麻豆社区

A spirited second half from the Vanier Crusaders varsity men's basketball team spurred the club to a gold medal at F.H. Collins last night.

The Crusaders attacked the glass with passion in the third and fourth quarters, and it paid off in an 86-73 victory over the Porter Creek Rams.

The game will go down in the history books as the last game played in the F.H. Collins school gymnasium, which is slated for demolition some time in the next few months.

The bleachers were jam-packed for the game, which followed the women's final, won by Porter Creek.

Eight straight points from Breyin Wiens pushed the Rams to an early lead in the first quarter, and the Rams entered halftime up 36-31.

Wiens finished with 17 points, before fouling out. Kyle Lowes led the Rams with 24 points.

The Rams' early lead wouldn't last however.

The Crusaders pushed back in the second half, scoring the majority of their points by driving the hoop, and finished the third quarter with an eight-point lead they wouldn't relinquish.

John "Rambo鈥� Apostol led the Crusaders with 30 points, while captain Jon Koltun was a dominant presence as the team's token big man. Koltun finished with seven points and took home MVP honours.

A fifth-year player, and the only returning starter from last year's championship win, Koltun missed most of the season with a concussion.

He returned to the hardcourt in the Crusaders final regular-season game, and was instrumental in the Yukon Championships.

"These guys stepped up big the whole season,鈥� the 17-year-old said of his teammates. "They've been playing great ball without me. There's no team that I'd rather do this with. These guys, I'm friends with all of them.鈥�

The history of the final matchup under the F.H. Collins' lights wasn't lost on Koltun.

"I think it will hold (special significance) once I realize 鈥� once it's gone,鈥� he said.

"It's pretty sweet to finish on such a good note in this gym. I've played lots in this gym.鈥�

Coach Sean McCarron said breaking the Rams' zone defence was key for his team.

"We had never played against this 2-3 zone until two days ago,鈥� he explained. "It really messed us up. We just could not get spacing. We could not attack their openings and their gaps.鈥�

As for the second-half comeback, that was the Crusaders' trademark this season, McCarron said.

"We've been down by 10 points or more in the last five games we've played,鈥� he said. "We've come back to win all but one. There was no worry, really. We know that it's a long game. It's 40 minutes and it was just a matter of getting it to the second half and hopefully not picking up more fouls on the way.

"It was a very satisfying win.鈥�

McCarron said in his 13 years of coaching, this year's matchups were the most competitive.

"All three teams had legitimate chances of winning,鈥� he said. "There really wasn't a favourite. We never took anyone for granted at all.鈥�

Despite the heartbreaking loss, Porter Creek coach Paul MacDonald said he has very proud of his team.

MacDonald said the moment was "among the proudest of now 18-plus years of coaching.鈥�

"We were 0-13, and now we end up the season 3-14,鈥� he said. "I didn't think we'd get a win this season. We've got a lot of athletes disguised as basketball players. I'm proud. 鈥�

The Rams won both of their playoff games to earn a berth in the championship game.

"Vanier came out with a lot of firepower,鈥� MacDonald said of the second half. "They made a lot of shots right off the start. It took our boys everything they had to get into this game. We just couldn't get back over that hurdle.鈥�

The zone defence that helped the Rams squeak by the Crusaders in the first round-robin game of the tournament didn't have the same effect in the title game.

"Sean's a great coach,鈥� MacDonald said. "He picked apart our zone defence. They made the outside shots. They made the inside shots.

"You've got to be intense in every play. It's the team that hustles the most in any given night. That was us the last two nights. It was them tonight.鈥�

Tournament all-stars included Ken Valdez and Brian Hermosa of F.H. Collins, Scott Peterson and Wiens of Porter Creek, and Vanier's Apostol.