.231) from the ar and 14-25 (.560) from the line, while garnering 44 boards, including 12 on the offensive glass, 14 fouls, 4 assists, 22 turnovers, 13 blocks and 7 steals. Romel Eyobe paced King George with 24. Nikola Guzina added 18, along with 19 boards, Will Canthal 6 and Alejandro Rios 5, along with 4 steals, while Maxim Astake, Kenneth Villanueva, Borna Hamidi, Nathaneil Eyobe, O’Neil Vij, Gareth Wintjes, Caden osmack, Regan Li, Silvio Suchy, Jodhan Uppal and Brandon Belov were scoreless. Wintjes nabbed 12 boards and pilfered 2 balls. The Dragons (coach Darko Kulic, assistants Randy Chan, Roger McBride, Hanif Karmali, Matt Sinclair, Steve Scrimshaw and Nenad Obradovic) hit 21-87 (.241) from the floor, 5-20 from the arc and 6-14 (.429) from the line, while garnering 44 boards, including 18 on the offensive glass, 19 fouls, 7 assists, 11 turnovers, 4 blocks and 12 steals. …………………………………………………… The 7th-seeded Lake Country George Elliott Coyotes dispatched the 10th-seeded North Vancouver Seycove Seahawks 88-78 after leading 28-15, 44-40 and 68-59 at the quarters. “We hit a few shots down the stretch and got a few stops,” Coyotes coach Dave Lafontaine told Varsity Letters. Nic Lafontaine paced George Elliott with 32, along with 10 boards. Ben Hitchens added 11, Roan McCarthy 11, along with 11 boards, Triston Hearn 10, Bergren Van Lent 10, Khayden Cullic 9, Carter McConnell 3 and Matt Darly 2, while Jaeden Lever, Brandon Franchette, Chris Auger and Garrett Anderson were scoreless. The Coyotes hit 29-85 (.341) from the arc, 14-43 (.326) from the arc and 16-24 (.667) from the line, while garnering 49 boards, including 19 on the offensive glass, 21 fouls, 16 assists, 12 turnovers, 2 blocks and 11 steals. Dylon Matthews paced Seycove with 27. Michael Douhan added 23, along with 10 boards, Logan Somerville 13, Douglas Musselman 11, Aiden Seimens 2 and Spencer Laube 2, while Panfilo Sarno, Pascal Kayser, Jad Bathani, Lucas Ospina, James Cockfield, Kai Zanker, Austin Seimens, Sean Calderwood, Samuel Rook and Daniel Wickstone were scoreless. The Seahawks (coach Peter Matthews, assistant Jonny Buffone and Justin Scott) hit 27-83 (.325) from the floor, 8-31 (.258) from the arc and 16-21 (.762) from the line, while garnering 38 boards, including 11 on the offensive glass, 21 fouls, 11 assists, 18 turnovers, 1 block and 7 steals. …………………………………………………… The 3rd-seeded Langley Christian Lightning clipped the 14th-seeded Victoria Lambrick Park Lions 75-60 after leading 17-13, 42-39 and 56-50 at the quarters. “We just had to keep our composure and realize that they hit a lot of three-pointers early on,” Lightning coach Jon Mayan told Varsity Letters. “And 6 (Coban Scott) and 9 (Comrick Brown) were hurting us, so we switched to a zone defence and that helped limit their opportunities in the second half. … We were nervous, even though we were here last year, a lot of turnovers, a little disjointed offensively and not recognizing who was hurting us.” Asher Mayan paced Langley Christian with 22, along with 10 boards. Cole Addison added 20, along with 15 boards, Caleb Kastelein 16, Justin Geuze 12, Jonas Vanhuizen 3 and Ermin Simon 2, while Cam Epp, Zach New, Eli Alexander, Shawn Stam, Brockton Vandrewaa, Ryan Vanhemert, Hamish Parke, Zach Wergeland and Ian Antonsen were scoreless. The Lightning hit 30-74 (.405) from the floor, 5-27 (.185) from the arc and 10-14 (.714) from the line, while garnering 50 boards, including 15 on the offensive glass, 14 fouls, 16 assists, 28 turnovers, 4 blocks and 13 steals. Josh Walker paced Lambrick Park with 15. Comrick Brown added 13, Coban Scott 11, Taine Clague 9, Nevin Johal 6, P.J. Jivavattanasak 3, Justin Giles 2 and Martin Lorenz 1, while Liam Bonderoff, Mikhail Bonderoff, Joe Yan and Nate Crust were scoreless. The Lions (coached by Ed Somers, assisted by Wes Lefsrud) hit 22-82 (.268) from the floor, 10-38 (.263) from the arc and 6-13 (.462) from the line, while garnering 33 boards, including 14 on the offensive glass, 12 fouls, 13 assists, 17 turnovers, 1 block and 19 steals.
In the quarterfinals, the top-seeded Prince Rupert Charles Hays Rainmakers clubbed the 9th-seeded Kamloops Westsyde Whundas 87-68 after leading 24-17, 44-31 and 73-49 at the quarters. Rainmakers assistant coach Ryan Bishop told Varsity Letters that Kai Leighton proved the difference. “He’s just a quiet kid who goes about his day. He just gets it done. He’s a silent killer basically. He’s one of those guys that you know what you’re going to get with him. He works hard offensively, defensively. All the small things, offensive board, defensive boards, guard who he needs to guard. He does it all pretty much. … There was a lot of attention on Liam (McChesney) today. But we’ve got guys like Kai and other guys on the team, they step up. At the end of the day we’ve got a pretty well-rounded team.” Kai Leighton paced Charles Hays with 29, along with 12 boards. Liam McChesney added 14, Tyler Jones 10, Cade Pagens 10, Eric Lees 8, Colby Stephens 6, Quinton Nisyok 6, Daniel Cachero 2 and Kai Chan 2, while Brendan Eshom, Dylan Calder, Sehjot Sahdra, Brandon Burnett, Aiden Leighton and Xander Gerritsen were scoreless. Carsen Day led Westsyde with 15. Tyrelle Chadwich added 13, Al McInnis 10, Devon Caldwell 7, Reed Watson 5, Dylan Barrett 4, Alex Toplak 4, Darlington Murasiranwa 3, Emerson Foster 2, Cam Treadwell 2, Jacob Bennett 2 and Trey Dergousoff 1, while Jameson Rende and Nolan Austin were scoreless. The Whundas (coach Ryan Porter, assistants Ray Chadwich, Craig Day, Paul Denby and Rosalie Dewey) hit 25-57 (.439) from the floor, 10-26 (.385) from the arc and 8-18 (.444) from the line, while garnering 21 boards, including 5 on the offensive glass, 15 fouls, 4 assists, 19 turnovers and 8 steals.
The 12th-seeded Kamloops Sa-Hali Sabres dispatched the 13th-seeded Abbotsford Christian Knights 68-59. The Knights led 20-16 after one quarter. The Sabres led 41-32 and 52-49 after three quarters. Sabre Jalen Nunn, who’d missed his grade 11 season with a broken wrist, scored 10, all in the final quarter, as Sa-Hali pulled out the win. “It’s nice to see him back, playing like a veteran should be playing,” Sa-Hali coach Dean Magierowski told Varsity Letters. “Coming into the tournament, our goal was Final Four.” Ty McCall and Kalem Wilson each scored 19 to pace the Sabres. Jaydian Smith added 10, Jalen Nunn 10, Kaito Futemma 5 and Ben Anderson 5, while Jackson Fitzgerald, Harjun Serown, Eric Hembling Eric Jumaga, Luis Cojuangco, Carson Dumais, Govah Tajeddini, Josh Glover and Mitchell Vosper were scoreless. The Sabres hit 21-81 (.259) from the floor, 10-40 from the arc and 16-24 from the line, while garnering 56 boards, including 15 on the offensive glass, 11 fouls, 8 assists, 18 turnovers, 6 blocks and 8 steals. Cole Brandsma paced Abbotsford Christian with 25, along with 13 boards. Zac Meinen added 14, Zach Fleming 7, Spencer Lang 6, Ben Rogers 5 and Rick Summers 2, while Logan Onderwater, James Vanderkwaak, Darius Crump, Toby Siebenga, Brendan Visser, Aaron Van Belle, Thomas Andres and Jared Vanderveen were scoreless. The Knights (coaches Jim Williams and Jackie Stewart, manager Caleb Pahl) hit 24-83 (.289) from the floor, 8-27 (.296) from the arc and 3-12 from the line, while garnering 42 boards, including 10 on the offensive glass, 17 fouls, 9 assists, 13 turnovers, 5 blocks and 12 steals.
The 11th-seeded Victoria St. Michael’s University Jaguars stunned the 3rd-seeded Langley Christian Lightning 60-59. Saint Michael’s led 14-12 after one quarter and 29-28 at the half. The Lightning led 49-42 after three quarters. The Jaguars overcame their lack of size and athleticism with a relentless work ethic, coach Ian Hyde-Lay told Varsity Letters. “Working right back to Steve (Nash, an alum) … the work ethic part, just have a dream and chase it by work, work, work. … We were resilient. They had us down eight, nine a couple of times and we came back. Went down again and came back.” The Jaguars opened the final frame with a 10-0 run but Lightning guards Jonas Vanhuizen and Justin Geuze answered with treys. The Jaguars countered with treys by Karter Fry and Tristan Khun, the latter with 9 seconds to play. “Typical playoff basketball,” said Hyde-Lay. “Last night, we were coming from behind and won by three, tonight we win last possession. So many 50-50 plays either way. They miss a wide open one (late) and we get one that uses a lot of the rim to go in.” Hyde-Lay added that he was “really happy” for Khun. “He had a frustrating night, got in early foul trouble and was just always fighting it, battling. He’s been such a great leader for us this year, to see him make the game-winner was terrific.” Noah Helman paced St. Michael’s with 15, along with 12 boards. Ty Olynyk added 15, Karter Fry 15, Tristan Khun 7, Izzy Helman 6 and Will Kinahan 2, while Yunus Ozer, Ken Huang, Justin Lee, Elvis Duru, Tadio Allerding and Jin-Woo Park were scoreless. The Jaguars hit 21-69 (.304) from the floor, 9-30 (.300) from the arc and 9-15 (.600) from the line, while garnering 34 boards, including 14 on the offensive glass, 14 fouls, 10 assists, 10 turnovers, 4 blocks and 3 steals. Jonas Vanhuizen paced Langley Christian with 20. Asher Mayan added 13, along with 12 boards, Caleb Kastelein 10, Justin Geuze 4, Ermin Simon 4, Hamish Parke 4, Ryan Vanhemert 2 and Cole Addison 2, while Cam Epp, Zach New, Eli Alexander, Shawn Stam, Brockton Vanderwaarde, Zach Wergeland and Ian Antonsen were scoreless. The Lightning (coach Jon Mayan, assistant Aaron Flach and Brynden MacTavish) hit 23-59 (.390) from the floor, 5-19 (.263) from the arc and 8-10 from the line, while garnering 31 boards, including 6 on the offensive glass, 14 fouls, 12 assists, 13 turnovers, 2 blocks and 6 steals.
In the last quarterfinal, the 7th-seeded Lake Country George Elliot Coyotes spanked the 2nd-seeded Prince George D.P. Todd Trojans 91-77 after leading 23-19, 37-26 and 65-58 at the quarters. They put the game out of reach with a 13-2 run early in the fourth quarter. Coyotes coach Dave Lafontaine had ex-Coyotes coach Rick Davidson, who steered the team to an AA title in 1991, address the team before the tournament. “It was a ton of fun,” Lafontaine told Varsity Letters. “He just told them that this whole thing is about being a team, being together and believing in each other. Play the game the way you know how to play it. … WE saw them (D.P. Todd) earlier in the season, in January, and we thought ‘Oh boy, they are big and tough,’ and we thought we’d have to improve by 35 per cent to play with them. … You know what, our guys just hit shots. And when you hit shots in this thing — what did we have? 14 three pointers — the key for us is to have multiple player in double digits. When we play like that we are very dangerous.” Nic Lafontaine paced George Elliott with 20, along with 10 boards. Khayden Cullic added 16, Bergren Van Lent 10, Matt Darly 10, Ben Hitchens 8, Carter McConnell 8, Roan McCarthy 8, Triston Hearn 6 and Chris Hearn 5, while Brandon Frechette, Jaeden Lever and Garrett Anderson were scoreless. The Coyotes hit 32-77 (.416) from the floor, 14-40 (.350) from the arc and 13-15 (.867) from the line, while garnering 49 boards, including 16 on the offensive glass, 16 fouls, 13 assists, 17 turnovers and 14 steals. Cameron Sale paced D.P. Todd with 43. Saagar Shergill added 12, Randy Sidhu 10, Holden Black 4, along with 16 boards, Aman Bansal 4 and Chris Magrath 4, while Khabir Nijjar, Colton Meehan, Reif Petrovicky, Brody Begg and Shane Sandhu were scoreless. The Trojans (coach Greg Sale, assistant Cayle Davidson) hit 28-76 (.368) from the floor, 13-38 (.342) from the arc and 8-15 (.533) from the line, while garnering 39 boards, including 13 on the offensive glass, 18 fouls, 13 assists, 20 turnovers and 8 steals.
In the semis, the 7th-seeded Lake Country George Elliot Coyotes bombed the 11th-seeded Victoria St. Michael’s University Jaguars 85-49 after leading 23-13, 42-28 and 65-36 at the quarters after closing out the latter frame with a 15-0 run. Coyotes coach Dave Lafontaine said his son Nic “lit it up … He’s a dynamic scorer. He’s been on the provincial team for four years … spent endless hours in this gym. He loves this place. When you own the gym, it’s like your own court. His eyes were big.” Nic Lafontaine said “oh yeah, I felt it. I know if they leak and I go, I have a fast shot, I’ve got this. They knew I was going to shoot, but it’s terrorizing. … It’s fun how many (teammates) can actually play. You bring all the pressure on me and then Carter (McConnell) hits four in a row, or something like that. I was just laughing. I was like ‘Yes.’” Nic Lafontaine paced George Elliot with 26 on 8-18 from the floor, 5-13 from the arc, 5-5 from the line, 7 boards and 2 assists. Carter McConnell added 16 on 6-10 from the floor, 2-3 from the arc, 2-3 from the line and 5 boards. Triston Hearn notched 13 on 4-7 from the floor, 2-2 from the arc, 3-4 from the line, 10 boards and 2 assists. Bergren Van Lent scored 8 on 3-5 from the floor, 2-3 from the arc, 7 boards and 2 blocks. Ben Hitchens added 5 on 1-5 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 3-4 from the line, 5 boards, 2 assists and 2 steals. Matt Darly notched 5 on 2-11 from the floor, 1-5 from the arc, 5 boards and 2 steals. Roan McCarthy scored 5 on 1-3 from th floor, 3-3 from the line and 7 boards. Chris Auger added 4 on 2-3 from the floor, 0-2 from the line and 3 boards. Khayden Cullic scored 3 on 1-7 from the floor, 1-3 from the arc, 3 boards and 4 assists, while Brandon Frechette, Jaeden Lever and Garrett Anderson were scoreless. Lever nabbed 2 boards. The Coyotes hit 28-77 (.364) from the floor, 13-38 (.342) from the arc and 16-21 (.762) from the line, while garnering 53 boards, including 18 on the offensive glass, 21 fouls, 15 assists, 13 turnovers, 5 blocks and 10 steals. Tristan Khun paced St. Michael’s with 16 on 6-17 from the floor, 3-8 from the arc, 1-2 from the line and 2 boards. Ty Olynyk added 9 on 2-11 from the floor, 1-5 from the arc, 4-4 from the line, 5 boards and 3 assists. Noah Helman notched 8 on 3-6 from the floor, 2-4 from the line and 8 boards. Karter Fry scored 8 on 3-16 from the floor, 0-7 from the arc, 2-7 from the line and 4 boards. Ken Huang added 3 on 0-2 from the floor and 3-4 from the line. Will Kinahan notched 2 on 1-9 from the floor, 0-6 from the arc and 6 boards. Izzy Helman scored 2 on 0-3 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc, 2-2 from the line and3 boards. Tadeo Allerding added 1 on 0-1 from the floor and 1-2 from the line, while Yunus Ozer, Elvin Duru, Justin Lee and Jin-Wood Park were scoreless. The Jaguars hit 15-73 (.205) from the floor, 4-30 (.133) from the arc and 15-25 (.600) from the line, while garnering 32 boards, including 13 on the offensive glass, 20 fouls, 5 assists, 15 turnovers, 2 blocks and 5 steals.
In the other semi, the top-seeded Prince Rupert Charles Hays Rainmakers dispatched the 12th-seeded Kamloops Sa-Hali Sabres 74-66 after leading 15-13, 36-31 and 55-50 at the quarters. The Rainmakers closed out the third quarter with a 16-3 run. Liam McChesney iced the win with four free throws in the final 28 seconds. “This feels so special,” Eric Lees told Varsity Letters. “I’d cry, but I ain’t crying until we win this thing. I want to do this for Prince Rupert, I want to do this for everyone who supported us. We’re a family doing family things. Everyone who was in the game had some awesome buckets. Our whole team we just come out together as one unit. It doesn’t matter if you sit on the bench the entire time, you are part of our family and we’re going to win this together. … Mel Bishop, best coach I know, he always tells us every player has got another gear. We just had to find that gear and we found it man.” Liam McChesney said “it was a tough fight, but we managed to sneak it out in the end.” Liam McChesney paced Charles Hays with 31 on 8-22 from the floor, 0-3 from the arc, 15-16 from the line, 17 boards, 3 blocks and 4 steals. Eric Lees added 12 on 6-10 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 7 boards, 3 assists and 2 steals. Kai Leighton notched 11 on 4-12 from the floor, 2-5 from the arc, 1-2 from the line, 14 boards, 3 assists and 2 steals. Tyler Jones scored 10 on 5-15 from the floor, 0-6 from the arc, 2 boards and 2 assists. Colby Stephens added 3 on 1-6 from the floor, 1-4 from the arc and 2 assists. Daniel Cachero notched 3 on 1-11 from the floor, 0-3 from the arc, 1-2 from the line, 7 boards and 2 assists. Aiden Leighton added 2 on 1-2 from the floor and 0-1 from the arc. Caden Pagens scored 2 on 1-1 from the floor and 2 boards, while Brendan Eshorn, Quinton Nisyok, Dylan Calder, Kai Chan, Sehjot Sahdra, Brandon Burnett and Xander Gerritsen wee scoreless. The Rainmakers hit 27-79 (.342) from the floor, 3-23 (.130) from the arc and 17-20 (.850) from the line, while garnering 50 boards, including 17 on the offensive glass, 20 fouls, 13 assists, 10 turnovers, 8 steals and 9 blocks. Kalem Wilson paced Sa-Hali with 17 on 7-13 from the floor, 3-5 from the arc, 2 boards, 3 assists and 3 steals. Ty McCall added 10 on 3-9 from the floor, 3-7 from the arc 1-2 from the line and 5 boards. Jaydian Smith notched 10 on 4-17 from the floor, 0-3 from the arc, 2-2 from the line, 13 boards, 4 blocks and 2 steals. Luis Cojuangco added 7 on 2-10 from the floor, 3-3 from the line and 7 boards. Jalen Nunn scored 6 on 2-10 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc, 2-5 from the line and 3 boards. Kaito Futemma added 6 on 2-11 from the floor, 2-8 from the arc, 2 boards, 2 assists and 2 steals. Mitchell Vesper scored 6 on 3-3 from the floor and 6 boards. Carson Dumais notched 4 on 1-5 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc, 1-2 from the line and 3 boards, while Jackson Fitzgerald, Ben Anderson, Harjun Serown, Eric Jumaga, Eric Hembling, Govah Tajeddini and Josh Glover were scoreless. The Sabres hit 24-79 (.304) from the floor, 9-28 (.321) from the arc and 9-14 (.643) from the line, while garnering 41 boards, including 14 on the offensive glass, 20 fouls, 7 assists, 14 turnovers, 4 blocks and 8 steals.
In the bronze medal match, the 12th-seeded Kamloops Sa-Hali Sabres pounded the 11th-seeded Victoria St. Michael University Jaguars 80-55 after leading 18-15, 41-34 and 67-46 at the quarters. Kalem Wilson paced Sa-Hali with 24 on 8-10 from the floor, 6-7 from the arc, 2-3 from the line, 5 boards and 3 assists. Defensive player of the tournament Jaydian Smith added 15 on 7-16 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 1-4 from the line, 8 boards and 4 blocks. Ty McCall notched 11 on 4-8 from the floor, 3-6 from the arc, 4 boards and 4 assists. Kaito Futemma scored 10 on 3-7 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc, 3-4 from the line, 4 boards and 2 steals. Ben Anderson added 7 on 3-4 from the floor and 1-1 from the arc. Govah Tajeddini added 4 on 1-4 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc and 2-4 from the line. Eric Jumaga scored 3 on 1-1 from the arc. Jalen Nunn added 2 on 0-5 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc, 2-2 from the line, 7 boards and 2 assists. Josh Glover scored 2 on 1-1 from the floor and 2 boards. Luis Cojuangco added 1 on 0-2 from the floor, 1-2 from the line and 2 boards. Carson Dumais notched 1 on 0-1 from the floor and 1-2 from the line, while Jackson Fitzgerald, Herjun Serown, Eric Hembling and Mitchell Vosper were scoreless. Vosper nabbed 3 boards. The Sabres hit 28-59 (.475) from the floor, 12-21 (.571) from the arc and 12-21 (.571) from the line, while garnering 35 boards, including 9 on the offensive glass, 18 fouls, 16 assists, 16 turnovers, 6 blocks and 8 steals. Tristan Kuhn paced St. Michael’s with 17 on 8-16 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 1-1 from the line, 4 boards and 4 steals. Karter Fry added 11 on 2-14 from the floor, 1-7 from the arc, 6-7 from the line and 7 boards. Noah Helman notched 9 on 4-16 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 1-3 from the line and 4 boards. Ty Olynyk scored 5 on 2-7 from the floor, 1-4 from the arc, 3 boards and 2 steals. Will Kinaham added 4 on 1-1 from the floor, 1-1 from the arc and 1-2 from the line. Tadeo Allerding notched 3 on 0-2 from the floor and 3-4 from the line. Izzy Helman scored 2 on 0-2 from the floor and 2-2 from the line. Jin-Woo Park added 2 on 1-1 from the floor and 2 boards. Yunus Ozer scored 2 on 1-1 from the floor and 2 boards, while Ken Huang, Justin Lee and Elvis Duru wee scoreless. The Jaguars (coached by Ian Hyde-Lay, assisted by Jeff Rud) hit 19-62 (.306) from the floor, 3-16 (.188) from the arc and 14-19 (.737) from the floor, while garnering 24 boards, including 9 on the offensive glass, 18 fouls, 1 assist, 17 turnovers, 1 block and 8 steals.
In the final, the top-seeded Prince Rupert Charles Hays Rainmakers dusted the 7th-seeded Lake Country George Elliot Coyotes 78-51 after leading 21-8, 39-18 and 64-31 at the quarters. “I’m so happy man, so happy,” Rainmakers forward Eric Lees told Varsity Letters. “All these dogs, most of us have been together since we were like Grade 6, we’ve just been hoopin’ and I love them so much. I can’t believe we’ve done this. And it’s not just the players,” added a beaming Lees. “It’s the parents. It’s the community. Everyone supported us. It’s just like a building that just goes up. Now we’ve put the top on that thing and we’re done. We are done!” Assistant coach Ryan Bishop said “I feel like this is my first provincial championship. It’s sweet. Nice to see what all the work can do. They worked so hard all year, all summer. In the summertime we don’t have keys to our gym, so they go to the civic centre . . . and play gritty, pickup basketball against guys who played university basketball, who play in the all-native tournament. It’s hard-nosed basketball and you learn that if you want to take the ball to the rack, you take it hard.” Coyotes coach Dave Lafontaine said his son Nic “needed to hit some shots. Yesterday (in the semifinal), he had it going on. Today not so much. But credit goes to them. They’re an outstanding team. Liam takes up so much room inside . . . they’re well-coached. They just got better and better in this tournament.” Tournament MVP Liam McChesney said “I definitely felt it today. Especially at the start of the game, we were all just up with energy. But I got to give it to my team, it’s not just me.” Rainmakers coach Mel Bishop said winning his third title “this late in my career” was rewarding. “But this group of kids, they have a lot of passion, they love the game. The chemistry, they’re a very tight group. They hang around together. They like each other.” Ryan Bishop told Kelowna Now that “we D’ed up, that was the deciding factor. We have stressed that all year. Physically we have been very strong on the defensive end and we take pride in that.” Dave Lafontaine said the Rainmakers took away the three-point arc. “You have to hit the shots. … But give them (Charles Hay) credit. They’re an outstanding team and McChesney (6’9” Liam) takes up so much room inside. … They’re well-coached. They just got better and better as the team went on. … But to get to this point and know we competed against an excellent team – the Bishops are legends in Prince Rupert, they do an outstanding job – they knew what we were going to do on the court.” Tournament MVP Liam McChesney paced the Rainmakers with 25 on 10-17 from the floor, 3-9 from the arc, 2-3 from the line, 13 boards and 4 blocks. Kai Leighton added 20 on 8-18 from the floor, 1-4 from the arc, 3-6 from the line, 13 boards, 5 assists, 2 blocks and 5 steals. Player of the game Eric Lees notched 14 on 6-9 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 2-4 from the line, 5 boards and 2 assists. Tyler Jones scored 4 on 1-8 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 2-7 from the line, 6 boards and 3 assists. Daniel Cachero added 4 on 1-4 from the floor, 2-4 from the line and 5 boards. Quinton Nisyok notched 3 on 1-7 from the arc, 2 assists and 2 steals. Colby Stephens added 2 on 1-16 from the floor, 0-11 from the arc, 9 boards and 3 steals. Sehjot Sahdra added 2 on 1-2 from the floor. Brandon Burnett scored 2 on 1-1 from the floor. Aiden Leighton added 2 on 1-2 from the floor and 0-1 from the arc, while Brendan Eshom, Dylan Calder, Kai Chan, Caden Pagens and Xander Gerritsen were scoreless. The Rainmakers hit 31-84 (.369) from the floor, 5-34 (.147) from the arc and 11-24 (.458) from the line, while garnering 53 boards, including 16 on the offensive glass, 21 fouls, 14 assists, 15 turnovers, 7 blocks and 12 steals. Ben Hitchens paced the Coyotes with 19 on 7-18 from the floor, 3-8 from the arc, 2-2 from the line, 5 boards and 7 steals. Nic LaFontaine added 10 on 3-22 from the floor, 0-11 from the arc, 4-9 from the line, 9 boards and 2 assists. Roan McCarthy notched 6 on 3-10 from the floor, 0-3 from the arc, 11 boards, 2 blocks and 4 steals. Triston Hearn scored 6 on 3-8 from the floor, 0-3 from the arc, 0-1 from the line and 7 boards. Khayden Cullic added 5 on 0-11 from the floor, 0-5 from the arc, 5-6 from the line, 3 boards and 2 steals. Jaeden Lever scored 3 on 1-4 from the arc. Carter McConnell added 2 on 2-2 from the floor, while Brandon Frechette, Bergren Van Lent, Matt Darly, Garrett Anderson and Chris Auger were scoreless. Auger nabbed 2 boards. The Coyotes hit 17-85 (.200) from the floor, 4-43 (.093) from the arc and 13-20 (.650) from the line, while garnering 47 boards, including 18 on the offensive glass, 18 fouls, 6 assists, 16 turnovers, 3 blocks and 15 steals.
The all-tournament 1st team included MVP Liam McChesney (Charles Hays); Asher Mayan (Langley Christian); Kalem Wilson (Sa-Hali); Cameron Sale (D.P. Todd); Nic Lafontaine (George Elliot); and Kai Leighton (Charles Hays).
The 2nd team featured Zac Meinen (Abbotsford Christian); Carsen Day (Westsyde); Joshua Kagande (Britannia); Tristan Kuhn (St. Michaels U); and Ben Hitchens (George Elliot).
The bronze medalist Kamloops Sa-Hali Sabres: Jackson Fitzgerald; Ben Anderson; Harjun Serown; Ty McCall; Kalem Wilson; Eric Jumaga; Jalen Nunn; Eric Hembling; Luis Cojuangco; Carson Dumais; Govah Tajeddini; Kaito Futemma; Josh Glover; Mitchell Vosper; Jaydian Smith; coach Dean Magierowski; assistant Daylin Epp; assistant Alan Ho; assistant Mary Bartucci
The silver medalist Lake Country George Elliott Coyotes: Ben Hitchens; Jaeden Lever; Brandon Frechette; Triston Hearn; Khayden Cullic; Bergren Van Lent; Carter McConnell; Nic Lafontaine; Matt Darly; Roan McCarthy; Chris Auger; Garrett Anderson; coach Kathy Lafontaine; assistant Dave Lafontaine; manager Dustin Gallinger
The gold medalist Prince Rupert Charles Hays Rainmakers: Colby Stephens; Brendan Eshom; Daniel Cachero; Quinton Nisyok; Dylan Calder; Kai Chan; Sehjot Sahdra; Kai Leighton; Brandon Burnett; Aiden Leighton; Liam McChesney; Caden Pagens; Xander Gerritsen; Eric Lees; coach Mel Bishop; assistant Ryan Bishop