DRIVE Basketball :: AAA Provincial Tournament

.: Drivebasketball.com related Content:

.: Click on a name to view a profile of players competing in this years AAA tournament:

.: Tyrell Mara - WRCA

.: Jake Doerksen - Rick Hansen

.: Tyler Kepkay - Handsworth

.: Sean Burke - Argyle

.: Kyle Watson - McMath

.: Harvey Bradford - Mt. Baker

.: Aymen Nurhuisen - New West

.: Brent Malish - Brookswood

.: Sinclair Brown - Argyle

.: Jeff Cullen - Oak Bay

.: Jeron Dillon - WRCA

.: Russell Whitehead - Kitsilano

.: Quotes from DAY 4 at the Tourney:

“He’s been huge, he’s been our backbone. Point guards are the leaders on the floor, and even though I may be more of the verbal leader, at the end of the day if he doesn’t take control of the team it doesn’t matter how much I talk or anyone else talks…..”

Tyrell Mara - Senior forward on fellow WRCA team member Jeron Dillon

“We’ve had a big history of point guards at our school with Pete Hodson, Kyle Wilson, Donald Burton, and Rob T-Bo all stepping up at the right times. It’s sort of just a tradition for the guys. It definitely shows how hard Jeron worked in the off season, and it’s been great seeing his dreams come true for him this week.”

Scott Allen - WRC head coach on Jeron Dillon

.: Quotes from DAY 3 at the Tourney:

“It’s a great feeling, but it’s only one game. We got two more games to win. It feels great being able to get it done for my team, but someone had to do it.”

Scott Leigh - Junior Wing from Handsworth on hitting the game winner against Kits

“We thought we could do it all year, now we have a chance and we’re playing great...I kind of got into a zone. You know you just stop thinking about everything, and shots start falling.”

Kyle Watson - Senior forward from McMath

“It’s awesome, this has been our goal all year long…..Final Four….”

Ryan Davidson - Senior Wing from Wellington

.: Quotes from DAY 2 at the Tourney:

"...bottom line is they came out , played better, and they deserved to win."

Argyle Head Coach Glen Chu - On Wellington

"They competed really hard tonight and we just didn't have an answer."

Sean Burke - Senior point guard Argyle

"We have a chance, and that's all we need."

Tony Dhaliwal - Senior Wing from Rick Hansen

"I Just do whatever it takes to win, if they take me away then I'll drop assists. If I need to score for us to win then I'm gonna do that..."

Tyler Kepkay - Senior point guard from Handsworth

"We needed our best game today and we got it...we've been playing well all year, and haven't been given much respect. We probably will get some now."

Wellington Head Coach Glen Johnson - on defeating Argyle

.: Quotes from DAY 1 at the Tourney:

“It was really exciting, the atmosphere was amazing. All our past players were here watching, and it really motivated our whole team. We feel like we can beat anybody right now.”

Keith Nath – Senior Swingman from Killarney

“It was nerve racking at first, but after I got a rebound I relaxed a lot. It was amazing to be out there, I can’t wait until tomorrow.”

Lukas Wera - Sophomore wing from Killarney

“As hard as it was today, it is going to be just as hard tomorrow. We see what happens, we have some tricks up our sleeve.”

Head Coach Tom Tagami – Killarney on facing WRCA

“If you’re in the BC’s and you’re not motivated, there’s something wrong. So we’re not worried about who we’re playing next.”

Wellington Head Coach – Glenn Johnson

(Photo courtesy of Ben Dekoster, Pictured: Congratulations to the Warriors who exhibited great teamwork, heart, and balance in winning the 2005 AAA Provincial Championship: Head Coach Scott Allen, Assistant Coach Ron Walker, Assistant Coach Jon Mara, (MVP) Tyrell Mara, (2nd team all-star) Jeron Dillon, Pete Morrison, Rob Fougner, Daniel Seimaszkiewicz, Nick Dekoster, Jordan Mara, Drew Good, Matthew Wirch, and Adam Stewart.)

.: PAGE 01 | .: PAGE 02

THE WAY OF THE WARRIORS

Words by: Ross Naka

2005 BC ‘AAA’ Championship follow up with Legendary Coach Rich Chambers:

Where did White Rock come from? Two to three weeks ago if you had asked around, most people would not have even mentioned the Warriors as a favourite to win the ‘AAA’ Championships. All anyone really wanted to talk about was the NorthShore, and considering some of the battles that Argyle and Handsworth put together during the course of the season, I personally don’t blame them. But if you really think about it, why wouldn’t you have picked White Rock to win. They were ranked among the top three teams in British Columbia all season long. They were coming off of their fourth Fraser Valley Championship win in seven years, and were looking to bring home their third Provincial title in seven. To go along with all of that they possessed the pre-tournament MVP favourite, and arguably the best player in the Province Tyrell Mara. Why wasn’t anyone talking about the Warriors?

I recently had the opportunity to discuss this year’s tournament with legendary basketball coach, Rich Chambers. Coach Chambers is definitely no stranger to March at the Agrodome. During his time as the Terry Fox bench boss he guided the Ravens to countless appearances at the ‘AAA’ Championships, winning back to back titles in ’93 and ’94. Coach Chambers is quick to point out that he thought WRCA was the best team in the Province. “I picked them to be the best after I saw them last June,” comments Chambers. He continued by saying, “In all honesty, I didn’t know if they could win it (the Provincials) after watching them in the Valley play-offs. Some of it was the basketball that was being played out in North Van, but White Rock wasn’t as dominating as I had expected them to be in the Valleys.” According to Chambers, though, after he watched them take down Killarney in their first game at the Agrodome, he knew they would be tough to stop. “They played better defense, and were better prepared in every game. I thought it was the best job Scott has done at White Rock.” He’s referring of course to WRCA head coach Scott Allen. Coach Allen was praised constantly during the tournament for how well prepared his team was game in and game out. “It’s been a long time since I’ve seen such a well prepared team at this tournament. I thought that a big difference between WRCA and everyone else was each White Rock player knew their individual roles better, which I think helped them play outstanding basketball.”

What may have been the most noticeable difference between the Warriors and the rest of the field was their size and physical style of play. Chambers points out that, “Strength was definitely a key to White Rock’s success this week. It may be what won it for them in the end. No one could match their size, and physically they played so much stronger than everyone else.” Coach makes a great point here, and the numbers back it up. White Rock won the rebounding battle in every one of their games at this year’s Provincials by an average margin of 19 rebounds. Anyone will agree that you will have a great chance of winning every night if you can consistently out rebound teams by that large of a margin.

The last factor that played such an important role in White Rock’s success was the presence of the Senior standout Tyrell Mara. As a grade 10 Mara was a key player in WRCA’s second Provincial Championship win, and his experience at the tournament was evident all week. As an observer, I constantly got the sense that he was comfortable and relaxed out on the floor. His numbers can attest to this as he dropped a triple double in game one, which he followed up with three consecutive double doubles to finish the championships. Coach Chambers could not say enough about the Senior standout, commenting that, “He is an absolute class act. His leadership on both the offensive and defensive ends of the floor was unbelievable. In my mind, he was the best player in the tournament.” He went on to say, “…When WRCA won the Provincials three years ago, Tyrell could have easily been named MVP. As a high school player you might only ever get one shot at winning a Provincial Championship, I was glad to see him get back there this year. He is a very deserving MVP.”

White Rock definitely did not come out of nowhere to win this year’s Provincial Championship. They were on the radar, it just seemed like no one was paying attention. It is safe to say though that for every person who wasn’t talking about the Warriors on Tuesday, there were two talking about them on Saturday. And with they way that they dominated the tournament from start to finish, they deserve it.

On that note, we concluded our discussion. On behalf of myself and the rest of the staff at DRIVE, I would really like to thank Coach Chambers for taking the time to sit down and talk about this year’s Provincial Championships with us.

AAA PROVINCIAL CHAMPIONSHIP

Words by: Ross Naka

MVP - TYRELL MARA (WRCA)
TOP DEFENSIVE PLAYER - TYRELL MARA (WRCA)
MOST INSPIRATIONAL SCHOOL - MT. BAKER
SCHOOL SPIRIT AWARD - WRCA
MOST INSPIRATIONAL PLAYER - AYMEN NURHUISEN (NEW WEST)
MOST SPORTSMANLIKE TEAM - HANDSWORTH

1st Team All-Star	2nd Team All-Star	3rd Team All-Star
Kyle Watson, McMath Tyler Kepkay, Handsworth Jacob Doerksen, Rick Hansen Tyrell Mara, WRCA Brian Brooks, Wellington	Tony Dhaliwal, Rick Hansen Jaren Dillon, WRCA Scott Leigh, Handsworth Hermon Tesfaghebriel, New West Ryan Davidson, Wellington	Kelly Kilpatrick, Centennial Josh Isaak, WJ Mouat Elliott Smith, McMath Niko Cochran, Kitsilano Isiah Pasquale, Oak Bay

PERFORMANCE OF THE DAY (FIVE):

With the outstanding play continuing through day five of this year’s tournament, we were left with no choice but to highlight four great performances from Saturday's action.

1. Jake Doerksen (Rick Hansen) - 54 points and 18 rebounds
2. Tyrell Mara (WRCA) - 19 points and 26 rebounds
3. Tyler Kepkay (Handsworth) - 32 points 8 rebounds and 8 assists
4. Kyle Watson (McMath) - 31 points 13 rebounds and 6 assists

'AAA' CHAMPIONSHIPS DAY (FIVE):
Words by Ross Naka

Championship Game
WRCA Warriors vs. Wellington Wildcats

Wellington continued its quest for a provincial banner Saturday night against the heavily favored WRC squad. The Wildcats came out strong against the Warriors riding the outstanding play of senior Brian Brooks (19 pts 9rebs). The story of the night was the battle of the boards and that would prove to be the difference in the game. The Warriors only gave up 3 offensive rebounds compared to the Wildcats who gave up 20 and got out rebounded by the Warriors 54-29 for the game. the game was a defensive struggle with each team holdin each other under %30 from the field. Senior Jeron Dillon (12 pts) came up with big making timely baskets whenever the Wildcats would make a run. The tournament MVP Tyrell Mara showed why he is the most dominating player in BC grabbing 26 rebounds and scoring 19 points to finish his high school career in winning fashion. In the end the Warriors were simply to big for the Wildcats wearing them down with their size and toughness. The Wildcats made and incredible run knocking off defending champs Argyle, Centennial, Pitt Meadows, and McMath but in the end playing 5 games in 5 days proved to be to much as they couldn't find their shooting touch from the field.
The Warriors win their 2nd championship in three years defeating Wellington 47-40 in the finals.
Consolation Final
Handsworth Royals vs. McMath Wildcats

In the consolation final two explosive teams faced each other for the first time this season. The story of the first half was the poor shooting from Handsworth who was 1 for 7 from beyond the arc to put them down big in the first half. McMath road the outstanding play of Senior forward Kyle Watson (31 pts, 13 rebs, 6 asst) who had another incredible game for the Wildcats making play after play to give his team the lead in the first half. However, Handsworth's sensational point guard Tyler Kepkay (32 pts, 8 rebs, 8 asst) who only had 5 points in the first half got his rhythm back scorching the Wildcats for 27 in the second half including a 3 pointer that would ice the game for the Royals. Scott Leigh (19 pts, 6 rebs) continued his outstanding play for the tournament making big shot after big shot. The final score ended up being 80-72 to give the Royals the 3rd place finish at this year's tournament.

PERFORMANCE OF THE DAY (FOUR):

With the outstanding play continuing through day four of this year’s tournament, we were left with no choice but to highlight two great performances from Friday’s action.

Tyrell Mara (WRCA) – 28 points 12 rebounds 6 assists
Brian Brooks (Wellington) – 17 points 14 rebounds 4 assists

‘AAA’ CHAMPIONSHIPS DAY (FOUR):

Semifinal #1

Handsworth Royals vs. White Rock Christian Academy Warriors

In the first semifinal of the night, Handsworth faced WRCA in front of a near capacity Agrodome crowd. The atmosphere in the dome was electric with anticipation, as many have waited all season long to see these two teams do battle. White Rock continued to shoot the ball extremely well making good on 7 of 16 shots from behind the 3 point line in the first half alone. After playing tight through the first quarter, White Rock pulled away in the second outscoring the Royals 27 to 9 in the frame giving the Warriors a 39 – 23 advantage at the half. In the second half the Royals came out with a new game plan switching from their usual 2-3 zone defense to man to man, and initially it looked like it might work. Handsworth managed to get the lead down to 10 points a couple of times in the second half, but that would be as close as they would come to taking the lead back from WRCA. Sensational Senior Tyler Kepkay (30pts 3reb 3asst) showed unbelievable heart, as he took matters into his own hands refusing to let the Royals die without a fight. The Warriors, however, would not be defeated on this night. White Rock got an outstanding performance once again from Senior point guard Jeron Dillon (18pts 5asst) who continued his hot shooting from the outside going 6 for 8 from behind the arc. The difference in the game, though, had to be the Warriors leader Tyrell Mara (28pts 12reb 6asst) who is showing why he was considered a pre-tournament favorite for MVP. He was a force not only on the offensive end of the court, but on the defensive end as well holding Handsworth big man Rob Sacre to only 9 points and 8 rebounds. The final score ended up 77-59 in favor of the Warriors who now look to win their second Provincial Championship in three years.

Semifinal #2

McMath vs. Wellington

The Wellington Wildcats continued their Provincial Championship run on Friday night, beating the Lower Mainland champions from McMath 63-59. Wellington entered the tournament as the #3 seed from Vancouver Island after losing early in the Island playoffs. They become only the second team that has ever made the championship final coming out of the Tuesday play in games. A win on Saturday would give the Wildcats a remarkable five wins in five days, something that the tournament has never seen. Wellington was lead once again by outstanding Seniors Brian Brooks (17pts 14reb 4asst 3stls) and Ryan Davidson (18pts), who have both been great for their team this entire tournament. Another factor which played into the loss for McMath was their inability to get it done from the 3 point line, shooting only 18% (3/16) from 3 for the game. The lone bright spot for McMath was Senior Kyle Watson who put up 18 points 13 rebounds and 6 assists in the losing effort. McMath meets Handsworth for third place tomorrow, while Wellington matches up with WRCA in the Championship Final.

‘AAA’ CHAMPIONSHIPS DAY (THREE):

Words by Ross Naka

Quarter Final #1

Handsworth Royals vs. Kitsilano Blue Demons

Thursday’s first quarter final match can only be described as what we here at DRIVE like to call a Hardwood Classic. Kitsilano met Handsworth to see who would earn the first spot in Friday nights final four. Action was back and forth the entire game, with neither team allowing the other to build any sort of lead. The final outcome would be decided in the very last minute of play. With one minute left to play and both teams tied at 60, Handsworth had possession and first crack at breaking the tie. The Blue Demons managed to get a stop, and with only 11 seconds left on the clock, gave themselves one final opportunity to end the Royals Championship hopes. As Kits got into position to run their final play, Blue Demons guard Rory Grace took a little too much off his reversal pass on the perimeter. Handsworth Sophomore Scott Leigh (15pts 7asst) shot the gap, stealing the ball and Kits final four hopes. With his momentum carrying him toward the Kits hoop, Leigh sprinted up the court laying the ball in just as time ran out. After a lengthy protest by Kitsilano head coach Randy Coutts, the basket was officially counted and Handsworth left the floor with a 62-60 win and their school’s first final four appearance.

Quarter Final #2

McMath Wildcats vs. Rick Hansen Hurricanes

McMath became the second team to qualify for the semifinals at this year’s championships, manhandling Rick Hansen 83-57 in Thursday’s second quarter final. McMath never trailed, as they had no trouble dealing with the Hurricanes zone defense. Wildcat’s Senior swingman Kyle Watson (36pts 7reb 6asst) proved that there is nothing wrong with the rims in the Agrodome shooting a sizzling 12/19 from the floor, 8 of those from beyond the arc. Elliot Smith (16pts 15reb) was also huge for McMath providing the physical presence needed to slow down Jake Doerksen (16pts 19reb), while also giving the Wildcats a secondary scoring threat. The Hurricanes did not help their situation shooting a horrific 0 for 14 from the three point line for the game. McMath looks to continue their post-season run as they make the first final four appearance in school history Friday night.

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