“Pretty exciting stuff!” said ADSS senior boys’ head coach Craig Brooks after the Armada boys’ 65-64 loss against the Ballenas Whalers on Thursday night, the first game of Totem 62.
The basketball game was a close one, with both teams going back and forth in the fourth period after Ballenas All-Star Liviano Canil was given his fifth and final foul and taken out of the game, to thunderous applause.
The game ended just one point apart, with Ballenas taking the win.
“The boys played well,” said Brooks. “The one thing I love about basketball is there are a lot of learning moments. Which sometimes leads to moments of over exuberance,” he laughed. “They sort of caught up to us a bit.”
Brooks says he prefers to look on as something like a “loud spectator” for his coaching method.
“The coaches get less involved, and the players do their things,” he said. “It creates a lot of excitement. It prepares for later in life, too.”
After a 95-80 loss against Reynolds on Friday, the ADSS boys pulled through with a 74-49 win against Esquimalt on Saturday to place seventh in the competition.
They were also the second-highest scoring team in the tournament, with 218 points over three games.
The ADSS girls took on the Kwalikum Kondors on Thursday, and although the game started out close, they took off running with their lead to win the game 62 to 43.
They faced Ballenas on Friday in a close game, eventually falling 51-47. In their third and final game on Saturday, they won against Vanier 47 to 32, giving them third place in the tournament.
ADSS guard Mariah Netzer was given a nod for her performance throughout the tournament with a place on the Girls All-Star Team.
ADSS cheerleaders and the dance team kept up the energy throughout the tournament by performing during timeouts, between games and during halftime shows. Maho Nakamura of the cheerleading squad was named the Totem Spirit Winner at the end of the tournament.
In the wake of the tournament, ADSS athletic director, Mike Roberts, said the three-day event was a success.
“People came and everyone seemed to have a good time,” Roberts said. “Visiting teams were very happy and that makes a big difference for us, obviously we want them to return.”
The Totem committee will sit down to compare notes and see where improvements are needed for Totem 63.
“Believe it or not, after 62 years there’s always a way to make it better,” Roberts said.
Final Standings:
Boys:
Guildford Park
Isfeld
Ballenas
Reynolds
Edward Milne
Stellys
ADSS
Esquimalt
Girls:
Ballenas
Spectrum
ADSS
Kwalikum
Vanier
Edward Milne
Belmont
Esquimalt
Boys Tournament MVP: Ben Dutra (Guilford Park)
Girls Tournament MVP: Makayla Hoey (Ballenas)
Most Sportsmanlike Team: Edward Milne Girls
Boys All-Star Team: Liviano Canil (Ballenas), Brett Woods (Isfeld), Logan Benniger (Isfeld), Faris Taufiq (Guildford Park), Chris Braithwaite (Guildford Park).
Girls All-Star Team: Charlotte Palmer (Kwalikum), Kachina Violini (Vanier), Emma Brown (Spectrum), Kate Reynolds (Ballenas), Mariah Netzer (ADSS).
Totem Spirit Winner: Maho Nakamura for the cheerleaders.