They may not have won the No Regrets basketball tournament over the weekend, but by making the final the Handsworth Royals senior boys may have staked a claim as the early-season team to beat in the ultra-competitive North Shore AAAA league.
The Royals rode the hot play of a pair of Grade 11 all-stars as well as the waves of energy coming off of their rabid fans all the way to the championship game of the 16-team tournament before finally bowing out to South Kamloops 70-59 in the final played at Collingwood School. The Royals were leading by four at halftime, although that lead would have been even bigger except for a banked three-pointer the Titans knocked in at the buzzer to end the half. The momentum carried over into the second half as the Titans drilled three more three-pointers as part of an 11-0 run to start the third quarter. The lead ballooned to 19 points before Handsworth mustered a late comeback, but it wasn’t enough to catch the Titans.
“They’re a very well-coached team,” Handsworth head coach Cam Mowat said of the Titans. “Their offensive rebounding and three point shooting kind of set them apart in the game. That’s what really hurt us.”
It was the second time in as many weeks that the Titans topped the Royals, as the same two teams met at a tournament at South Kamloops the week prior with the host team scoring a narrow three-point victory.
At the No Regrets tournament South Kam’s Reid Jensen was named MVP while teammate Ben McDonald earned a first team all-star spot and Nick Serai a second team nod. For the Royals, Grade 11 point guard Blake McLean and forward Ben Grant earned spots on the first all-star team. Blake McLean is the younger brother of Bryce McLean, a former standout for the Royals who graduated last year.
“Already he’s risen to be a leader,” Mowat said about McLean the younger. “When we need a big bucket, he’s proven capable of getting that big bucket.”
Grant, meanwhile, provides muscle for the Royals.
“He’s a fierce competitor,” said Mowat. “He’s one of our toughest players and also one of our most consistent players. He’s a big part of the team.” Grade 12 players Copeland Jandrisch and Amir Hajisafar also play large roles for the Royals.
The strong showing for the Royals had special meaning given the nature of the tournament. No Regrets is a reference to former Handsworth star Quinn Keast who died in a pedestrian accident 10 years ago. The tournament, now in its second year, was born of a union between the old North Shore Invitational basketball tournament and the Quinn Keast Foundation.
Mowat himself went to Handsworth and in his Grade 12 year played with Quinn, who was in Grade 10.
“It’s pretty special,” he said of playing in a tournament that honours his old teammate. “All his family was there, I know his family quite well. The whole community comes together to put that tournament on. It’s pretty impressive how they’ve been able to carry on Quinn’s name. … Everyone knows Quinn now because of the tournament, knows what he stood for, knows what he meant to the community and all of his friends and teammates.”
Mowat said he does his part to keep Quinn’s legacy alive.
“Every kid that I’ve coached at Handsworth, I’ve made it a point to explain to everyone the history of Handsworth basketball and the pedigree of Handsworth basketball, and Quinn is a big part of that. They all know who he is and really respect the foundation and what it means.”
The Royals also gained inspiration from their crowd, including the opening-round Spirit Game that was played in front of a packed gym at Handsworth during school hours on Thursday.
“It was a huge crowd – one of the biggest I’ve seen this year,” said Mowat. “It can be intimidating. Once they get over the nerves, once they get in the game you can see that they settle down and start to appreciate the fans, appreciate the situation. Most of them understand that it’s a pretty special game.”
The Royals won their Spirit Game 73-52 over Belmont and then rolled into the final with wins over Charles Hays and Argyle. The cross-town matchup against Argyle was typically tense, with Handsworth pulling out a 72-62 win over the Pipers. Argyle bounced back to beat Sentinel 98-83 in the consolation final, giving North Shore teams three of the top four spots in the tournament.
Argyle’s Devin O’Hea and Sentinel’s Kaelen McNeight earned first all-star spots while Alex Wallace from Argyle and Andrew Davis from Sentinel took home second-team honours.
That strong showing from North Shore teams is an indication of another tough season ahead on the way to the Howe Sound championships, said Mowat.
“All we know is Sentinel and Argyle are very good teams, and I’ve heard Carson is a good one as well. We definitely have our work cut out for us,” said Mowat. “The North Shore is always a toss-up. It’s amazing how consistent it is from team to team to team to team. You never really know who is going to come out of the North Shore. It’s only one team, and it’s just who peaks at the right time and who plays the best come playoff time in February.”
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On the girls side, the No Regrets tournament title went to Charles Best who topped Walnut Grove 68-57 in the final. North Shore schools Argyle and Carson Graham battled for bronze with the Pipers pulling out a 72-67 win over the Eagles in double overtime. Kendal Sands was named the tournament MVP while Argyle’s Georgia Swant and Carson Graham’s Erika Calacay earned all-star honours.
