The Grade 10 boys' basketball team bounced back from a tough playoff loss on Wednesday to finish their season on a high note by winning the Archbishop Carney tournament this weekend. Coach Ditson had predicted that his team would finish the season with a flourish and he was correct. After playing so many tough games this year, the Cavs were battle-hardened and powered their way to the tournament victory. Here is Coach Yoon's tournament summary:
The Jr Boys Basketball team concluded the 2016-2017 season this past weekend by competing in the Carney Classic tournament in Port Coquitlam. Before this tournament, the Jr Cavs were defeated by Argyle Secondary (61-50) in the opening round of the North Shore playoffs; with the loss, the Cavs were officially eliminated from qualifying for the provincial tournament where the team finished 9th last year. Despite the tough loss, the team went into the Carney Classic tournament with the mindset of finishing the year on a high note.
The opening game of the tournament had the Cavs facing off against Fraser Heights from Surrey. The Cavs came out aggressively to start the contest, scoring early and often. By halftime, the Cavs had a very comfortable lead, which allowed Coach Ditson to get everyone involved in the game. Lochlan Collins contributed with 7 assists, and Tariq Albhai lead the way with 19 points in a 67-28 win.
The next day, the Cavaliers played against Delta Secondary and won 68-35. Mathew Lane was named Player of the Game with 14 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 steals. The highlight of the contest came when Coach Ditson inserted Nima Danaei into the game. After managing the team all year, Nima got his first playing minutes of the season, and the Collingwood fans erupted with cheers when he scored his first basket midway through the fourth quarter.
In the finals, the Cavs would play against the host school Archbishop Carney. Prior to coming to Collingwood, Coach Ditson spent 6 years coaching basketball at Archbishop Carney, and he was looking forward to playing against his former school. During the game, the Cavs continued to dominate, and the starters (Collins, Karmali brothers, Albhai, Arbogast) were able to build a lead that would hold for the entire game.
"Although Archbishop Carney made a few runs in the game, we've played against top competition all year long, and they weren't going to beat us tonight. The boys worked very hard to get this win for Coach Ditson "-Coach Yoon.
The final score of the game was 64-47 for Collingwood. Collins had another strong game with 10 points and 6 assists while Riley Arbogast contributed with 11 points and 6 steals. Imraan Karmali was named tournament MVP while Tariq and Lochlan were named first team all-stars. With the win, the Cavs finished with 18-8 overall record for the season, and Joel Ditson now has 225 career high school victories.
Despite not having Tyler Preston for the entire season, the team still managed a better winning record than last year. The team should be very competitive at the senior level next season with a healthy Tyler Preston in the lineup. Finally, the coaches want to thank all the players for their hard work and for staying committed to the Collingwood Basketball Program. A special thank you also goes out to all the parents for supporting the team.
2017 Archbishop Carney Tournament Champions