In the wildcard play-in game, the Williams Lake Columneetz Cougars edged the Salmon Arm Gold 79-76 as Garron Macdonald scored 23. Cougars coach Dave Chambers told the Williams Lake Tribune that “it was a pressure game for them and they came through.” Will Fazan led the Gold with 30. The Gold also included Rob Lamb, John Mrjcin, Jordan Hlina, Olav Krigolson, Kevin Estabrook.
In the opening round: …………………………………………………… The Richmond Colts stomped the Nanaimo District Islanders 103-60 as Andrew Zawada scored 21, Joey DeWit 20, Ron Putzi 16, Neal Blake 14, Brian Tait 7, Graeme Lindsay 6 and Sowen Ng 6. Zawada came off the bench to ignite the Colts offence in the second quarter. The game had been tied at 26 after one quarter. The Colts led 57-42 at the half and 82-54 after three quarters. Zawada told the Richmond Reivew that “I feel very good that Bill (Drisbow) had the confidence to play in that situation.” Drisbow said “I didn’t expect the second group would beat them so badly. I had hoped to get the starters back in the game but the other guys did too good a job.” Mark Wilson paced the Islanders with 17. Mike James added 14, Terry DeGriff 12 and Brett Nohr 12. The Islanders (coached by Richard Paquette) included Denny Lal, Steve Stritzel, Aaron Little, Geoff Whiting, Rob Turner, Bill Yoachim, Hugh Mitenko, Travis Clay and VanLantalgen Gourdy. Paquette told the Nanaimo Daily News that “they’re obviously a very good team. We had a game plan and the kids followed it through the first quarter and part of the second. … I guess they just ran out of energy. We were outrunning them and slowing them down.” …………………………………………………… The Langley Mountain Eagles dispatched the Kamloops Red Devils 72-60 as Andrew Steinfeld scored 29 and Todd Williams 15. Ken Sunderland led the Red Devils with 21. Blake Foster added 14 and Barry Cross 14. The Red Devils also included Mike Dunley, Graham Nickel. …………………………………………………… The Port Alberni Armada defeated the West Vancouver Sentinel Spartans 100-73 as Derek Dirom scored 32 and Perv Randhawa 25. Derek Christiansen led the Spartans with 30. Mark Watson added 23. …………………………………………………… Victoria Oak Bay Bays edged the Clearbrook Mennonite Educational Institute Eagles 73-71 as Chris Whittaker notched the winner at the buzzer in a baseline scramble. Eagles coach Arnie Dick and several observers, according to the Vancouver Sun, believed the bucket came after time had expired. The Eagles had rallied from a 14-point deficit to knot the score with 29 seconds to play on a Phil Chaffee bucket. Bay guard Peter Walton heaved a 20-footer that hit the rim. Whittaker scooped up the ball and put it in the hole. After Whittaker scored, referee Bill Crowley consulted with the scorer’s table and “could not confirm” that time had expired. Supervisor of officials Mike Halls said that “if the official can’t hear the horn and there’s a shot involved, he must ask the timekeeper. The rule states that if the timekeeper does not have definite knowledge, then you have to count the basket.” Dick said his team played poorly “but we played well enough to tie the game. To have the game taken away under those circumstances. … There were three people in the gym who didn’t know what happened out there. I say we lost the game because of the officials.” The roar of the crowd drowned the sound of the buzzer. Oak Bay coach Dave Hutchings said “it was so close, maybe it was a bit unfortunate that it wasn’t decided in overtime.” Eagles coach Arnold Dick told Canadian Press that “I’ve never blamed officials before for a loss but I am now. … The ball was on the floor with no time left. They took the chance to win (in overtime) out of our hands.” Peter Walton paced the Bays with 35. Tristann Tondorf added 11. Prentice Lenz led the Eagles with 31. Phil Chaffee added 14. The Eagles (coached by Arnold Dick) also included Rob Koslowski, Nathan Janzen, Halvin Falk, Darren Spenst. …………………………………………………… The Delta Seaquam Seahawks whipped the Williams Lake Columneetza Cougars 89-50 as Rick Gill scored 16 and Dave Hughes 13. Hardeep Bains led the Cougars with 17. Jason Kerly added 15. Cougars coach Dave Chambers told the Williams Lake Tribune that “we had lots of problems against their full-court pressure … We just couldn’t move the ball against them.” The Cougars also included Dulver Bassar, Bud Park, Garron McDonald. …………………………………………………… The North Delta Huskies crushed the Terrace Caledonia Kermodes 85-53 as Raju Heran scored 22, Craig Preece 19 and Chad Johnston 16. The Huskies led 11-2 early, 23-18 after one quarter and 41-33 at the half. Huskies coach Bill Edwards told the Surrey Leader that “you always like to be ahead by more than eight points at half-time. We came out (in the third quarter) and outrebounded them. After that, it was layup city.” Dion Orbell led the Kermodes with 20. Steve Dewacht added 11. The Kermodes (coached by Phil Letham) also included David Hogg, Steve Salansky, Harpel Manhas, James McKay, Aaron Davis. …………………………………………………… The Vancouver College Fighting Irish clubbed the Nelson L.V. Rogers Bombers 116-70 as Scott Harrison scored 26 and David Williscroft 21. Taras Maslechko paced the Bombers with 23. James Klassen added 16. The Bombers also included Rick Sweet. …………………………………………………… The Steveston Packers nipped the Quesnel Correlieu Clan 57-56 as Howie Kallner scored 10 and Phil Adams 10. Myles Green led the Clan with 16. Dan LeDoux added 14 and Tod Anderson 11. The Clan led by nine in the fourth quarter but faltered as various players got in foul trouble. Correlieu’s Dan Ledoux hit two free throws to give the Clan a 56-55 lead. While Packers coach Dennis Begin tried to call a time-out, Jeff Sharpe dribbled up court and found Chris Berda under the basket for an easy layup. Begin told the Richmond Review that “I haven’t been to the dressing room yet but they’re certainly not going to get too many compliments from me. We just didn’t play smart basketball. I just don’t know why some of our seniors make these kinds of mistakes.” Clan coach Mike Stevens told the Cariboo Observor that his troops began to be indecisive on defence because of that foul trouble. “Some guys just stepped out of the way.” The Clan also included Brian Kossey.
In the quarterfinals, the Richmond Colts annihilated the Langley Mountain Eagles 93-44 after double teaming Andrew Steinfeld and holding him to 9 points after a 29-point effort in the opening round. Ron Putzi scored 20 for the Colts, while Joey deWit added 13. Colts coach Bill Drisbow said his troops were fired up because “Mountain was doing a lot of talking last night. Some of the parents (of Colts) were sitting by some of the Mountain kids and they apparently talked about how they were going to upset us.” Drisbow said his Colts were so offended by the cockiness that he had trouble subbing off his starters. “They came out pressing and I told them to stop. But Joey (DeWit) looked at me and said: ‘no’. I couldn’t believe it. They Brian (Tait) says ‘no’. And Bryan Wevers says ‘let’s annihilate them’.” Richmond led 26-8 after one quarter and 46-16 at the half. Eagles coach Mark Loewen said it was the Colts who were mocking the Eagles prior to the game. Joe Deacon led the Eagles with 17. Andrew Steinfeld added just 9 after being double-teamed by Ron Putzi and Damon Robb. Mountain coach Mark Loewen said he hadn’t seen Richmond double team anyone all season. The Eagles also included Todd Williams, Brian Hunt, Sean Hubscher, David Soothill, Oliver Pearce.
The Port Alberni District Armada stunned the North Delta Huskies 73-68 in overtime despite having had centre Derek Dirom foul out with three seconds to play in overtime. Mike Dejong paced the Armada with 24, including 7 treys. Perv Randhawa added 20. After the game, a controversy erupted when it was discovered the scoring table had given the Armada a point, though guard Murrey Double had missed two free throws with 21 seconds left in overtime and the Armada leading 69-66. Huskies coach Bill Edwards told the Vancouver Sun that the officials should have corrected the score while the game was still underway. “It was a mistake that shouldn’t be happening at this level. The referees should have taken the time to make sure the score was correct. The kids put in 500 hours a year in practice and in games. The referees should have taken a minute to iron the situation out.” That said, Edwards said that “I think that Alberni came out and played really well and we didn’t. We were lucky to be in the overtime at all.” Edwards told the Surrey Leader that “I was so confident. The kids seemed ready to play – they were prepared mentally. … We missed a lot of shots early. We would have been in good shape otherwise.” Craig Preece paced the Huskies with 19. Chad Johnston added 18. The Huskies (coached by Edwards) also included Jason Day, Sean Genmill, Dean Akhurst.
The Delta Seaquam Seahawks thrashed the Steveston Packers 77-50 as Rick Gill scored 17 and Dave Hughes 14. The Seahawks of 18-14 after one quarter and 44-29 at the half. Jeff Sharpe paced the Packers with 10. Marc Craven added 10. Packers coach Dennis Begin told the Richmond Review that “I don’t know what the problem is. They just can’t put the ball in the hoop.” The Packers (coached by Begin) also included Darrel Grosul, Howie Kallner, Jordan Thorsteinson, Chris Berda, Kelly Korchinsky, Doug Hollinrake, Matt Byers, Ernst Yan and Jim Challoner.
In the last quarterfinal, the Vancouver College Fighting Irish defeated the Victoria Oak Bay Bays 89-78 as David Williscroft scored 26, John Bailey 16 and Jon Gray 16. Chris Whittaker paced the Bays with 26. Peter Walton added 20. The Bays (coached by Ross Tomlinson) also included Jamie Ball, Tristan Tondorf.
In the semis, the Richmond Colts defeated the Port Alberni District Armada 89-70 as their torrid pace, constant pressure and deep bench proved decisive. Joey DeWit paced the Colts with 30. Ron Putzi added 29. Perv Randhawa led the Armada with 22. Derek Dirom added 18. The Colts prevailed despite playing without star guard Brian Tait. “We’d pull ahead and they’d catch up,” deWit told the Vancouver Sun. “They’re a tough team. I’d say they’re one of the best teams we played against all season.” Colts coach Bill Drisbow said “they were never intimidated by us. I thought they were the best team we played against this year. We just ended up wearing them out.” Armada forward Murrey Douglas said “we just ran out of players. We kept up with them in the first half but then they overwhelmed us.” Dereck Dirom added that “I’m proud of the way we played tonight. We’re not sad about losing, they’re undefeated against Canadian teams. When we came into this tournament people were saying ‘Alberni – who’s that?’ Now they know.”
In the other semi, the Delta Seaquam Seahawks defeated the Vancouver College Fighting Irish 73-64 after rallying from an 11-point deficit in the second half. Seaquam was led by Rick Gill 29 and Bob Hoy 16. Vancouver College was paced by Scott Harrison 21 and David Williscroft 11. Seahawks coach Bill Stebbings said his troops did an effective job of pressing the tempo in a bid to wear down Fighting Irish big man Scott Harrison. The Irish led until the fourth quarter, when Seaquam assistant coach Steve Todd suggested an adjustment on defence that curtailed a good performance by the 6’9” Harrison. “We put Bob Hoy behind Harrison and put Rick Gill in front of him. That just took the big guy out of the game. They stopped making their shots, and we started getting the baskets,” Stebbings said. “We were down by 11 points. A lot of teams would have folded their tents, but I give the credit to these guys. They believed.”
In the bronze medal match, the Vancouver College Fighting Irish clubbed the Alberni District Armada 92-72 as Scott Harrison scored 21 and David Williscroft 16. Dereck Dirom led the Armada with 30. Perv ‘Sonny’ Randhawa and 15. The Armada (coached by Jim Mayo and Brian Laviolette) included Chris Dejong, Mike DeJong, Tom Schultheis, Brooks Lehtonen, Iqbal Deol, Murrey Douglas, Dilbog Deol and Gary Devries.
In the high-scoring final, the Richmond Colts swamped the Delta Seaquam Seahawks 99-80 to win their second consecutive crown and third in four years. Ron Putzi paced the Colts with 35. Joey DeWit added 24, Damon Robb 16, defensive player of the tournament Brian Tait 7, Jeff Pereira 5, Neil Blake 4, Graeme Lindsay 4, Bryan Wevers 2 and Andrew Zawada 2. The Colts led 42-38 at the half and 74-53 after three quarters. The Seahawks were led by Bob Hoy 17, Sonny Randhawa 17, Rick Gill 15, Bill Richards 12, Dave Hughes 11, Charles Hotel 4 and John Christie 4. Richmond coach Bill Drisbow was tearful after the contest, telling the Vancouver Sun that “the one thing I didn’t think I could deal with tonight was leaving these kids – say this is it, it’s over and I’m having trouble now. They’ve been just like my own kids. I was so much more worried about that than about the game. I didn’t think I’d be able to sit there through the last few minutes. I thought I was going to have to sneak off and cry somewhere. I’ve never been around a better group of kids. It’s a once in a lifetime thing, I guess.” Putzi noted that the team “just wanted to win this. We don’t care how much we win by, if it’s one or 50, it doesn’t matter. You gotta win, that was our main goal. We had the jitters a little bit tonight with 6,000 people watching. But we got over that as soon as we warmed up.” Colt Ron Putzi said the butterflies vanished when he hit a backwards, behind-the-head slam dunk in warm-ups before the crowd of 5,535. The Colts quickness and depth proved the difference as they captured their second straight title and set such records as: most points in the a final; most points by two teams in the final and most points in the tournament by a single team (384). Seaquam coach Bill Stebbings noted that the Colts “don’t do a lot of fancy things but they don’t stop moving. They’re a terrific team.” Ron Putzi never lost a game in his two seasons at Richmond. Coach Drisbow “instilled a kind of fear in us with that stare of his,” Putzi later said. “He’ll laugh about this now, but when he stared, there was this big, blue vein you’d see in the middle of his forehead.” Putzi told the Surrey Leader that Drisbow, at the half, “was trying to settle us down. We had nearly 20 fouls in the first half. We came out and played the best quarter of basketball we did all year.” Seahawk Bob Hoy said Putzi “started blocking me out (in the second half). I guess I got a few (rebounds) in the first half, so he was conscious of it.” Jeff Pereira told the Richmond Review that “I don’t think we wanted to prove that we were the best team in the history of B.C. basketball. But we wanted to prove that we were a better team than them. … Our practices have been better than half the games we played this year. Nobody gives anyone a break in practice. We’re a bunch of jerks and love to bleep each other off.” Although Drisbow delivered a fireside chat at the half, he said “I just knew from the look in the kids’ eyes that they were going to play well” in the second half. Pereira said “when we came out in the second half, it just clicked – it was awesome.” Seaquam coach Bill Stebbings said “that’s a high-powered offence. It’s nothing fancy, it’s called rebound hard and get the ball up the floor.”
The bronze medalist Vancouver College Fighting Irish: Scott Harrison; David Williscroft; Finbarr O’Reilly; Greg McDonnell; Greg Silva; John Reid; John Baily; Malcolm Reid; Damian Kettlewell; Rob McKay; Jon Gray; Gerald Kelly; Kevin Stack; James Keogh; coach Doug Beers; assistant John Kavalec; manager Tony Ivancic; manager Billy Burrows; manager Ryan Harris
The silver medalist Delta Seaquam Seahawks: Rick Gill; Bob Hoy; Sonny Randhawa; Bill Richards; Dave Hughes; Charles Hotel; John Christie; Jason Johnson; Raju Heran; Bob Hoy; coach Bill Stebbings; assistant Steve Todd
The gold medalist Richmond Colts: Ron Putzi; Joey DeWit; Andrew Zawada; Damon Robb; Brian Tait; Jeff Pereira; Neil Blake; Graeme Lindsay; Bryan Wevers; Glen Campbell; Neil Blake; Trevor Kojima; Sowen Ng; coach Bill Drisbow