In the interzone playoffs: …………………………………………………… In the semis, the Dauphin Clippers dusted the Virden Golden Bears 85-60 as Nathan Hulley scored 23. Clippers assistant Cam Bennet told the Dauphin Herald that “it was pretty tight for a while then we pulled away.” …………………………………………………… In the other semi, the Brandon T.A. Neelin Spartans whipped the Neepawa 73-26 as Jason Hargreaves scored 20. Mike Douglas led the Tigers with 10. …………………………………………………… In the final, the Brandon T.A. Neelin Spartans bombed the Dauphin Clippers 101-68 as Warren Jacobson scored 17 and Jordan Hemmings 10. Allan Bernat led the Clippers with 18. “They really took it to us right from the start,” Clippers assistant Cam Bennet told the Dauphin Herald. “I think the boys were a little bit surprised at the level of play. They were definitely the best team we’ve seen this year. … Especially some of the younger guys that hadn’t played varsity ball. This is their first year, so for them to see another team perform that well, I think, kind of opens their eyes a bit. They realize how much better they could play, as well.”
In the wild card game, the Dauphin Clippers stomped the Swan River Swan Valley Tigers 63-41. “We dug ourselves a hole that was just too deep to get out of,” Tigers coach Duane Whyte told the Swan Valley Star and Times. “We were down 31-10 at the half and we just couldn’t come back from that. … We really picked up our intensity in the second half. We attacked the basket hard and started getting some shots to fall. I thought overall we played pretty well, we just couldn’t get anything to fall in the first half.” Jason Maksuta led the Tigers with 14. The Tigers (coached by Duane Whyte, assistant Laurie Munroe, assistant Allan Maidy) also included Chris Martin, Troy McRae, Darren Alford, Cass Dvorak, Adam Coder, Bemel Stevenson, Kyle Papp, Craig Bowles, David Cook, Jon Petelski, Travis Church and Tyson Maidy.
In the quarterfinals, the Brandon T.A. Neelin Spartans crushed the Flin Flon Hapnot Kopper Kings 73-39 as Jaye Hubbard scored 9. Danny Halpin paced the Kopper Kings with 11.
The Thompson R.D. Parker Trojans crushed the Winnipeg Linden Christian Wings 57-40. Corey Okemow was chosen game star for Thompson, while Jon Boville was selected for Linden Christian.
The Portage Trotters whipped the Dauphin Clippers 84-54. Glen Pauch was the game star for Portage, while Sam Rempel was chosen for Dauphin. Clippers coach Don Phillips told the Dauphin Herald that it was a learning experience. “Most of the best players on our team are sophomores and therefore, their immaturity and just not knowing what it takes to compete at that level kicked in when we played early games. We just didn’t come ready to play Portage. We had to play them at 11 o’clock in the morning and we weren’t ready to play and they beat us.” The Clippers (coached by Don Phillips, assisted by Cam Bennet) also included Nick Winters, Alan Bernat, Jason Thompson, Danny Chartrand, Nathan Hulley.
In the last quarterfinal, the Beausejour Edward Schreyer Barons outduelled the St. Norbert Celtics 109-96. Steve Modrezjewski was chosen game star for the Barons, while Jassy Sidhu was selected for St. Norbert.
In the semis, the Brandon T.A. Neelin Spartans defeated the Thompson R.D. Parker Trojans 63-53 as Warren Jacobson scored 24, Jordan Hemmings 15 and Darcy Hammond 14. Daniel Perpeluk led the Trojans with 20.
In the other semi, the Beausejour Edward Schreyer Barons dumped the Portage Trotters 70-56 as Matt Zeiler (who had set a Manitoba high school record by scoring 77 points in a game earlier in the season) scored 23. Glen Pauch paced Portage with 26, while game star Eddie Liu scored 4.
In the bronze medal match, the Portage Trotters edged the Thompson R.D. Parker Trojans 64-61. Jared Wescoup was chosen game star for Portage, while Michael Chabot was selected for the Trojans. The Trojans also included Daniel Perpeluck.
In the final, the Brandon T.A. Neelin Spartans defeated the Beausejour Edward Schreyer Barons 67-57 to capture their third consecutive title. Jordan Nostedt was chosen game star for the Spartans, while Matt Jerome was selected for the Barons. Tournament MVP Warren Jacobson paced the Spartans with 17. Point guard Darcy Hammond and Jordan Nostedt each added 12, Jordan Hemmings 11, along with 11 boards, and Jaye Hubbard 10. Hammond added 7 assists and 2 steals. Hammond and Nostedt did an exceptional job on Barons star Matt Zeiler, Neelin coach Don Thomson told the Brandon Sun. “Those two really did a heck of a job on him.” Steven Modrezjewski led the Barons with 23. Zeiler added 18. The Spartans finished (32-7) on the season.
The bronze medalist Portage Trotters: Glen Pauch; Eddie Liu; Jared Wescoup;
The silver medalist Beausejour Edward Schreyer Barons: Matt Zeiler; Steve Modrezjewski; Matt Jerome; coach Doug Kruk
The gold medalist Brandon T.A. Neelin Spartans: Ryan De Cosse; Warren Jacobson; Darcy Hammond; Jordan Hemmings; Jaye Hubbard; Jordan Nostedt; coach Don Thomson