In the quarterfinals, held in Halifax, the 3rd-seeded Dartmouth Spartans defeated the 6th-seeded Halifax St. Patrick’s Fighting Irish 82-69 as Milo Gray scored 33, including five from beyond the arc. Adam Peters added 14. Gray hit back-to-back treys as Dartmouth moved ahead with seven minutes to play. A two-handed slam by Peter Stay followed as the Spartans took control. “We knew we could through just as long as we got our heads together,” said Gray, who scored 19 in the second half. “We’ve played them three or four times in the past month, so we just played our game and we came through.” The Irish had led by eight in the first half as 6-3 forward Andre Upshaw scored 15 in the frame. They moved ahead 52-50 with 12 minutes remaining but Jack MacDonald responded with a trey to get Dartmouth back on track. Upshaw hit a bank who with two minutes to play to pull St. Patrick’s within 74-69 but that was as close as they got. “We just feel apart a bit near the end but we almost pulled it off,” said Upshaw, who scored 18. Tyler Richards added 16 and Nicholas Matthew 12. The Fighting Irish also included Layson Johnson, Peter Nelke.
The 4th-seeded Sackville Kingfishers dumped the 5th-seeded Halifax Charles P. Allen Cheetahs 85-71 by using good ball distribution to create a raft of open looks from the arc. The Cheetahs never got closer than 9 in the second half. “We shot the ball well but we let them come back a bit near the end,” said 6-2 forward Mark Delaney, who scored 24. Matt Belliveau added 17, Robert Proctor 15 and Jarrett Timmons 14. Mark Brien and Greg Last each scored 17 to pace the Cheetahs.
The Greenwich Horton Griffins crushed the Coxheath Riverview Rural Royals 72-44 as Ian Spindler scored 23 and Brock Yeaton 11. Jason Comer paced the Royals with 16. The Royals (coached by Chris MacIsaac and Dennis Stapleton, manager Shaun Mitchelitis) also included Aaron Barrington, Liam Shaw, John Barry, Adam Burns, Travis MacIsaac, Steven Hanrahan, Colin MacLeod, Bryden Criss, Brent Dubois, Geoff Smith and Sean MacIntyre.
In the last quarterfinal, the top-seeded Dartmouth Cole Harbour District Cavaliers whipped the Truro Cobequid Educational Centre Cougars 79-55 as Jonteia Whynder scored 13, Chance Downey 12, Matthew Downey 10, Brandon Fraser 10 and Nathan Cain 10. Kyle Brooks led the Cougars with 11. The Cougars also included Geoff Pearson, James Ford-King.
In the semis, the top-seeded Dartmouth Cole Harbour District Cavaliers whipped the 4th-seeded Sackville Kingfishers 83-56. The Cavaliers pressure defence forced a raft of turnovers and 10-second violations. Cole Harbour led 36-24 at the half and cranked up the pressure even more in the second half. Paul Glasgow drilled a trey to make it 58-35 with 11 minutes remaining and the Cavalier soon moved ahead by as many as 31. “We didn’t hold anything back,” Glasgow, who scored 21, including 16 in the second half, told the Halifax Daily News. “We showed we can beat them pretty good. A lot of it was our defence. When one person gets going, we all get going. It’s a team thing.” Matthew Downey added 17 and Chance Downey 11. The Kingfishers were paced by 6-7 center Jarrett Timmons’ 17 points. Mark Delaney added 14. “Cole Harbour is a very strong team and once you get down by 20, it’s pretty much over,” said Timmons. “We tried our best and this was the outcome.”
In the other semi, the 3rd-seeded Dartmouth Spartans drubbed the 2nd-seed Greenwich Horton Griffins 75-65. The Spartans opened with an 11-0 run en route to a 36-21 lead at the half. “We had a game plan ready and my guys executed it to perfection,” said Dartmouth coach David McCrae. “Horton’s got some great players but that was the best defensive game I’ve seen us play all year.” Tim Adams led Dartmouth with 21. Peter Stay added 18, Adam Peters 14 and Milo Gray 11. Andrew Rogers paced the Griffins with 22. Brock Yeaton added 20 and Ian Spindler 14.
In the bronze medal match, the 2nd-seeded Greenwich Horton Griffins defeated the 4th-seeded Sackville Kingfishers 75-57 as Ian Spindler scored 27, Andrew Rogers 19 and Dylan Irvine 10. Mark Delaney led Sackville with 23. The Kingfishers (coached by Pat Henneberry, assisted by Bob Harrison and Tim Belliveau, manager Marcel Parsons) also included Jarrett Timmons, Steve Morris, Matt Belliveau, Robert Proctor, Anthony Habib, Mike Cogan, Mitchell Hire, Collier Henneberry, Will Newhook, David Ward, Chris Levy and Bryan McCann.
In the final, the top-seeded Dartmouth Cole Harbour District Cavaliers outran the 3rd-seeded Dartmouth Spartans 101-83 in a frantic track meet. “We’re too young for champagne but it’s great feeling to win,” said Cole Harbour’s Jontia Whynder told the Halifax Daily News. “This is a great team and we just put it all together. I’m a little overwhelmed right now.” Cole Harbour coach Darryl Johnson said “these kids adapted to my structure and I adapted to their style and that was an awesome combination. They don’t like to practice but they sure can play. Once the ball is on the court, it doesn’t matter if we’re playing the Washington Wizards or whoever. They leave it all on the floor.” The Cavaliers swarming defence allowed to build a 16-2 lead and they held a 51-34 margin at the half. An A.J. Downey putback rebound gave them a 63-42 lead with 12 minutes to play but the Spartans didn’t roll over. They chipped away and an Eddie Colley trey capped a 9-0 run as they cut the margin to 80-75 with three minutes to play. The Cavaliers turned the jet back on, however as they restored a double-digit lead and coasted to the win. Spartans star Tim Adams told the Halifax Daily News that “it’s all about hard work and heart when it comes to provincial championships but sometimes you can’t always pull out wins. We battled back but it wasn’t enough. Cole Harbour’s a very tough team to beat but we’ve had a terrific year. There wasn’t much more I could ask for.” Dartmouth coach David McCrae said “I’m very proud of my guys for how they came back.” Kyrell Beals led the Cavaliers with 20. Nathan Cain added 16, Paul Glasgow 13, A.J. Downey 12, Jontia Whynder 12 and Matthew Downey 10. Adam Peters paced the Spartans with 25. Tim Adams added 19, Eddie Colley 15 and Milo Gray 10. Cavaliers coach Darryl Johnson told the Halifax Chronicle-herald that “we took advantage of our skill and depth and there’s a lot of it on our team. We can bring another five on the floor with fresh legs and be able to do the same thing.” Johnson used a 1-3-1 diamond flex defence to keep the Spartans on the perimeter, while double- or triple-teaming the Spartan trio of Tim Adams, Peter Stay and Milo Gray. “We immediately went right to the pressure. We didn’t want to start out slow,” Johnson said. “But as a result, our kids got tired towards the end. We ran out of gas in the second half. It’s a good thing we have a lot of depth. It’s really nice to walk into a program in your first year and get a provincial title, especially the team we beat in the final,” said Johnson, who won a provincial title with Dartmouth in 1996. “It’s a little bit sweeter beating Dartmouth, but it didn’t matter who we’d meet in the final, we were going to play well.” Adams said “it’s days like these you wish you can start high school all over again. It’s very emotional. We had a good run at it and had a great season. I wish we could have finished first, but this is better than nothing.”
The bronze medalist Greenwich Horton Griffins: Ian Spindler; Andrew Rogers; Dylan Irvine; Brock Yeaton; Jordan Sheriko; Ed Getson; J.P. Thompson; Adam Harris; Ian Spindler; Josh Soucy; Matt Rogers; Cole DeWolfe; Manny Cruz; coach Tim Kendrick; assistant Marvin Rhyno; assistant Jay Robichaud; manager Hazen Murray
The silver medalist Dartmouth Spartans: Adam Peters; Tim Adams; Eddie Colley; Milo Gray; Peter Stay; Jack MacDonald; Ned Russell; coach David MacCrae
The gold medalist Dartmouth Cole Harbour District Cavaliers: Kyrell Beals; Nathan Cain; Paul Glasgow; A.J. Downey; Jontia Whynder; Matthew Downey; Chance Downey; Brandon Fraser; Romaine Provo; coach Darryl Johnson