Campbell Tartans capture title
Campbell ends Golden Suns’ streak of four consecutive titles at Hoopla tourney
One run ended another at Hoopla on Saturday night.
The Campbell Tartans went on a 16-3 run to close out the 5A boys final against the LeBoldus Golden Suns at the Saskatchewan High Schools Athletic Association basketball championships.
Campbell’s 76-71 victory at the University of Regina ended an unprecedented run of success by LeBoldus, which had won the previous four provincial titles.
“(LeBoldus is) a great team,” Campbell head coach Will Redl said shortly after the game. “I’m a little speechless right now because it’s still so fresh. We came back, and it’s all kind of a blur. Provincial champion ... you can’t really put that into words.”
LeBoldus led 33-26 at halftime, 59-47 after the third quarter and 62-50 early in the fourth. After LeBoldus went ahead 68-60 with 5:47 left, Campbell erupted for 16 of the next 19 points — including the final eight — to capture its first 5A boys title since 2009.
Campbell’s Tyrese Potoma had a game-high 23 points. Nick Barnard paced LeBoldus with 16.
Matt Barnard, Nick’s brother, suffered a leg injury with 5:13 remaining in the first quarter and was taken to hospital by ambulance. Matt Barnard had been the Golden Suns’ leading scorer in each of its previous two games at Hoopla 2017.
Bartlett was quick to praise his players for the manner in which they played after the injury.
“I’ll give them credit,” he said. “They battled hard and they played really well. They handled it great. They put it behind them for the moment. They went out there and then played great basketball and just worked really hard as a group.
“We’re very proud of what they accomplished (on Saturday).”
Saying that, Bartlett put the conclusion of the streak in perspective.
“It’s always a little bit difficult, but we knew it was going to come to an end at some point,” he said. “To have four in a row is great, but the thing that’s the most disappointing is not that we don’t have a banner. It’s just the disappointment for these kids.
“They had to play in an adverse situation and, like I told them after the game, I’m extremely proud of them. They did what they needed to do, and sometimes you do what you need to do and you still lose. They can leave holding their heads up. They should be extremely proud of what they accomplished this year.”
The list of achievements includes a fourth consecutive city title. The Golden Suns downed the previously unbeaten Tartans 96-72 in the Regina Intercollegiate Basketball League’s senior boys tier 1 final on March 17.
“That city final was tough, because LeBoldus, they know how to win,” Redl said. “Obviously, with their record in the city finals the last couple of years and even provincials, they’re used to those moments and being there.
“But we were able to put together a good week of practice and obviously put together a good game this time out, versus the city final, and just kind of responded to the adversity. It’s big for young kids to do that.”
In the other gold-medal finals ...
1A boys: The Middle Lake Avengers defeated the Rocanville Rara Avis 100-62. Troy Marinka led the Avengers with 33 points.
1A girls: Ann Ulmer’s 17 points helped the Kenaston Kodiaks post a 53-47 victory over Middle Lake, which had won the previous three provincial titles.
2A boys: The Saskatoon Ecole Canadienne Francaise Patriotes repeated as champions, registering a 79-69 victory over the Maidstone Huskies.
2A girls: The Wynyard Bears made it three straight provincial titles with an 87-41 win over the Kinistino Blues. Alyssa Shannon had 27 points for Wynyard.
3A boys: The Regina Christian Grizzlies posted a 83-54 victory over Saskatoon Legacy Christian Eagles. Josh Amed, Dakota McBride Marean and Zach Biegler each had 16 points for the Grizzlies. Legacy Christian’s Luke Donauer led all scorers with 37. Regina Christian won its third provincial title in a five-year span.
3A girls: The Lumsden Angels won their second straight title, defeating Regina Christian 69-58. Emma Ulmer had 25 points for Lumsden.
4A boys: The Weyburn Eagles struck gold with an 103-80 victory over the Moose Jaw Central Cyclones. Paul Dionne led Weyburn with 21 points. The 4A boys title was the second in Weyburn Comprehensive High School history, and the first since 1975.
4A girls: The Melfort Comets defeated the Moose Jaw Peacock Toilers 64-42. Peacock had won the previous three provincial titles.
5A girls: The Holy Cross Crusaders defeated the Centennial Chargers 67-37 in an all-Saskatoon final.
We came back, and it’s all kind of a blur. Provincial champion ... you can’t really put that into words.