In the quarterfinals, the Woodstock Warriors thumped the St. Stephen Spartans 110-60 as Lance Farrell scored 22, Scott Wilson 19 and Nathan Everett 19. Greg Walker led the Spartans with 19. Jeremy Tommes added 12. Woodstock led 64-28 at the half. The Spartans also included Ryan Gagnon, Jeff Babcock.
The Sackville Tantramar Titans dusted the Campbellton Sugarloaf Bruins 90-64 as Zac Teehan scored 24, Peter Dixon 17 and Gavin Hardie 11. Ryan Crawley led Sugarloaf with 16.
The Sussex Sonics defeated Dalhousie Regional Condors 74-57 as Ron Harvey scored 26 and Tony West 15. The Sonics led 41-35 at the half. The Condors included Daniel Pitts, Kevin Daley.
In the last quarterfinal, the Bristol Carleton North Stars pounded the Saint John Rothesay Regional Red Hawks 109-54 as Cliff Smith scored 22 and Nathan Peterson 20. Nick Foster led Rothesay with 22. The Red Hawks also included Alex Doley, Chris Russell.
In the semis, the host Woodstock Warriors stomped the Sackville Tantramar Titans 95-41 as Lance Farrell and Scott Wilson each scored 19. Nathan Everett added 15. Andrew Maxwell led Tantramar with 14. Woodstock led 44-24 at the half.
In the other semi, the host Sussex Sonics dusted the Bristol Carleton North Stars 68-51 as Ron Harvey scored 25, Jeremy MacLean 15 and Matt Doucette 13. Cliff Smith led the Stars with 17.
In the final, the Woodstock Thunder defeated the Sussex Sonics 66-58. “It was tough losing last year but this year, we had a different mindset,” said Woodstock’s Allison MacKay, the player of the game for the Warriors with 15 points and six rebounds and 7-8 from the line, told the New Brunswick Telegraph-Journal. “We came into this game intense and we were ready to play from the start.” The difference was a stifling defensive set which limited Sussex to 26% from the field. “At practice, we focus on defence,” said MacKay. “We know we can score, we have some players who are really good offensively. Our defence helps us through the close games.” The Warriors didn’t clinch it until the final minute with six free throws while protecting a six-point lead. “It is the most gratifying moment I have ever felt,” said MacKay, who was chosen player of the game. “I have been playing basketball since I was in Grade 3 and I have been watching these guys play at the Aitken Centre and hoisting the banner since then. I have been wanting to do this since I was young.” Corey Stairs said “we knew Sussex was a good team and it is a big relief to beat them.” Lance Farrell added 13, along with 8 boards and 5 blocks, Nathan Everett 11 Scott Wilson 10, along with 9 boards, Corey Stairs 9 and Luke Flemming 6, along with 10 boards. Sussex stayed close, in part because of a 20-for-26 performance from the free throw line, but a 17-for-65 run from the floor proved too much to overcome. “They have great defence,” said Sonic Jeremy McLean. “That is probably the key to why they won.” Ron Harvey led the Sonics with 16, along with 7 boards. Sonics game MVP Jeremy McLean added 15 and Tony West 9, along with 15 boards. The Sonics rallied to within 55-53 with 90 seconds to play but Warriors point guard Allison MacKay notched a bucket and a Harvey trey bounced off the rim. A Lance Farrell lay-up and two MacKay free throws later, it was 61-53 with 44 seconds left. “Last year’s loss was definitely on our minds,” Farrell told the Fredericton Daily Gleaner. “We’ve been waiting for this all year. … Allison played great. He’s coming back next year and he’s going to be something to watch.” Flemming said “it was a rough game. We knew they’d come fighting for it. We beat them twice and they beat us once, so we knew it was anybody’s game. But we figured we were stronger inside.” McLean said “we played really hard and really determined but late in the first half and at the end of the game we didn’t play as well as we could have. We didn’t shoot the way we normally do. They have a very good defence, one of the best in all of New Brunswick, not just at the AA level but AAA too.” Sussex led 22-13 with six minutes left in the first half, but Woodstock rallied to go up 29-24 at the break. “Our half-court defence turned things around,” Farrell said. “That’s what’s done it for us all year.” The Warriors were caught twice — 35-35 and 51-51 with four minutes remaining – but Wilson hit two free throws, just before fouling out, and MacKay scored six points down the stretch to keep Sussex at bay. The Warriors finished (35-6) on the campaign, while the Sonics finished (30-12).
The co-bronze medalist Sackville Tantramar Titans: Andrew Maxwell; Zach Teehan; Peter Dixon; Gavin Hardie; coach Bruce McMillan
The co-bronze medalist Bristol Carleton North Stars: Cliff Smith; Nathan Peterson; Andrew Blackie;
The silver medalist Sussex Sonics: Ron Harvey; Jeremy McLean; Matt Doucette; Tony West; Matt Douthwright; Ron Harvey;
The gold medalist Woodstock Thunder: Allison MacKay; Corey Stairs; Lance Farrell; Nathan Everett; Scott Wilson; Adam Thornton; Luke Flemming; coach Scott Jones