The Sooke Edward Milne Wolverines senior boys basketball team stung Victoria鈥檚 Stelly鈥檚 on Saturday, Jan. 11 at the Alberni District Secondary School (ADSS) gymnasium with an outstanding 63-62 comeback win, soaring to Totem 69 glory and a championship banner.
Coached by Trevor Bligh, the Wolverines are currently ranked first in the Vancouver Island Triple-A south division.
鈥淚t was exciting. Eleven times we鈥檝e come to Totem. Last year we were in the finals and lost, so that was definitely a short-term goal,鈥� said coach Bligh. 鈥淛ust the power of believing. The kids were down and just to believe they could make it back was a strength that we will take all the way to the end of the year.鈥�
Bligh praised the Totem 69 tournament committee.
鈥淎ll of the effort and preparation that this town, school, the community put together, really makes this a prized event and a prize to win. It really feels like we鈥檝e won the provincials even though we have a ways to go,鈥� he said.
Wolverines players Malakai Hills won Totem MVP and Odis Simpson earned an All-Star while Stelly鈥檚 Liam Tudway-Cains and Arjan Sraw took All-Stars.
The home team Alberni Storm senior girls took a 51-43 win over the Belmont Bulldogs to earn a spot in the championship final against Pacific Christian School (PCS), but ultimately suffered a heartbreaking 53-41 loss to the defending tournament champions.
Tseshaht First Nations players Jaidin Knighton was awarded tournament All-Star alongside teammate Hayleigh Watts.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 our first `L鈥� of the season,鈥� said Knighton. 鈥淭hey are a really good team and we put all our effort into it. We kind of expected it, so we put everything on the court and that鈥檚 ok.鈥�
鈥淚t was really close. Last year, we played them in the final and lost by 30, so this year it鈥檚 actually a great learning experience for us. It was way closer,鈥� she added.
Kiki Tupas-Singh of PCS nabbed the tournament MVP trophy while Hana Nazawa from Belmont and Charlie Slater from Wellington also went home with All-Star medals.
Belmont Bulldogs girls coach Brad Lidstone spoke highly of Totem 69. His team went on to win third place in a 55-49 nail biter against Wellington.
鈥淚 think this is the ninth year my team has come to Totem. We love coming up here because it鈥檚 unlike any high school environment you鈥檒l get at any tournament. It鈥檚 second to none,鈥� said Lidstone.
鈥淭he tournament is run exceptionally. The positivity towards school spirit, towards school athletics is unlike anything you鈥檒l see anywhere else, and we have no plans to go anywhere else on this weekend for the foreseeable future. We build our year around coming here,鈥� continued the coach. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a vibe that鈥檚 really hard to explain to kids until they see it. When I say to the kids, `oh it鈥檚 kind of a big deal鈥�, they understand that it really is.鈥�
Alberni Storm senior boys lost an interesting game for third place against Carihi from Campbell River 鈥� with only 20 seconds left on the clock, the game was put on pause when a fan needed medical assistance.
The gym was cleared out to make room for paramedics and Totem tournament organizers opted to call the game 73-58.
鈥淧ort Alberni played tough. We played tough. It鈥檚 unfortunate the way it ended in the last seconds there, but it also puts things into perspective. Even though we can experience the kids鈥� basketball lives, it was a good experience for them to see the bigger picture of things,鈥� said Carihi coach Donnie Fitzpatrick.
鈥淲e always appreciate coming to Totem,鈥� he continued. 鈥淭he great thing about every time you come here is the unbelievable energy and the fans are great, the student body is great, the community is great.鈥�
ADSS player Coen Erickson and Carter Reynolds from Carihi won tournament All-Stars.
Port Alberni City Councillor Charles Mealey was announcing games once again, a volunteer duty he took on from when he was a student in 1995.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 where it all started for me. Because of Totem tournament I鈥檝e done national broadcasts, I鈥檝e done Bulldogs, Bandits, all these years,鈥� said Mealey.
Totem is the longest running high school basketball tournament in B.C. and thanks to all the fan support and the amount of respect they show each team, Mealey says Totem is truly a premier basketball event.
鈥淚t鈥檚 been like this since the old high school. We had the old dog pound and a cavernous gymnasium, and it was amazing in there. It鈥檚 nice to see here that we still have the crowd up there,鈥� he said.
