In the quarterfinals, the top-seeded Cloverleaf conference champ Winnipeg Fort Richmond Centurions thrashed the 8th-seeded Selkirk Lord Selkirk Regional Royals 81-40 as Gord Stork scored 15 and Gary Knight 13. Ron Myall and Don Byers each scored 11 to pace the Royals. The Royals (coached by Peter Gerbrandt and Duane Whyte, and managed by Jeff Gunter) also included Don Johnson, Maurice Deneer, Trevor Reid, Murray Skrepich, Alan Devaney, Doug Holowachuk, Doran Reid, Chris Creran, David Schafer, Darren Miller, Gerry Doak and Robert Rogers.
The 4th-seeded Winnipeg John Taylor Pipers edged the 5th-seeded Winnipeg River East Kodiaks 61-58 as Kurt Kelly scored 23 and Randy Peron 12. Brian Liebfried paced the Kodiaks with 8. The Kodiaks (coached by Gord Puttaert) also included Dave Wiebe, Don Duerksen, Herb Guenther, Kevin McKay, Carl Leibfried, John Isaak, Chris Cawker, Willie Goetz.
The 6th-seeded Winnipeg Murdoch McKay Clansmen upset the 3rd-seeded Winnipeg St. John’s Tigers 55-54 in triple overtime as Mitch Kiesman hit 15-foot jumper with one second remaining on the clock. “I figured there wasn’t much time left, and coach said if the shot was there to take it,” Kiesman told the Winnipeg Free Press. Clansmen coach Larry Sawchuk said “I keep telling everybody that we’re good but no one believes it. Sawchuk added that Jim Rybachuk did an exceptional job subbing in for Les Barrett when he suffered muscle cramps. “Rybachuk had to come in and do a good job. He had to handle himself with a lot of poise and he did. He kept us in the game with a basket in the second overtime period.” Tigers coach Bill Wedlake said “we used every trick in our bag. They handled everything we used on them.” Kiesman paced the Clansmen with 22. Basil Bowen added 12. Bob Flett led the Tigers with 20. David Ladobruk added 15. The Tigers (coached by Bill Wedlake) also included Dave Gerbinski, Paul Melnyk, Tom Melnyk, Jan Bujan, Les Dezar, Tony Havrilenko, John Christie.
In the last quarterfinal, the 2nd-seeded Winnipeg Kelvin Clippers squeaked out a 63-62 win over the 7th-seeded Brandon Crocus Plains Plainsmen as Belaineh Deguefe scored 25. Grant Coulter led the Plainsmen with 11. Kevin Neufeld added 10. The Plainsmen (coached by Dwight Kearns) also included Tom Price, Mark Hogan, Tony Scott, Terry Woelke, Mike Corrigan, Paul Huechert, Bryan Doell.
In the semis, the top-seeded Winnipeg Fort Richmond Centurions defeated the 4th-seeded Winnipeg John Taylor Pipers 53-43 as Gord Stork scored 19 and Corey Lewis, son of former Manitoba coach Jack Lewis, 14. Kurt Kelly led the Pipers with 31.
In the other semi, the 2nd-seeded Winnipeg Kelvin Clippers defeated the 6th-seeded Winnipeg Murdoch MacKay Clansmen 45-43 in double overtime as Don McDonald grabbed a rebound on a missed shot by Brent Seidel and scored with two seconds on the clock. “It was just a reflex action,” McDonald told the Winnipeg Free Press. “It just came off the boards.” Tournament MVP Belaineh Deguefe, born in Khartoum and a member of the Canadian junior national team, paced the Clippers with 17. Deguefe had been recruited to the team by coach Jim Bulloch, even though he’d never played basketball. McDonald added 8. Basil Bowen led Murdoch Mackay with 18 points. Dwight Atcheson added 9. The score was knotted at 35 after regulation and at 39 after the first overtime. Fort Richmond coach Terry Ball said his team is “unfolding just the way we want.” Clansmen coach Larry Sawchuk said “the seven guys on this team have showed more concern and respect for each other than any team I have ever known. We played as well as we could. I couldn’t ask them for any more than that.”
In the bronze medal match, the 4th-seeded Winnipeg John Taylor Pipers dispatched the 6th-seeded Winnipeg Murdoch MacKay Clansmen 55-40. The Clansmen (coached by Larry Sawchuk) included Dwayne Atcheson, Brian Grantham, Tony Bettens, Les Barrett, Basii Bowen, Jim Rybachuk, Mitch Kiesman.
In the final, the top-seeded Winnipeg Fort Richmond Centurions defeated the 2nd-seeded Winnipeg Kelvin Clippers 49-48 as 6-4 forward Gord Stork blocked a Belaineh Deguefe layup with one second to play. The Centurions had led 14-7 at the quarter. The teams were tied at 23 at the half. The Clippers had a five-point lead in the third quarter but Winnipeg Fort Richmond rallied to take a 41-35 lead at the three-quarter mark. Kelvin had the ball, trailing by one, with 1:30 to go and stalled for the last shot. They called time out with 9 seconds to go to set up the Deguefe shot, which Stork blocked. Centurions coach Terry Ball told the Winnipeg Free Press that Stork was the key. “He challenged Deguefe in the second half and that is what gave us the edge. Stork won the game for us with that block.” Grant Koropatnick led the Centurions with 12 points. Gord Stork added 10 and Julian Rhoda 10. Deguefe led Kelvin with 18. Don McDonald added 11. Stork said the Centurions were determined to avenge a loss to the Clippers in mid-season. “We also wanted it for Cory (Lewis), Julian (Rhoda) and Scott (Fisher). It’s their last season as Centurions.” Rhoda called the win a “real tear-jerker.”
The all-tournament team featured: MVP Belaineh Degeufe (Kelvin); Mark Hogan (Brandon Crocus Plains); Grant Koropatnik (Fort Richmond); Julian Rhoda (Fort Richmond); Gord Stock (Fort Richmond); and Kurt Kelly (John Taylor)
The bronze medalist Winnipeg John Taylor Pipers: Kurt Kelly; Randy Peron; Duane Brothers; Kevin Nicholson; Steve Biggar; John Girard; coach Nick Laping
The silver medalist Winnipeg Kelvin Clippers: Belaineh Degeufe; Don McDonald; Brent Seidel; Mark Snidal; Dirk Graba; Paul Roffey; Don Parsonage; Dom Mandaliti; John Toothill; Dom DiSanto; coach Jim Bulloch; coach Hymie Fox
The gold medalist Winnipeg Fort Richmond Centurions: Gordon Stork; Grant Koropatnik; Julian Rhoda; Gary Knight; Cory Lewis; Gordon Nesbitt; Grant Koropatnick; Scott Fisher; Lorne Deviaene; Lorne Verstraete; Greg Hoare; Nyron Dwyer; Doug Ferguson; Barry Hart; coach Terry Ball; assistant Rob St. Germain; assistant Kevin Rowan; manager Harry Budgell
Thanks to: Grant Koropatnick for correcting a score and misspellings. And to Centurion Cory Lewis for additions to the Fort Richmond roster.