(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.)

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DAY 3 Cont'd:
Words by Ross Naka

Quarter Final #3

Centennial Centaurs vs. Wellington Wildcats

The Wellington Wildcats furthered their Cinderella run at the provincial championships tonight, knocking off the Centennial Centaurs in convincing fashion.  The Wildcats continue to show that they are better than the #3 seed they earned in the Island Playoffs.  Centennial jumped out to an early advantage, holding an 11 point lead late in the second quarter.  That’s when Wellington Senior Ryan Davidson scored on three straight possessions, two 3 pointers and a lay up, to get the Wildcats back into the game.  Davidson (30pts) stayed hot throughout the second half, hitting big shot after big shot, leading his team to a 66-53 victory.  Three point shooting proved to be an Achilles heel once again, as the Centaurs could only manage to connect on 3 of 16 attempts from 3 point land.  Along with McMath and Handsworth, Wellington will be making its inaugural appearance in the ‘AAA’ Championships Final Four.

Quarter Final #4

WRCA Warriors vs. St. George’s Saints

In the last quarter final of the night, WRCA faced St. George’s in a match up of teams ranked in the top five all season long.  After playing even through the first quarter, White Rock began to build a lead in the second quarter, behind the scorching shooting of Jeron Dillon (20 pts in the first half), which by halftime had grown to 14 points.  Despite being down for most of the game, the Saints never gave up, but the Warriors were just too much on this night.  Even though they made a couple runs at White Rock’s lead in the second half, St. Georges would not be able to fully recover the deficit losing 66-38 in a game that was closer than the score indicates.  Senior Tyrell Mara (13pts 11reb) had another quiet night, but it is becoming more and more apparent that his presence on the court alone has a dramatic impact on the outcome of every game for the Warriors.  He brings so much more to the table than just scoring and rebounding, and that is why he is an early MVP candidate in the championships.  White Rock grabs the last spot in this year’s Final Four, and becomes the only team left on the winner’s side with previous semifinal experience. 


PERFORMANCE OF THE DAY (TWO):
Today featured several impressive performances from a couple players. Thus we have three top performers:

1. Tony Dhaliwal - 30 points, 12 rebounds, and 12 assissts
2. Tyrell Mara - 14 points, 19 rebounds, and 10 rebounds
3. Jake Doerksen - 37 points and 13 rebounds

AAA CHAMPIONSHIPS DAY (TWO):
Words by Ross Naka

Game #5 Kelowna vs. Kitsilano

The Kelowna Owls were in tough against the Lower Mainland powerhouse Kitsilano Blue Demons as action opened up on day two of the Provincial Championships. Backed by a lineup full of experienced Seniors, the Owls came out and asserted themselves early grabbing 12 offensive boards in the first half. Kelowna also had an outstanding performance by point guard Rob Dick (22pts 5asst 4stl), who was the main reason the Owls were able to keep the game within reach. With performances by Niko Cochran (32pts 6reb 4asst) and Paul Woodham (23pts 8reb), however, the Blue Demons would prove to be the better team advancing to the quarter finals with a 93-82 win. Kitsilano’s success can also be attributed to the fact that, as a team, they were able to shoot a scorching 59% from the field for the game.

Game #6 Handsworth vs. WJ Mouat

Handsworth opened up their tournament with an impressive win over a tough WJ Mouat team. In what many anticipated to be a much closer game, the Royals ran away with it early. Standouts Rob Sacre (20pts 7reb 5blk) and Tyler Kepkay (13pts 7asst) were once again cornerstones in the Handsworth attack, but with the impressive play of Quinn Keast (19pts 13reb) and Scott Leigh (24pts 7asst) the Royals showed that they are definitely capable of being more than a two man show. Handsworth now faces Kitsilano in quarter final action Thursday at the Agrodome.

Game #7 St. George’s vs. Claremont

In a battle of Sophomore sensations the St. George’s Saints met the Claremont Spartans in what was easily the best game of the tournament thus far. The Saints, up one with one minute to play, got a huge offensive rebound from big man Chris MacKay. MacKay calmly gathered himself and drained the eight foot jumper to put St. George’s up three. The Spartans had possession of the ball over the last 28 seconds, but were unable to find the bottom of the net. When it was all said and done, the Saints walked off the floor with a 63-60 win advancing them to the quarter finals. Even though they ended up losing, the Spartans were very impressive. 6’5 Sophomore Braydon Janzen (24pts 14reb) was nearly unstoppable leading a group of grade 11’s that will definitely be back to make a run next year. As for the Saints, they hold their own group of grade 11’s who showed that they have the poise to pull out a close game at the Agrodome. Jesse Baker (21pts 8 reb), Chris MacKay (13pts 11reb), and Bol Kong (13pts 9reb) were all solid for the Saints down the stretch.

Game #8 Argyle vs. Wellington

There will officially be a new Champion crowned at this year’s Provincials. In what has to be the upset of the Tournament, the Argyle Pipers were stunned by the Wellington Wildcats (Van. Island #3 seed). Instead of coming out in awe of the #1 ranked defending champs, the Wildcats seemed to be the aggressors the whole game. Following the lead of Senior forward Ryan Davidson (35pts 6reb 3asst), Wellington matched Argyle point for point the entire game until they pulled away for good with 4 minutes left in the fourth quarter. The Wildcats were helped by the fact that they made 32 trips to the free-throw line, compared to 19 attempts by the Pipers. Argyle got good performances from both Sinclair Brown (18pts 10reb) and Ben Frisby (17pts 5reb) in the losing effort.

Game #9 Oak Bay vs. Rick Hansen

Oak Bay and Rick Hansen had the unenviable task of following up the biggest game of the day. So it was no surprise that the game ended up lacking that excitement and intensity. Oak Bay came into the contest fresh off of winning the AAA Island Championships as a big underdog, while Rick Hansen sported the #3 seed out of the Fraser Valley due mainly to the outstanding play of big man Jake Doerksen. Even though the Bays had the higher seeding, they were still seen as the underdog. Oak Bay gave up an early lead, which they would never get back. Behind the play of silky smooth guards Jeff Cullen (26pts 7reb 9asst) and Isiah Pasquale (18pts 4reb), the Bays were able to stay in striking distance but could never fully recover the deficit. In the end, the final score was 94-83 in favour of Hansen. The lack of an inside presence on the side of Oak Bay allowed Doerksen (37pts 13reb) to have his way with them. Also stepping up in a big way for the Hurricanes was Tony Dhaliwal (30pts 12reb 12asst), who dropped the tourney’s first triple double.

Game #10 Brookswood vs. McMath

In their first action since winning the Lower Mainland Championship the McMath Wildcats definitely looked a little rusty early on, spotting the Bobcats a 10 point lead after the first quarter. It did not take long, however, for McMath to shake it off as they rebounded with a 34 point third quarter. This gave the Lower Mainland champs a 10 point lead at the half, which they would never relinquish. The final score would end up favouring the Wildcats 86-74. Coming off of an outstanding performance the night before Sophomore Brent Malish (12pts 3reb) and the rest of the Bobcats struggled to deal with the older, more experienced McMath squad. The Wildcats can attribute their success mainly to the play of Jeff Chu (26pts 7reb 9asst) and Elliot Smith (19pts 19reb) who both had exceptional performances.

Game #11 White Rock vs. Killarney

In their first game of the Championships the #1 seeded Warriors had to deal with a feisty Killarney squad. Coming off of their fourth Fraser Valley Championship in six years, White Rock dominated every aspect of the game. Jeron Dillon (21pts 5reb) and Adam Stewart (27pts 8reb) lead the way, while pre-tournament MVP favourite Tyrell Mara (14pts 19reb 10asst) chilled in the background with a quiet triple-double. White Rock’s domination is illustrated best by the rebounding margin, which they won easily 51 to 25. Everyone contributed for the Warriors in the win, even grade 7 guard Eli Mara (3pts on 1 for 1 from 3pt range) got into the act hitting a deep trey late which brought all the WRCA faithful to their feet one more time. White Rock won going away 84-64. They are back in action tomorrow in quarter final action against the Saints from St. George’s.