The second annual Alberni District Co-op 3x3 Summer Classic took place on Saturday, September 14. It was a day of competitive three-on-three basketball action, with squads competing for a cash grand prize and medal awards. According to event organizers, Craig and Colleen Brooks, the tournament was quite successful.
“When we ran our first fundraiser tournament last year, we did so without any sponsorship,” explained Craig. “Teams registered and took part solely because they loved playing the game.”
Teams in this year’s tournament were divided into two separate pools, where they played a series of round robin pool-games. David Eamer Painting qualified as the top seed in Pool A, while McGill and Associates Engineering swept Pool B. The quarter-final playoffs provided an opportunity for inter-pool match-ups, as the second seeded team from each pool, Ladybird Engraving (A) and PA Warriors (B) squared off against the lowest qualifying seed from the opposite pool, Alberni Co-op (A) and Jumpshot Jaguars (B).
The first quarterfinal match required OT to find a winner, with the PA Warriors hitting frequently from beyond the arc to defeat an even matched Alberni Co-op team. Despite falling behind significantly early on in their match, the Jumpshot Jags mounted a furious comeback over the heavily-favoured Ladybird Engraving squad to secure a spot in the semi-finals with a 13-12 final score.
In the semifinals, the undefeated David Eamer Painting squad continued to handle their business. Using their distinct height advantage to fullest effect, they sent the Warriors to the third place game, beating them by a score of 19-11.
Semi-final number two pitted another undefeated team, McGill, against the Jumpshot Jaguars. The Jags looked to ride their quarterfinal momentum to an early 4-0 lead, but crashed out when McGill finally settled in. The final score was 17-7.
Earlier in round robin play, the Warriors had solidly defeated the Jags. With a renewed confidence, the Jags looked to avenge that result and secured a bronze medal finish in the process. In this back and forth battle, there were several lead changes and the final result was in doubt until the final minute of the game. The Jags converted on a couple of quick possessions and the young legs of the Warriors couldn’t respond in kind. The Jumpshot Jaguars won bronze on the back of a 12-10 victory.
The two pre-tournament favourites finally got a chance to do battle in the championship: the undefeated McGill & Assoc Engineering squad versus the David Eamer Painting team. Both sides exhibited a great and equal combination of quick-twitch muscle attacks to the rim, sniper-like accurate shooters from beyond the arc and big boys to bully up around the rim. Fans were treated to an outstanding display of basketball skills over the course of the 10 minutes of regulation time. The crowd erupted when the Eamer squad hit a buzzer-beating long distance shot to send the game into overtime. Once again, the battle continued until the final shot of OT—another long distance shot from beyond the arc— hit nothing but mesh to seal a gold medal deal…this time for the McGill squad.
Final Standings for the Alberni District Co-op 3x3 Summer Classic:
Gold: McGill and Associates Engineering (Martin Adair, Alan Anderson, Chris Gow, Mike Lange).
Silver: David Eamer Painting (Kevin Titian Jr, Coby Felsman Jr, Adam Yaredic, Sam Moncur)
Bronze: Jumpshot Jaguars (Bhav Minhas, Brayden Kirschner, Daniel Dyck, Jake Put)
4th Place: PA Warriors (Ethan Sam, Chris Tatoosh, Gredy Barney, Raymond August)
5th Place: Ladybird Engraving (Greg Wiatr, Ivan Cheng, Jayden Moss)
6th Place: Alberni District Co-op (Kieran Harding, Trey Bell, Eddie Fred)
The tournament serves as a fundraiser to offset the growing costs and decreased provincial funding for high school basketball, which must be absorbed by student-athletes. Craig described the Alberni Valley as being “at a crossroads,” with basketball growing in popularity at the same time that travel costs are increasing and the local referee association is “on the verge of collapsing” with a lack of officials.
Visit www.albernibasketball.ca to get information on how easily you can register and become a trained high school basketball official.
