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Bow Valley Basketball teams claim first, third in CMBA finals

“The growth of the game in the Bow Valley has been remarkable."

BOW VALLEY – While Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors celebrated a fourth NBA championship, two local basketball teams were closing out their seasons in style as well.

The Bow Valley Basketball (BVB) U15 and HS U18 boys finished first and third, respectively, in the Calgary Minor Basketball Association (CMBA) rec playoffs on June 17-18.

The results are a slam dunk for BVB, which are the local clubs best since establishing in 2018.

“The growth of the game in the Bow Valley has been remarkable,” said BVB founder Fraser Quelch.

The U15 boys went unbeaten at 3-0, defeating the Eagles 55-40 in the finals at 7 Chiefs Sportsplex on Tsuut'ina First Nation.

BVB's Keith Short and Cody Oruski led in scoring with 14 points each and were beasts on the offensive glass. Tristen Quelch added 10 points and Ben Bachmann had eight.

A promising and deep squad, the majority of U15 players are expected to return next season. If they do, it could be trouble for the rest of the league.

“There’s a whole group of Grade 8s who are very good as they come up and that’s what we didn’t have before, we didn’t have a deep team,” said Quelch.

Standouts who have shot and dribbled through BVB's ranks include Corey Banks, a Team Alberta guard going to the Niagara 2022 Canada Summer Games, and brothers Jaxon and Ethan Fisher, who play for Calgary’s top basketball club Genesis.

“If that [U15] group stays together and continues to play, I think they’re better now than when Corey and the Fisher brothers were when they were at playing U15,” Quelch said.

Winning bronze, the BVB’s HS boys went 2-1 in the playoffs, losing to Supreme, 78-68, before defeating Excel, 76-70, in the third place game.

BVB's Gabriel Bongbong dropped a game-high 24 points and Eli Whittington added 17 against Excel.

BVB's defensive pressure played a major role, said Quelch. Notably, Tamaru Iwasaki tied up Excel's top shooter throughout the game.

Started as a new athletic option for local kids, the club has grown from just a handful of ballers in 2018 to more than 60 athletes in 2022, including its first-ever girls' team this season. During the pandemic and beyond, practices have been held outdoors and inside the "Shooting Shed", a storage unit with a hoop set up inside in Dead Man's Flats.


Jordan Small

About the Author: Jordan Small

An award-winning reporter, Jordan Small has covered sports, the arts, and news in the Bow Valley since 2014. Originally from Barrie, Ont., Jordan has lived in Alberta since 2013.
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