For the second year in a row, the St. Michaels Blue Jags were GW Graham’s kryptonite at the AA boys basketball provincials.
After swatting aside two overmatched opponents to reach Friday night’s semi-final at the Langley Events Centre, GWG was close to making history.
No Chilliwack team has ever won a provincial hoops title at the AA or AAA level.
The Grizzlies came into this year’s tourney as the top seed after a dominant regular season and looked the part with wins over Creston’s Prince Charles secondary school (92-48) and North Vancouver’s St. Thomas Aquinas (92-70).
GWG’s dynamic duo of Gabe Mannes and Ryan Trottier scored a combined 98 points and looked unstoppable heading into the semi.
But a combination of cold shooting and St. Mike’s D limited them to 31 points in a 75-62 defeat. The Grizzlies lived by the outside shot through their first two games, and died by it against the Jags.
Mannes was an icy 3-18 from the field and 1-8 from three point range while Trottier was 5-22 from the field and 2-12 from three point land.
Curtis Kmyta led the Grizzlies with 18 points on 5-16 shooting.
Big men Kyle Helsloot and Jon Steele took just 11 shots against the Blue Jags and combined for just eight points.
Helsloot pulled down a game-high 12 rebounds, but the Blue Jags won the battle of the boards by a 38-30 count.
Despite all that, GWG was in it till the end.
“Our game plan was sound, we were well prepared and I believe if we played that team again nine times we win all nine games. It just wasn’t our night,” said head coach Jake Mouritzen. “SMUS was well prepared and had the game of their season. Everything that could go right for them did and everything that could go wrong did for us. We just happened to play our worst game of the year on the wrong night.”
“SMUS played great defense — under the hoop collapsing in on our bigs and doing a great job to double team and close out on shooters. The boys played hard and never gave up, we just had too many unforced errors that cost us the game.”
St. Mike’s had four players in double digits in points, led by Ryan Hindson’s 21.
The Grizzlies can take some consolation from their final game.
Saturday morning they faced Lambrick Park in the bronze medal match, topping the Lions 66-61.
Mannes was back in a big way, supplying more than 50 per cent of the GWG offence.
No. 1 in white hit on 13 of 22 shots for 36 points.
No one else on the Grizzly roster had more than eight.
With Mannes due to return next season, Mouritzen believes GWG should be able to make another provincial run.
But in the short term, this stings.
“The team plans to take the next two weeks off and then have a family meeting the first week back after spring break,” he said. “Although we lose some amazing seniors we return Gabe (Mannes), Curtis (Kmyta), Jon (Steele), and Ethan Grey. We also add in a groups of juniors that are some of our very best ever.”
“Our goal is to return to the semi final next year and next year, as every year, our goal is to win a provincial championship.”
l Mannes was named a first-team tournament all-star.
The Collingwood Cavaliers won the provincial title with a 68-40 win over St. Mike’s.