In the opening round: …………………………………………………… The Burnaby Alpha Aztecs crushed the Langley Walnut Grove Gators 84-40 as grade 12 post Matthew Rachar scored 39, grabbed 19 boards and blocked 6 shots. Matthew Usui added 14, along with 4 steals, Juwauwn States 13, along with 11 boards, Darcy James 8, Kailan Patterson 6 and Earl Picardal 4. Simon Hollands led the Gators with 14 points. Ben Miller and Michael Berndt each added 8, Jared Bergen 5, Jack Tsai 2, Mike Paine 2 and Jeff Price 1. Coach Wayne Best said his troops had a rollercoaster season. “It seems that when we really respect who we play, that’s when we really come to play.” The Aztecs came out with the perfect blend of fear and confidence, playing the kind of aggressive half-court defence that led to steals and easy, fast-break buckets. Walnut Grove shot just 28 per cent from the field. And when it came to executing in their own halfcourt sets, their game plan played out in high-percentage ways because of the ease and variety in which 6-foot-7 swingman Matt Rachar was able to find his shot. Rachar scored with layups on the block, turnaround hooks, drives to the hole and with a reliable medium-range fadeaway jumper. And when he had to get dirty inside, he put his nose in the fray, finishing with eight offensive rebounds. “My shooting was off in the first half and I missed a bunch of free throws,” said Rachar, who was 8-for-15 from the stripe on the day. “So I was trying to get to the hoop. Then I shot around a lot at halftime, and it felt better so I went to the perimeter game in the second half.” Rachar said he was helped by being in the tourney a year earlier. “Last year was just totally valuable. Last year, coming out here I was really nervous, not too sure what to expect. This year, it’s more of a sense of confidence.” …………………………………………………… The Port Coquitlam Terry Fox Ravens pounded the Fort St. John North Peace Oscars 93-55 as grade 10 guard Ryan Murray scored 21, Tim Francisco 12, Jamal Lee 10, Jamie Campbell 9, Jason Lam 7, Tim Unaegby 6, Gil Baron 6, Des Williams 6, Pat Gillis 4, Christian Latayan 4, Brad Pearson 4, Con Kudaba 2 and Kevin Gill 2. Will McInnes led the Oscars with 25 points and 7 boards. Mike Wiens added 16 points and 7 boards. Brad McInnis and Zach Brown each scored 4, while Devon McLeod, Mark Lloyd and Chris Flury each notched 2. …………………………………………………… The New Westminster Hyacks nipped the Surrey Enver Creek Cougars 75-72 as Kam Mann scored 17, Aymen Nurhusien 15 and Hermon Tesfghebriel 13, while grabbing 14 boards. John Bello scored 9, Sean Woodward 8, Ivor Maylone 6, along with 6 boards, Jordan Winnett 5, along with 4 assists, and Michael Muhami 2. Dalbir Dosanjh paced Enver Creek with 21 points and 10 boards. Darren Deol scored 16 and grabbed 6 boards. Bik Sandhu scored 12, Paul Samra 10, Justin Chouhan 6, Kevin Grewal 3, Carl Borillo 2 and Colin Butler 2. …………………………………………………… The 3rd-seeded Victoria Oak Bay Bays dumped the Terrace Caledonia Kermodes 70-58 as Mitch Gudgeon scored 16 and grabbed 13 boards. Phil Brierley scored 15, Jeff Cullen 13, Eric Scott 8, while grabbing 9 boards, David Glick-Stall 4, Simonas Uzdavinys 2 and Bayne Pettinger 2. Lee Johnson paced the Kermodes with 30 points. Doug Hayes added 10 and grabbed 6 boards. Jeff Clark scored 9 and Paul More 7, while grabbing 8 boards. Aman Parmar scored 2.
In the second round: …………………………………………………… The Burnaby Alpha Aztecs dumped the Victoria Mount Douglas Rams 74-56 as Matthew Rachar scored 27 and grabbed 10 boards. Juwauwn States added 14, while grabbing 10 boards. Matthew Usui scored 16, Earl Picardal 4 and Kailan Patterson 3. Mike Hull led Mount Douglas with 25 points and 17 boards. Jordan Brown scored 11, Brian Waterman 8, Travis Warren 5, Ian Locke 3, Scott Wilson 2, Adon Moss 1 and Brendan Guy 1. The Vancouver Island champion Rams didn’t do themselves any favours by shooting just 25 per cent and being held to 17 first- half points against the Lower Mainland’s fifth-seeded Aztecs. The turning point of the game was a 19-7 run by Burnaby in the second quarter. Mount Douglas trailed 33-17 at the half. …………………………………………………… The 7th-seeded Vancouver St. George’s Saints nipped the 4th-seeded Port Coquitlam Terry Fox Ravens 80-77 in overtime as Sean Anthony scored 21, grabbed 8 boards and made 7 steals. Chun-Wei Chang scored 20 and grabbed 11 boards. Melvin Mayott scored 18, nabbed 8 boards and dished 5 assists. Alex Murphy notched 9, Aaron Yick 4, Michael MacKay 4 and Chris MacKay 3. Ryan Murray paced the Ravens with 24. Gil Baron added 15, Brad Pearson 10 and Jamal Lee 10, while grabbing 7 boards. Tim Unaegbu scored 8, Christian Latayan 7 and Jamie Campbell 3, while grabbing 10 boards. Chun-Wei Chang, the Saints’ unheralded 6-5 senior trench warrior proved to be the difference. He scored nine of his team’s 11 points in overtime as the Saints pulled off the upset. Terry Fox, forced to play without senior swingman Graeme McCallum (knee), who averaged 30 points and 12 rebounds per game this season, came roaring back in spectacular fashion to send the game into overtime when guard Christian Latayan hit a three-pointer as time expired to tie the score at 69. Afterwards, Saints head coach Brian Lee offered his praise of Chang, who finished the game with 20 points and 11 rebounds. “He doesn’t get a lot of the talk,” Lee said of a team led by the explosive scoring of Sean Antony and Melvyn Mayott. “But if you look at the stats, he’s averaging a double-double for us. For our team, he is the foundation. He’s so consistent for us, that he opens up things for our perimeter guys.” Chang said “it has everything to do with wanting the ball. You can have a good box out but if you don’t want the ball, you’re not going to get it.” Chang nabbed 4 defensive boards in the overtime. Ravens coach Rich Chambers said his troops were unable to force the Saints to the middle of the floor, while St. George’s was able to funnel it to the short corner where Chang was in his office. “They made a good adjustment to our zone,” said Chambers. “We let the ball go baseline. They’re just bigger and quicker than us. But we have no regrets. Everyone just busted their butts. I thought we epitomized the spirit of Terry Fox.” …………………………………………………… The top-seeded North Vancouver Argyle Pipers whipped the New Westminster Hyacks 74-46 as Sinclair Brown scored 14 and grabbed 11 boards. Scott Morrison scored 17 and grabbed 14 boards. Sean Burke scored 10, Kevin Shaw 8, Shador Barandak 6, Jordan Gildersleeve 4, Ben Frisby 3 and Bennie Mau 2. John Bello and Hermon Tesfghebriel each scored 10 to lead the Hyacks. Jordan Winnett scored 9, Aymen Nurhusien 8 and Ivor Maylone 4, while grabbing 9 boards. Kam Mann scored 3 and Denver McNeney 2. …………………………………………………… The Richmond R.A. McMath Wildcats dumped the Abbotsford W.J. Mouat Hawks 80-70 as Elliott Smith scored 28 and grabbing 10 boards. Kyle Watson scored 17 and grabbed 9 boards, while Ryan Dalen scored 10, while garnering 5 assists and 3 steals. Bryan Abrey scored 9 and grabbed 7 boards, while David Van Ostrand scored 8 and grabbed 12 boards. Masumi Turnbull and Jeff Chu each scored 4. Danny Horner paced the Hawks with 27 points. Josh Isaak added 13, while grabbing 9 boards. Scott McCormick scored 9, Jeremy Bryce 6 and Spencer Schmidt 5, while grabbing 7 boards. Nathan Dickson scored 4, while Jarrett Borsoi, Steve Goosen and Jas Dhaliwal each scored 2. The Wildcats rallied from nine-points down late in the third quarter to pull out the win. Afterwards there was no hiding the fact that their injured teammate, Jordan Yttri, in a coma at Vancouver Hospital following a Feb. 19 car crash, was a huge source of inspiration. “We’re still motivated to win for him because we want to keep going to the hospital and tell him we’re doing good,” said forward Elliott Smith. “This is all for him. He’s our sixth man. We know he’s here.” McMath head coach Phil Ens said the team got great news Tuesday regarding Yttri’s condition. “The swelling has gone down and he’s started to heal up,” said Ens. “His brain has stopped hemorrhaging, so it’s allowing him to heal and he wants to breathe on his own.” Adds Smith: “He’s kind of responding by twitching his fingers and that’s great. He’s doing good. It’s looking positive. He’ll pull through for sure.” The Hawks built a 55-46 lead with 4:02 left in the third quarter. But the Wildcats got their inside-out game on track, dominating in the paint with Smith and getting big outside shots from Bryan Abrey and Kyle Watson down the stretch. And all this came with the team’s star player, guard Jeff Chu, fouling out with five minutes left in the third quarter. Smith told the Richmond Review that “we just kept chipping away. We shut the door on their shooter and collapsed in the middle.” Wildcats coach Phil Ens said Masumi Turnbull was spectacular after starting point guard Jeff Chu fouled out. “Everybody just picked it up. Masumi did a great job running our offence. He’s a phenomenal athlete who’s tough as nails. Give him an assignment and he focuses on that assignment. He’s just of those mentally tough kids. That’s why he’s on the national team in soccer.” …………………………………………………… The Pitt Meadows Marauders crushed the Nanaimo Wellington Wildcats 84-51 as Bryson Kool scored 21 and grabbed 11 boards. Doug Varcoe scored 21, Matt Joudain 9 and Nathan Larden 6, while dishing out 5 assists. Dylan Rayburn scored 5, while Scott Kollen, Geoff Hayworth, Ian Lowrie, Kevin Bitter and Jared Cairns each scored 3. Gary Pelton added 2. Henry Bui led the Wildcats with 10 points. Brian Brooks added 9, Taylor Culpepper 7, Russ McMann 6, Ryan Davidson 5, Danny Strain 4, Mike Borelli 3, Justin Bagshaw 3, Kyle Schaffer 3 and Dustin Carver 1. The Marauders out-rebounded Wellington 50-31. Pitt was able to exploit their inside size to great effect. Pitt Meadows took a 27-13 first-quarter lead and never looked back. Pitt Meadows had a 42-25 lead at the half. …………………………………………………… The Clearbrook MEI Eagles dumped the Victoria Oak Bay Bays 71-59 as Jared Krause scored 16, Mike Erickson 14, Devon Krahn 10, Kit Williams 10, Greg Neufeld 8, along with 7 boards, Tyson Barkman 6, Robbie Kingra 4 and Brad Tiesseeen 3. Mitch Gudgeon paced the Bays with 17 points and 25 boards. Jeff Cullen scored 15 and Phil Brierley 10, while Eric Scott scored 9 and grabbed 8 boards. Isiah Pasquale and Bayne Pettinger each scored 4. The Fraser Valley champion Eagles were in tough early when key starter Devon Krahn was whistled for three first-quarter fouls. But MEI’s deep bench shone through, as did Jared Krause. …………………………………………………… The Surrey White Rock Christian Warriors defeated the Salmon Arm Gold 73-61 as Tyrell Mara scored 30, grabbed 12 boards and had 6 assists. Manuel Gogolin scored 14 and grabbed 8 boards. Robert Thibault scored 11 and grabbed 9 boards. Devan Thiessen scored 10, Connor Ferguson 4, Roger Fougner 2 and Jeron Dillon 2.. The defending B.C. champion Warriors managed to survive a nightmarish third quarter. After building what appeared to be a comfortable halftime lead, WCRA had no answer for Salmon Arm who went on a 14-0 run to open the third quarter and tie the score at 35. The Gold refused to go away until Devan Thiessen and Tyrell Mara hit back-to-back treys to give the Warriors a 67-59 lead with 2:13 remaining. Josh Lovestone paced the Gold with 25 points and 15 boards. Steven Waring scored 15, Graeme Horton 10, Marcus Abramzik 6, Andrew Penner 3 and Trevor Rutledge 2. The Gold (coached by Cory Persson, manager Ray Henderson) also included Devon Siebenga, Garrett Johnson, Kyle Renaud, Andrew Penner, Dave Pilling, Clint Schmidt and Robert Bradford. …………………………………………………… The Cranbrook Mount Baker Wild pounded the Richmond Hugh Boyd Trojans 76-53 as Aaron Gauer scored 31 and grabbed 8 boards. Harvey Bradford scored 15 and Brendan McKay 12, while each grabbing 8 boards. Kyle Taylor scored 9, Bobby Vigne 4, Cory Anselmo 3 and Justin Klein 2. Nebojsa Aleksic paced the Trojans with 19 points and 14 boards. Dawson Dueck scored 17, while grabbing 6 boards. Mo Aafi scored 6, Alex White 5, Caley Donaldson 2, Mike White 2 and Marc Gandossi 2. The Wild’s Harvey Bradford picked up two quick fouls and was forced to sit for nine minutes of the opening half after picking up his third, yet there was more than enough depth for the Cranbrook team. Aaron Gauer shot 15-for-25 from the field, while the Wild’s aggressive defence scored 30 points of Hugh Boyd turnovers. Bradford’s shot selection was impeccable. “He’s old school,” Mount Baker coach Greg Colburn said. “He’s a farm kid with a clay court.” Bradford said “just like Hoosiers. I live on a farm out in a place that no one has heard of. Skookumchuck. I have my hoop on the side of a barn, and the court is just a bunch of dirt.” Bradford can’t always call up teammates like Aaron Gauer, Brendan McKay, Bobby Vigne and Kyle Taylor over for a game of pickup. So he rolls out a series of 45-gallon diesel drums and they serve as his defenders. “It teaches me how to manoeuvre when you have the big guys in front of you, just how to jump around them and get into the lane.” Adds Colburn: “That’s just how he practices. It’s not mechanical. Everything he does is game-situational. Change the game? Change the tempo? Move the cans around.” Bradford said he was nervous in his first appearance at the provincials, in a large stadium like the Agrodome. “It was my first time in a gym this big,” he said of the Agrodome’s spacious sight lines, before thinking back to his own court back in Skookumchuck. “I like it there because it’s quiet,” he says. “I have lights and music, and there’s no one there to disturb you.” Trojans coach Jim Donaldson told the Richmond Review that “I don’t know if it was nerves or what it was. We made every conceivable mistake in the opening half and stil, we were down by just 12 points. We just couldn’t get it back.”
In the quarterfinals, the Surrey White Rock Christian Warriors defeated the Burnaby Alpha Aztecs 61-57 in overtime as Robert Thibault scored 22 and grabbed 5 boards. Tyrell Mara scored 12 and grabbed 6 boards. Manuel Gogolin scored 10, Robert Fougner 7, Andrew Good 6, Connor Ferguson 2 and Devan Thiessen 2. Matthew Rachar led the Aztecs with 26 points and 12 boards. Kailan Patterson scored 10 and had 4 steals. Juwauwn States scored 10 and had 6 boards. Matthew Usui scored 5 and grabbed 9 boards. Earl Picardal scored 3, Justin Valouche 2 and Darcy James 1. Point guard Rob Thibault took advantage of the Aztecs focus on Tyrell Mara to shoot out the Agrodome lights. “I said, ‘I am doing this. Who’s on the ship? I’m helping steer this thing, so who’s on board?’ So that’s what we started calling it. The Ship. At first, we had three guys on board. Now everybody’s on board.” The Warriors trailed 51-47 with 5.5 seconds remaining. But Thibault hit a fadeaway trey to make it 51-50, then after Alpha hit a free throw to make it 52-50, Mara fed Grade 11 Andrew Good, straight off the bench, for an and-one layup as time expired. Tied at 52, Good needed to simply hit the free throw to win the game, but he missed. Still, in overtime, the Warriors showed the mettle of champions. Alpha did a tremendous job limiting Mara to 12 points, including just two in the second half, but when the White Rock rotations found a home, it was Thibault on the waiting end of some juicy, open looks. Mara had said before the B.C.’s that WRCA had just acquired a new shooting machine and that each player had taken 5,000 shots in the week leading up to the tournament. “I’ve been a standstill shooter for the last little bit, but I realized that it wasn’t going to get me anywhere, so I started moving the shooting machine to go back and forth,” said Thibault, who played through a broken foot he suffered in September. “When I just sit there, I get so nervous that I think too much. Now, in the game, I catch the ball and I shoot. I don’t think. Just like my last three, that pull-back jumper. Don’t think. It’s just mind over matter.” Alpha coach Wayne Best said that every time his help-defence focused on Mara, Thibault was open, “and he burned us every time. He just knocked it down.” Thibault is pleased when he’s asked about the marks on his arms, having turned himself into something of a story. “This says, ‘My Game,’” he smiles, showing off one arm’s grease- pencil work. “This other one says, ‘Winning Isn’t Normal,’ and on my shooting hand, it’s ‘Find the Hoop.’”
The Pitt Meadows Marauders dumped the Vancouver St. George’s Saints 74-66 as Bryson Kool scored 36 and grabbed 12 boards. Matt Joudain scored 15 and nabbed 13 boards. Nathan Larden scored 13, Dylan Rayburn 7 and Jared Cairns 3. Melvin Mayott paced the Saints with 25 points. Sean Anthony scored 14, Alex Murphy 12, Chun-Wei Chang 8, Michael MacKay 4, Chris MacKay 2 and Aaron Yick 1.
The top-seeded North Vancouver Argyle Pipers defeated the Richmond R.A. McMath Wildcats 86-68 as Sinclair Brown scored 23 and grabbed 12 boards. Kevin Shaw scored 14 and grabbed 6 boards. Scott Morrison scored 14, while Sean Burke scored 13 and dished 11 assists. Ben Frisby scored 11, Jordan Gildersleeve 7, Shador Barandak 2 and Bennie Mau 2. Kyle Watson led the Wildcats with 26 points and 7 boards. Bryan Abrey scored 9, Jeff Chu 8, Elliott Smith 8, while grabbing 6 boards, and David Van Ostrand 8, while grabbing 10 boards. Masumi Turnbull scored 4, Adam Rogers 2, Kevin Hobbs 2 and Doug Cheng 1. The Wildcats (coached by Phil Enns) also included Ryan Dalen and Jordan Ytrri, who was hospitalized in a coma after being a car accident.
In the last quarterfinal, the Clearbrook M.E.I. Eagles defeated the Cranbrook Mount Baker Wild 75-66 as Greg Neufeld scored 19, Tyson Barkman 17, Jared Krause 12, while nabbing 8 boards, and Mike Erickson 12, while grabbing 9 boards. Robbie Kingra scored 8 and Kit Williams 6, along with 7 boards. Devon Krahn scored 1. Harvey Bradford paced the Wild with 22 points and 11 boards. Aaron Gauer scored 17 and grabbed 7 boards. Kyle Taylor scored 9 and had 3 steals. Bobby Vigne scored 8 and had 3 steals. Justin Klein scored 4, Cory Anselmo 4 and Gerald Gipman 2.
In the semis, the Pitt Meadows Marauders defeated the Clearbrook M.E.I. Eagles 61-45 as Bryson Kool scored 17 on 7-14 from the floor and 16 rebounds. Matt Joudain scored 13 on 6-14 from the floor, 11 boards and 3 assists. Gary Pelton scored 8 on 4-7 from the floor, 6 boards and 4 assists. Doug Varcoe scored 7 on 3-6 from the floor. Nathan Larden and Geoff Hayworth each scored 6, while Dylan Rayburn scored 3 and Scott Kollen 1. Ian Lowrie, Kyle Haas, Kevin Bitter and Jared Cairns were scoreless. The Marauders shot 24-61 (.393) from the floor, 5-13 (.385) from the arc and 8-13 (.615) from the line, while garnering 47 boards, 14 fouls, 18 assists, 14 turnovers, 3 blocks and 9 steals. Mike Erickson led the Eagles with 12 points on 4-10 from the arc. Tyson Barkman scored 10 on 4-9 from the floor and 4 boards. Devon Krahn scored 7, while grabbing 10 boards and making 3 steals. Jared Krause scored 6 on 2-9 from the floor and 8 boards. Kit Williams scored 5 on 2-6 from the floor and 5 boards. Greg Neufeld scored 4 on 2-6 from the floor and Brad Tisesseen scored 1. Sam Dooley, Stuart Dueck; Steven Wiebe, Danny Konrad and Robbie Kingra were scoreless. The Eagles shot 16-54 (.296) from the floor, 8-24 (.333) from the arc and 5-12 (.417) from the line, while garnering 35 boards, 14 fouls, 8 assists, 16 turnovers, 6 blocks and 6 steals. Eagles coach Mike Reimer told the Abbotsford News that “this was the year. It was so wide open. We did not shoot well and that was deciding factor.”
In the other semi, the North Vancouver Argyle Pipers defeated the Surrey White Rock Christian Warriors 62-43 as Scott Morrison scored 14 on 4-9 from the floor, 6-10 from the line, 19 boards and 3 assists. Kevin Shaw scored 11 on 4-7 from the floor, while Sinclair Brown scored 10 on 4-11 from the floor and 6 boards. Ben Frisby scored 8 on 4-8 from the floor and 7 boards. Jordan Gildersleeve scored 7 on 2-2 from the arc. Sean Burke scored 5, while dishing 7 assists. Stanley Yeh, David Hsieh and Shador Barandak each scored 2, while Andrew Charters, Bennie Mau, Kenny Leung and Anthony Fortunaso were scoreless. The Pipers shot 22-50 (.440) from the floor, 7-16 (.438) from the arc and 11-18 (.611) from the line, while garnering 45 boards, 16 fouls, 19 assists, 15 turnovers, 3 blocks and 3 steals. Robert Thibault paced the Warriors with 16 points on 4-11 from the arc. Tyrell Mara scored 11 on 5-14 from the floor and 16 boards. Davin Fast scored 5, Robert Fougner 4, Jordan Mara 3, Adam Stewart 2, Peter Morrison 1 and Andrew Good 1, while Connor Ferguson, Manuel Gogolin, Devan Thiessen, Jeron Dillon, Dan Peterson and Matt Wirch were scoreless. The Warriors shot 14-64 (.219) from the floor, 5-24 (.208) from the arc and 10-15 from the line, while garnering 39 boards, 16 fouls, 7 assists, 9 turnovers, 1 block and 4 steals.
In the bronze medal match, the Surrey White Rock Christian Warriors defeated the Clearbrook M.E.I. Eagles 85-62 as Tyrell Mara scored 18 on 7-15 from the floor, 4-7 from the arc and 14 boards. Jeron Dillon scored 16 on 6-8 from the floor and 4-5 from the arc, while Robert Thibault scored 16 on 6-10 from the floor, 4-7 from the arc and 5 assists. Manuel Gogolin scored 11 on 3-7 from the floor, 4-4 from the line and 4 boards. Connor Ferguson scored 8, Devan Thiessen 6, Peter Morrison 4, Davin Fast 3, Dan Peterson 2, and Andrew Good 1, while Robert Fougner, Matt Wirch, Adam Stewart and Jordan Mara were scoreless. The Warriors shot 32-60 (.533) from the floor, 14-28 from the arc and 7-11 (.636) from the line, while garnering 44 boards, 13 fouls, 22 assists, 15 turnovers, 3 blocks and 8 steals. Mike Erickson led M.E.I. with 20 points on 7-16 from the floor, 5-12 from the arc and 6 boards. Greg Neufeld scored 8 on 3-10 from the floor, while Devon Krahn scored 8 on 3-7 from the floor and 4 boards. Steven Wiebe, Kit Williams and Jared Krause each scored 5. Brad Tiesseen added 3, while Sam Dooley, Stuart Dueck, Tyson Barkman and Robbie Kingra each scored 2. Jesse Smith was scoreless. The Eagles (coached by Pete Reimer) shot 23-66 (.348) from the floor, 10-29 (.345) from the arc and 6-10 from the line, while garnering 34 boards, 13 fouls, 16 assists, 12 turnovers, 3 blocks and 8 steals. White Rock led 41-26 at the half. “I think that’s a great ending point for us,” said WRCA head coach Scott Allen. “I think it leaves a real positive taste for next year with our young guys.” In a game-defining third quarter, the Warriors shot an unearthly 9-for-11 from three-point range.
In the final, the top-seeded North Vancouver Argyle Pipers dumped the Pitt Meadows Marauders 65-44 to capture their first provincial title. Coach Glen Chu, who’d been brought into the program by veteran coach Peter Therrien, said the crown was the product of a perfect mix of offensive and defensive balance. “Our offence presents match-up problems but the part of our game that doesn’t get enough credit is our defence,” said Chu, who operates a 3D Basketball Academy in the summer. “We play great defence because we’re so well prepared. We spent 1.5 hours this morning strictly on defence and it paid off tonight. Pitt Meadows coach Rich Goulet was dismayed at his team’s 0-11 effort from the arc. “Morrison was a huge presence in the paint, both offensively and defensively, and our only hope in this game was our perimeter shooting. We usually have to hit five or six threes to win our games and our outside shots just weren’t there tonight. Argyle sensed that weakness and fully exploited it.” Morrison said the Pipers planned to establish their inside game quickly and then hit the perimeter shots when the Marauders collapsed their defence. “It was a balance approach to our offence. It kept them guessing. They had to be aware of both our inside and perimeter shooting games.” The Pipers credited Chu with turning the program around. “Glen brought in a whole new system for Argyle basketball this year,” said Kevin Shaw, one of five Pipers enrolled in the academy. “The biggest thing he taught me about the game is how to play defence. Playing in the academy keeps your skills sharp year-round and there’s no doubt it was a major factor to our success this season.” The Pipers finished 35-5 on the year. Chu, a rook head coach, had snuck into the Agrodome at the start of the tournament and put two coins under the base of each basket for luck. He got them back after the final. “We were the first ones in on Tuesday morning, so I put a lucky penny under each basket. I said to my team that we were the first ones in and we were going to be the last ones out.” The Pipers displayed a balance of inside-out play that the Marauders simply had no answer for. “Unbelievable,” said Chu. “It’s called trust. Trusting one another and just believing. Peter gave me a chance at the start of the season. He trusted me and I think this is a reflection of his leadership.” The Marauders had difficulty defending Morrison. Play him straight up and pay the price inside. Collapse on him and leave sharp-shooting guard Kevin Shaw open. “The big problem was that our three-point shooters didn’t hit the threes early and lost their confidence,” said Pitt head coach Rich Goulet. “Usually we have to hit five or six threes to win a game and we just didn’t do that.” The atmosphere was electric from the opening tip off, and at first so was star forward Bryson Kool. The Marauders big man was on fire in the first quarter, dominating the paint, going 3 for 3 and finishing the Q with 8 points. Even with those contributions, the Marauders were down after one 17-10. They should have been down by only four but a last second breakdown allowed Shador Barandak to nail a three at the buzzer. In the second quarter Scott Morrison began to put his stamp on the game, especially on the defensive end of the court. Morrison was gobbling up rebounds that were a result of the Marauders terrible outside shooting. Argyle’s Kevin Shaw on the other hand, as he had throughout the entire tourney, was lighting it up from downtown. Argyle took a commanding 36-18 lead in to the locker room but the score could have been considered a little misleading. In the third some bounces began to go in Pitt’s direction but their cold shooting would not allow them to take advantage. Their shooting was so cold; the Marauders ended the game with an uncharacteristic goose egg from three-point land. During the third, a sequence of plays occurred that sent the Piper faithful in to a frenzy. Morrison received the ball under the basket, double pumped then dunked on Kool. Kool immediately came back at Morrison but had two consecutive shots swatted back at him. That summed up the match up on this night between the provinces two best big men. As you would expect, Pitt did make a bit of a run in the fourth but a 26-point lead was too much to overcome as Argyle cruised to the championship. Afterwards first year coach Glenn Chu explained why his team was so successful in shutting down Pitt Meadows. “We were so well prepared, we spent an hour and a half this morning running thru Pitt’s sets, we believe the cliché, defense wins championships.”
Grade 11 guard Kevin Shaw paced Argyle with 20 points on 6-7 from the floor, 5-6 from the arc and 4 boards. 6-10 grade 12 center Scott Morrison scored 17 on 7-14 from the floor, 15 boards and 4 blocks. Sean Burke scored 8 on 1-4 from the floor and 5-8 from the line. Sinclair Brown scored 8 on 3-13 from the floor and 7 boards. Ben Frisby scored 7 on 2-5 from the floor and 3 steals. Shador Barandak scored 3 and Jordan Gildersleeve 2, while Andrew Charters, Bennie Mau, Stanley Yeh, David Hsieh, Kenny Leung and Anthony Fortunaso were scoreless. The Pipers shot 21-47 (.447) from the floor, 8-13 (.615) from the arc and 15-23 (.652) from the line, while garnering 38 boards, 14 fouls, 14 assists, 18 turnovers, 4 blocks and 10 steals. Bryson Kool led Pitt Meados with 18 points on 7-19 from the floor, 4-4 from the line, 6 boards, 5 assists, 3 blocks and 4 steals. Matt Joudain scored 10 on 4-13 from the floor and 6 boards. Doug Varcoe scored 6 on 2-6 from the floor. Gary Pelton scored 4, Nathan Larden 2, Geoff Haworth 2 and Ian Lowrie 2, while Dylan Rayburn, Scott Kollen, Kyle Haas, Kevin Bitter and Jared Cairns were scoreless. The Marauders shot 17-56 (.304) from the floor, 0-11 from the arc and 10-12 (.833) from the line, while garnering 31 boards, 19 fouls, 15 assists, 15 turnovers, 4 blocks and 7 steals.
The bronze medalist Surrey White Rock Christian Warriors: Tyrell Mara; Manuel Gogolin; Robert Thibault; Connor Ferguson; Robert Fougner; Devan Thiessen; Dan Peterson; Jeron Dillon; Peter Morrison; Davin Fast; Andrew Good; Matt Wirch; Adam Stewart; Jordan Mara
The silver medalist Pitt Meadows Marauders: Bryson Kool; Doug Varcoe; Matt Joudain; Nathan Larden; Dylan Rayburn; Kyle Haas; Gary Pelton; Ian Lowrie; Jared Cairns; Kevin Bitter; Scott Kollen; Geoff Hayworth
The gold medalist North Vancouver Argyle Pipers: Sinclair Brown; Scott Morrison; Sean Burke; Kevin Shaw; Ben Frisby; Jordan Gildersleeve; Shador Barandak; Anthony Fortunaso; Andrew Charters; Benine Mau; Stanley Yeh; David Hsieh; Kenny Leung; coach Glen Chu