Brentwood Brings Home Provincial Gold

8 March 2016Olamide O, Privett ‘18

Recently, the Brentwood Junior A Basketball Team participated in the BC Junior Boys Basketball Championship. Brentwood, entering the tournament with a 23-1 record, was ranked #4 amongst the 32 teams. This was the second year Brentwood qualified for basketball provincials at the junior level; the other appearance was last year. Brentwood, like all the other teams, hoped to experience success throughout Provincials. In the first game of the tournament, Brentwood faced the Lord Tweedsmuir Panthers, the 29th seeded team. We played very sloppy basketball during the early stages of the game. Our lackadaisical play along with a barrage of 3s from the Panthers caused us to go into halftime with a 13 point deficit, down 35-22. Coach Sullivan urged the team to come out much sharper and tighten things up, particularly on the defensive end. The boys listened and started the second half with a different level of intensity, turning a 13 point deficit into a 3 point lead heading into the fourth quarter. The team continued their strong play and survived a late flurry of 3s to beat the Panthers 74-71. Brendan S was awarded the Player of the Game after scoring 22 points. Olamide O had a double double after contributing a career-high 19 points and 11 rebounds. Bruno C had 14 points and 8 assists while Casper P recorded 9 points and 9 rebounds before fouling out in the final minutes of the game. A few hours after their first game, Brentwood was set to face the Magee Lions, the 13th seeded team. We managed to play through the fatigue from the first game and build a 10 point lead at halftime. We continued to play our brand of basketball and won the game 58-47. Brendan S was again the Player of the Game after scoring 19 points. Bruno C (17 points), Casper P (14 points and 11 rebounds), and Johnny M (6 points and 12 rebounds) also had strong performances. In the Elite 8 tournament stage, Brentwood was matched up against the St. George’s Saints, the 12th seed. Brentwood had previously defeated the Saints in the ISA Finals, but knew they had to come out with intensity if they wanted to win. The team, however, tried to force too much on the offensive side of the ball and failed to box-out the Saints on the opposite end. The game was tied 28-28 at halftime. Coach Sullivan implored his team to let the game come naturally to them and to put a body on their opponents. The team responded well to their coach and went on to win the game 76-64 to send them to the semifinals. Brendan S was the Player of the Game yet again, scoring 26 points and recording 5 steals. Olamide O had his second double-double of the tournament, scoring 17 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. Bruno C had 15 points and 7 assists while Johnny M had 14 points and 6 rebounds. In the semifinals, Brentwood was set to play the Handsworth Royals, the #1 seed. Handsworth came out of the gate shooting the ball extremely well, leading 21-11 after the first quarter. Brentwood fought back hard, but was still losing going into the half with a score of 27-24. Coach Sullivan did not have much to say, except that he wanted the team to play their hardest. Brentwood slowly picked away at the lead, and eventually taking it due to a three from Riley T to make the score 38-37. Brentwood never lost the lead after that big shot and went on to win the game 58-51, sending them to the finals. Casper P was the Player of the Game after stuffing the stat sheet with 13 points (100 FG%), 5 rebounds, 5 steals, 4 blocks, and 3 steals. Brendan S had 12 points while Bruno C and Olamide O had 11 points each. In the final game of Provincials, and the season, Brentwood was set to play the Walnut Grove Gators, the #2 seed. The first half of the game was ugly for both teams, with multiple turnovers and missed shots. With their season on the line, the Gators made several runs in the second half, tying the game and getting within a point several times. However, Brentwood weathered all of the storms, highlighted by a 3-pointer by Olamide O to extend the lead to 46-42. The game ended with a flurry of free throws and Brentwood emerged victorious 51-43, winning their first ever Junior Boys Basketball Provincial Championship. Casper P was voted Player of the Game after scoring 8 points, dishing out 4 assists and playing tough defense all game. Brendan S scored 16 points and was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player. Bruno C scored 11 and was named to the tournament First Team all-star and was also named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Defensive Player. Johnny M had 4 points and 10 rebounds and Olamide O had 5 points, including the biggest 3 of his life. This Provincial Championship closed an unbelievable season for the Brentwood Junior Boys. Their final record was 28-1. The team would like to thank all the fans (students, staff, alumni, and family) who supported them throughout Provincials and the entire season (shout-out to Breno C for putting together an amazing video for the team!) Congratulations to the team for everything they have accomplished this year. See you again next year! Olamide O, Privett ‘18

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