Mindy Minhas top dog as Churchill takes title
Bulldogs earn first senior boys championship with victory over Holy Cross Crusaders
While the celebration went on all around him, his team the new champion of B. C. high school senior boys basketball, Sir Winston Churchill Bulldogs coach Rick Lopez took a moment to reflect on the journey.
“I’ve been at the school for 13 years and when I started we could barely get seven guys out to practice,” said Lopez, his voice cracking with emotion. “We didn’t win many games. But I just put in the time and the kids put in the time and we got here.
“I’m just blessed to have a group of kids like this, not only them but the whole school community. The parents, the assistant coaches, everyone contributed to this.”
The Bulldogs edged Surrey’s Holy Cross Crusaders 67- 64 in Saturday night’s tensionfilled 4A final at the Langley Events Centre to capture the first senior boys title in school history.
They were led by the sublime 30- point performance of tournament MVP Mindy Minhas and became the first public school from Vancouver, other than four- time winner Kitsilano, to capture the title since the 1961 Magee Lions.
Even Lopez was not aware of the achievement.
“That’s unbelievable,” he exclaimed.
“I didn’t know that. I tried to stay away from the history because I didn’t want to overwhelm the kids. We just talked about staying in the moment and the next five seconds.
“That was our theme the whole night and the kids did it. I’m so proud of them. It’s been the most amazing experience. They’ve taken me on an amazing run. I’m so lucky to have them.”
Minhas, the 6- foot- 5 guard forward, netted only seven first- half points and didn’t see the floor in the second quarter due to early foul trouble. The Bulldogs still managed to take a 34- 31 halftime advantage.
There were eight lead changes in the first half — four in the first quarter and four in the second — but none after Minhas re- entered the game. He drained 14 points in the third quarter and nine more in the fourth.
“It was one of the biggest games of my life, for sure,” said Minhas, a Grade 12 student. “I didn’t play at all the entire second quarter and I wanted to come out and make an impact and help our team win. My teammates found me and, if it wasn’t for them, I wouldn’t have been able to hit those shots.
“This is a huge deal for our school,” he added. “Our coach has put in a lot of time and effort and now it’s paid off. It’s a joy. I’m so happy. I don’t know how to explain it.”
The Bulldogs were up 62- 55 with 2: 04 remaining, but couldn’t hit any foul shots down the stretch. They were a ghastly 4- for- 16 in the fourth quarter, enabling Holy Cross to stay in the game.
The Crusaders narrowed the margin to 62- 61 with a minute to go. They had a final possession, needing a trey to force overtime, and fell just short.
Minhas was the only Bulldog in double figures Saturday. Karn Virk and Gary Minhas, Mindy’s younger brother, each added nine points. Holy Cross was led by point guard Jauquin Bennett- Boire, who drained 21 points, and Jonathan Kongbo with 20.
“We turned the ball over at the wrong time and our shot selection wasn’t what we talked about before the game but hats off to Churchill, they played a whale of a game,” said Holy Cross coach Matthew LeChasseur.
“We’re really proud of our program. It’s a major feat for a school of our size to make it to this point. We’re really proud of how hard our kids played and we’re looking forward to building on this momentum.”
In the 3A final played earlier Saturday, Burnaby’s St. Thomas More Knights thumped the Charles Hays Rainmakers of Prince Rupert 53- 38, the rain storm outside apparently no help to the Rainmakers indoors.
The Knights, after surrendering the game’s first basket, took the lead from there and never relinquished it. They were up by quarter scores of 15- 11, 31- 24 and 41- 29 and took full command early in the third when they reeled off the first seven points to go up by 14 points.
“This is the best feeling, it’s amazing,” said Knights guard Justin Deslauriers, who finished with 12 points. “This means everything to us. It’s the first banner for our new gym.”
The Knights were able to contain the Rainmakers’ 6- 9 post Justin McChesney, holding the Grade 10 student to 12 points. John Sampson added 11 for Charles Hays while the Knights’ 6- 3 forward Reece Morris, the 3A tourney MVP, led all scorers with 16 points.
“To be a part of this moment is awesome,” said STM coach Aaron Mitchell, who won a provincial title as a player 20 years ago for the Terry Fox Ravens. “I’m just blown away. We know we’re not the most gifted team offensively so we’ve been preaching all year to dig in and win it with defence. “I’m completely speechless.” He wasn’t, of course, but you get the picture.