In a school known for its rugby, Banff Community High School has produced one heck of a basketball team.
The upstart Banff Bears junior varsity basketball team captured its first zone title in more than a decade, winning South Central Zones, Saturday (March 14) in High River.
The win clinched Banff High’s first basketball zone title since 2003.
Virtual unknowns heading into the junior varsity tournament, Banff had spent its entire season playing senior tournaments against older, larger opponents, resulting in a solid, but not spectacular record. Without a single Grade 12 player on its roster, the Bears often found themselves loaded with speed, but short on height.
But, faced with three do-or-die matchups at zones, the Bears played inspired basketball to clinch their title with an 81-71 victory over the Black Diamond Oilers in the final.
“They raised their level for the whole tournament,” said head coach Carsten Sorensen. “This was truly a team victory.”
Banff blasted out of the gates in their first game of the tournament on Friday (March 14), blowing Notre Dame Collegiate out of the water, 85-47. Guard John Santiago paced the Bears’ attack with deft outside shooting.
“It was apparent our speed would play a factor, which it did. Winning the first one was good for our confidence, but I was worried they would become overconfident,” Coach Sorensen said.
He tried to settle the team down before its next match less than two hours later against the Black Diamond Oilers, where again they blitzed their opponents early.
“We got an early lead, but they were slow and steady, plodded away and got back to within a few points of us. That’s when the light went on,” said Sorensen. “We got back to the style of play we know. I was happy to see them get through.”
After a much-needed rest, Banff showed up prepared for their first match against W.H. Croxford school of Airdrie. If the Bears lost, the team would be relegated to a lower round. Banff had no intention of letting that happen.
“I had never seen them play with that much tenacity. We scored 11 points in the first 90 seconds. The other guys had to take a time out, and were wondering ‘where did these guys come from?’ ”
The Bears smoked their Airdrie opponents 85-54, setting up a rematch in the final against Black Diamond. Banff again jumped out to an early lead, however, the pesky Oilers wouldn’t go away, and were up by one in the fourth quarter.
“This is when coaching is the most nerve-wracking; knowing that your team is playing well enough to win. But basketball is never over until the final buzzer,” Sorensen said.
The Bears rallied in the fourth quarter to clinch victory, resulting in the most glorious Banff basketball win in more than a decade.
“Together with Jamie Olver and Wendell Minty, as coaches we could not be prouder. While our team may be height challenged compared to other teams we’ve played, they certainly make up for it in speed, tenacity and desire, culminating in this end of the season championship,” Sorensen said.
Co-captain Royette Evia, 16, said the win is the pinnacle of his basketball career to date. He learned to play barefoot, on open air courts in the Philippines when he was five years old. Now, to be a part of a championship team is a thrill.
“We were fast, we used our speed, we were smart on the court,” Evia said. “It was the best day ever and a great feeling.”
He said the team stayed positive throughout the entire tournament, keeping intensity high throughout their matches.
“We got strong rebounding from our big guys, Phillipp Kulhmann, Aiden Creery and Jasper Dimarucut; some incredible shooting from our forwards and guards, Jon Santiago, Christian Santiago and Jomari Baddas; high pressure presses from Royette and Andre Reyes; great defence from Jack Diaz and Ramilo Makilan and importantly, strong support from Tommy Soukas, A.J. Samson, Saxby Young and Kim Fajut.”
The school will honour the team after March break, with their first historic banner raising ceremony in years. But according to Evia, it won’t be the last for the young team.
“I will try. We will do our best,” Evia said.
