REGULAR SEASON
| Brandon | 18-4 | 21-12 | Jerry Hemmings | ||
| Manitoba | 9-13 | 15-19 | Rick Suffield | ||
| Winnipeg | 9-13 | 13-19 | Bill Wedlake | ||
| Regina | 8-14 | 7-24 | James Hillis | ||
In the semis, Brandon defeated Regina 102-79; 89-73 (2g-0). …………………………………………………… In game one, Brandon’s guards were deadly from the perimeter as the Bobcats picked up their 10th straight win. “They came out wanting to test our shooting ability and we responded,” said Brandon coach Jerry Hemmings. “We were making our shots tonight and we were getting our points from a variety of players.” Tyrone Smith led Brandon with 20 points. Aaron Mitchell added 18 and Charlton Weasel Head 16. “Coach has been telling me all year long to be aggressive,” said Smith, who was 7-8 from the floor, 1-1 from the arc and 3-3 from the line. “I went to the hole tonight and was able to make some shots. Guys were looking for me in transition and I was able to score some easy shots.” Smith also had 5 assists and 4 steals. The three guards were 13-16 from the field, 8-12 from the arc and 4-4 from the line. “We were getting open at key times,” said Weasel Head, who hit 4-5 from beyond the arc. “We didn’t hesitate when we had shots. We’re all really confident in our abilities, and we got on a roll tonight. The three of us are all great shooters.” Forward Earnest Bell added 18 points, 7 boards, 4 steals and 3 assists. Brandon hit .690 from the floor and .570 from the arc (13-23). “The Cougars were so intent on stopping our big guys, it was able to free up some of our guards for open shots,” said Smith. “We stepped up and made some shots. We had extremely good ball movement and we all just played great.” Brandon out-rebounded Regina 32-23. Regina shot .460 from the field and .530 from the arc. Brandon took an early nine-point lead on a series of buckets by Josh Masters and then drilled four straight threes to virtually ice it, while holding Regina to 11 points over the first 10 minutes. “Defensively, we played the first half of the opening frame as well as we have all season long,” said Hemmings. “They got hot at the end of the half and started to show us some of their firepower.” Brandon had a 48-36 lead at the break. Regina briefly cut it to eight but got no closer. “Everyone stepped up tonight,” said Weasel Head. “We knew what we had to do going in and we did our job well. We pushed the ball. We rebounded and we did everything we were supposed to do.” Brenan Schwartz and Chris Warnecke each scored 19 for Regina. Warnecke hit 3-4 from the arc. Ryan Michell added 16 and Ashley Yeaman 11. “We said going into the weekend that we had to play three perfect games,” Regina head coach James Hillis said. “We dropped the ball in this one. We didn’t (play a perfect game). The thing with Brandon is, even if you play a perfect game, you might not win. You have to put three perfect ones on the floor to win two. We didn’t get it done.” …………………………………………………… In game two, Josh Masters stepped up as Brandon pounded the Cougars 89-73. Masters scored 21, while hitting 6-7 from the floor and 2-2 from the arc. “It was a really big win for the team tonight,” said Masters. ‘I was able to shoot the ball well, but I think that our entire squad really stepped up as a whole down the stretch.” Masters scored 19 in the second half with Bobcat star Bell in foul trouble. “I realized down the stretch that I need to make some shots because some of our guys were struggling,” said Masters, who also had 7 boards and 4 assists. “Coach gave me the green light to shoot and I found my stroke. I’m confident in my shooting ability and the performance tonight is a big boost for me.” The win was the Bobcats 19th in a row at home. Donald Phillips added 16 for Brandon and grabbed 9 boards. Aaron Mitchell also scored 16. “This was a rough win for our team,” said Mitchell who also had 4 boards, 4 steals and 3 assists. “At the start of the game we really seemed flat. We knew Regina was going to play well tonight because they had their backs against the wall.” Brandon shot .590 from the field and out-rebounded Regina 43-37. Regina shot .470 from the floor and .320 from the arc. Scott Walton added 10 points off the bench. Tyrone Smith hit 9. Regina took a 36-35 lead at the half but the Bobcats pulled away down the stretch. “Basically, we just got out-rebounded down the stretch,” said Regina coach James Hillis. “Their size and athleticism hurt us. We forced them to take some bad shots — that’s the whole point for us — but we couldn’t corral the rebounds. Our guards are good, but we don’t have the people who can get to those rebounds. We give up too many inches and too many pounds.” Brenan Schwartz led Regina with 19 points on 6-11 from the floor. Ryan Mitchell added 16, Ashley Yeamen 14, Tyler Wright 10. Chris Warnecke had only 8.
In the other semi, Manitoba defeated Winnipeg 54-68; 72-66; 70-69 (2g-1). …………………………………………………… In game one, Winnipeg defeated Manitoba 68-54 as Joe Dominguez scored 17 points and grabbed 5 rebounds. Dan Duggan added 15 points and 5 boards. Chad Yarwood led Manitoba with 11 points and six assists. Clarence Vigilance added 11 points and 2 rebounds. …………………………………………………… In game two, Manitoba defeated Winnipeg 72-66 as Matthew Lechasseur scored 25 and grabbed 5 boards. David Wiebe added 13 points and 4 boards. Suk Singh led Winnipeg with 21 points and 7 rebounds. Shawn Cross added 14 points and 10 boards. …………………………………………………… In game three, Manitoba defeated Winnipeg 70-69 as Clarence Vigilance scored 18 points and had 5 assists. Jon Lundgren added 12 points and 3 boards. Dan Duggan led Winnipeg with 25 points and 9 boards. Shawn Cross had 12 points and 12 rebounds.
In the finals, Brandon defeated Manitoba 71-59; 93-71 (2g-0)
In game one, Earnest Bell scored 23 to lead the Bobcats before an active home crowd. “I did a good job of finishing my shots tonight,” said Bell. “We really executed down the stretch and played good defensively in the second half. Bell added 12 boards, eight assists, 3 steals and 2 blocks. “My mindset this week as I was preparing for Manitoba was focused in on one thing – getting back to the nationals,” said Bell. “Everyone on this team believes in one another. We know what it takes to win.” Brandon had won 17 straight at home this season and 20 in a row since last year. Brandon only led 36-35 at the half as they looked rusty. Donald Phillips added 18 for Brandon and grabbed nine boards. Josh Masters scored 10, including 5-5 from the field. David Wiebe led Manitoba with 14 points. Jon Lundgren added 13 off the bench and Paul Fust scored 11 while grabbing 8 boards. “Manitoba knows how to play hard,” said Bell. “They know how to fight it out on the court.” Brandon guard Matt Lechasseur scored only 4 on 1-7 from the floor while guard Clarence Vigilance was held scoreless. Brandon hit .520 from the floor, while Manitoba was .420. Brandon out-rebounded the Herd 38-34. “I love our fans here in Brandon,’ said Bell. “They keep us going and they give us confidence even when things are going bad.”
In game two, Brandon cruised to an easy 93-71 win with stellar shooting. “This win tonight and these wins this weekend were a complete team effort on our behalf,” said coach Jerry Hemmings. “Manitoba gave us their best shot this weekend. We were just playing determined basketball. Our focus was incredible.” Earnest Bell led Brandon with 27 points, including 23 in the first half, and 6 boards, while shooting 9-12 from the floor, 2-3 from the arc and 3-3 from the line. “There is only one way to describe this team and why we’ve been successful this year,” he said. “We are a family, plain and simple. We’re closer this year than we were last year. We have guys that bring depth. We have guys that bring talent and we play extremely hard.” Scott Walton added 18 for Brandon, Aaron Mitchell 117 on 5-8 from the arc. “I played with much more aggression tonight than I did in game one,” said Mitchell. “Bell was so dominated in the first half, they were really focused on him in the second frame. I was able to get open and get some good looks and when I got the ball, I had no problem knocking my shots down.” Brandon hit .610 from the floor and drained 10 from beyond the arc. David Wiebe and Chad Yarwood each scored 16 for Manitoba. Paul Fust added 13 but star Matt Lechasseur only scored 8. Manitoba shot .560 from the floor and .810 from the line. Brandon led 47-36 at the half.
The co-bronze medalist Regina Cougars: Brenan Schwartz; Ryan Mitchell; Ashley Yeaman; Tyler Wright; Chris Warnecke; Jon Salgado; Mark Moroz; Chris Lafontaine; Geoff Glasspell; Mike Staffen; Alek Arsenic; Jim Elliott; Ryan Ziegler; Joe Nakamura; coach James Hillis
The co-bronze medalist Winnipeg Wesmen: Dan Duggan; Shawn Cross; Suk Singh; Casey Gooch; Joe Dominguez; Sherwin Vasallo; Blair Chan-Kent; Lucas Buller; J.P. Lynch; Scott Robertson; Scott Abrey; Mike Humphrey; Steve Brezden; Tony Richter; coach Bill Wedlake
The runner-up Manitoba Bisons: David Wiebe; Chad Yarwood; Paul Fuss; Matt Lechasseur; Steven Janz; Ryan Dulder; John Penner; Clarence Vigilance; Jon Lundgren; Yacine Bara; Dustin Robson-Flint; Marcel Vallotton; coach Rick Suffield
The champion Brandon Bobcats: Earnest Bell; Charlton Weasel Head; Tyrone Smith; Donald Phillips; Chris Passley; Scott Walton; Gilford Cheung; Joseph Asante; Mike Raimbault; Bijan Jiany; Joshua Masters; Ronald Leslie; Kwasi Osae-Danso; Carlos Martinez; Aaron Mitchell; Charles Jacoway; coach Jerry Hemmings; assistant John Rivett; assistant Ron McCutcheon; therapist Steve Dzubinski; manager Bill Badd; SID Erin Mills; athletic director Ken Friesen