In the quarterfinals, held in New Glasgow, the 6th-seeded Sackville Kingfishers stunned the 3rd-seeded Halifax Queen Elizabeth Lions 88-72. The Lions included Jeremy Fiest, Derico Symonds.
The 4th-seeded Bedford C.P. Allen Cheetahs clipped the 5th-seeded Antigonish Dr. John Hugh Gillis Royals 80-63 as Luke Reynolds and Josh Bettie each scored 20.
The 2nd-seeded Dartmouth Cole Harbour District Cavaliers stomped the 7th-seeded host New Glasgow North Nova Education Centre Gryphons 87-56. The Gryphons (coached by Rob McGregor, manager Len Pelerine) included Mike Currie, Chase Bowden, Adrian Carthy, James Bowden, Jason Vankessel, Aaron Settle, Brian Campbell, Steve Russell, Nick Pellerine, Zack MacDonald, Callin Kenney, Tyler MacDonald and Josh Bennet.
In the last quarterfinal, the top-seeded Greenwich Horton Griffins dumped the 8th-seeded Sydney Academy Wildcats 104-57 as Ellis Ffrench scored 22, Pat Riley 16, Jeremy Dunn 13, Joe Kendrick 10, Josh McGill 10 and Nate Dunn 10. The Wildcats (coached by Jonathan Penny, assisted by Joel LeBlanc and Jamie Williams) included Garrett Campbell, Liam Gillis, Colin Graham, Mike Heffernan, Kurtis MacLean, Donald MacIsaac, Dylan Chisholm, Kenzie Kozera, Lee MacQuarrie, Ryan Rutherford, Geoff Myatt and Shaun Phalen.
In the semis, the Greenwich Horton Griffins topped the Halifax Charles P. Allen Cheetahs 82-69. “We took control early in what ended up being a very physical game,” said Griffins coach Tim Kendrick. “I felt we won because we were a little tougher, and maybe because we wanted it a little more.” Ellis Ffrench paced Horton with 35. Brandon MacInnis added 12, Nat Dunn 10 and Joe Kendrick 9, along with 11 boards.
In the other semi, the 6th-seeded Sackville Kingfishers defeated the 2nd-seeded Dartmouth Cole Harbour Cavaliers 90-79.
In the bronze medal match, the 4th-seeded Bedford Charles P. Allen Cheetahs smacked the 2nd-seeded Dartmouth Cole Harbour District Cavaliers 101-73. The Cavaliers included Laytrell Provo, Tremel Beals, Nikko Smith, Akiem Smith.
In the final, the top-seeded Greenwich Horton Griffins defeated the 6th-seeded Sackville Kingfishers 77-61 as Ellis Ffrench scored 23. It was the Griffins and coach Tim Kendrick’s first provincial title. “It’s a great feeling,” said Kendrick. “We’ve had some pretty good teams over the years and we’ve come close a few times, but this one was special.” Ellis Ffrench paced the Griffins with 23. Jeremy Dunn added 20, Nate Dunn 13 and Brandon MacInnis 12. The Griffins led by 13 at the half. led the way, scoring 23 and 20 points respectively against Sackville in a game Horton led by 13 at halftime. Nate Dunn with 13 and Brandon MacInnis with 12 also reached double figures. Kendrick said that at the start of the year, “I kind of felt this might be our year. We’ve always had strong teams, but there was always something that prevented us from playing three games against tough opponents without running out of gas. This year, I felt we finally had both the size and depth to take on the best teams. … We had a meeting just after New Year’s, after we had lost four games (two to QEH and one each to C.P. Allen and St. Pat’s) in the space of two weeks. We told the kids what we felt it would take to win and, from that point on, we went 23-0. … I know we earned it, but getting the top seed was huge. Not to take anything away from Sydney Academy, but they weren’t as strong as some of the others. We also got to play the early semifinal, which was an advantage as well. As a result, we were able to play the way we like to play for three straight games. … I’m really proud of the program we’ve developed here over the years. We’re one of the smallest D-1 schools in the province when you take away our Grade 9s, but we’re always right there, every year, both the boys and the girls.”
The bronze medalist Bedford Charles P. Allen Cheetahs: Luke Reynolds; Josh Beattie;
The silver medalist Sackville Kingfishers: Jerret Laycock; Robbie Habib; Andreas Franz; Todd Williams; Andrew P. Josh S.; Bryan J.; Andrew M.; Brad B.; Harrison B.; Geoff P.; Andrew B. Matt P.; coach Warren Olsen; assistant Sheldon Williams; assistant Ron Martell; assistant Ryan Gilbert
The gold medalist Greenwich Horton Griffins: Ellis Ffrench; Jeremy Dunn; Brandon MacInnis; Joe Kendrick; Josh McGill; Nathan Dunn; Pat Riley; coach Tim Kendrick; assistant Marvin Rhyno; assistant Jay Robichaud; assistant Bob McGill
After the season, long-time high school powers Halifax St. Patrick’s and Halifax Queen Elizabeth are merged into one school, Halifax Citadel. The new squad will be called the Phoenix.