The EJ Dunn Girls Basketball team started their Spring Break and capped off their season by winning the Port Alberni Middle School Championships March 7, hosted at ADSS.
The format was a single day play-off tournament, which pitted the girls against the EJ Dunn Boys team in the opening round, before the girls advanced to the semi-finals. In the semi-finals, the EJ Dunn Girls faced the Haahuupayak Girls squad, who went undefeated in regular season play.
It was a spirited contest, with the outcome in doubt until the final seconds of regulation. Prevailing in the semifinals led the Dunn girls to face a Haahuupayak Boys squad in the finals. The Haahuupayak Boys entered the finals fresh from their own semi-final battle versus AW Neill. The Championship match proved an even greater nail-biter, ultimately decided by three points in the girls favour.
Outstanding players on defence, for this championship squad, were Dianna Sorensen, Mary Napachee, Catherine Joe-Thompson, Arrianna Ward, Kionna Little, and Sydney Chase. Offensively the team saw contributions from Gerrelyn Barney, Cadence Fraser, and Chelsea Joe-Thompson.
The Match MVPs were Babae Williams, Shawna Williams, and Diana Sorensen. Tournament MVP, Chantal Tate, dazzled the crowd by raining three-point shots. What makes this story even more extraordinary? The EJ Dunn girls entered the tournament as a true Cinderella team, facing three consecutive tournament opponents that they were unable to defeat during the regular season!
The 10-game regular season was organized by EJ Dunn Boys coach, Craig Brooks, and featured six teams from four schools. EJ Dunn squads were a grade 6-7 Boys, coached by Brooks, as well as the grade 6-8 championship girls, coached by Heather MacLeod and Moira Currey.
AW Neill’s squad featured boys from grade 6-8, coached by Janine Widsten, while John Paul II had a co-ed 6-8 squad, coached by Colleen Duncan, Tanya Irg, and Suzanne Duncan. Both the Haahuupayak girls and Boys teams were run by Ernie Netzer and Trevor Little.
While Brooks took the initiative in organizing this middle-school basketball season, he credits the success of the league to the many volunteers who became involved.
“I may have cobbled together a schedule and set the wheels in motion to start a league, but really, none of this would have been possible without the countless number of teachers, parents, and students who volunteered their time as coaches, players, refs, and score keepers for their schools.”
Brooks was also extremely appreciative of the help and guidance he received from both Neelam Parmer and Mike Roberts from ADSS, in organizing and running the play-off tournament.
“Neelam and Mike were more than accommodating to answer any query I had, ensure that the tournament itself was a success, providing some participants T-shirts for their outstanding play, and in offering advice on how to proceed when putting together a league next season.”
Whether talking about the boisterous crowd of parents and students in attendance throughout the season, as well as the tournament, the volunteers who took part throughout the season, or his ‘boys’ strong work ethic during the season, it is clear to Brooks that this community would get behind a permanent city-wide school league. When asked about how next year’s district-wide school realignment will possibly impact things moving forward, Craig responded,
“Port Alberni, historically speaking, has a rich basketball tradition. I think it will be easy to re-energize this community’s love of the sport because of that. Ideally, I’d like to help organize a permanent grade 6-7 league which includes at least one team from every school, whether it be boy, girl or co-ed and gradually build towards an Alberni-style March-madness community event!”
The coaches and parents want to send out a final congratulations to all of those student-athletes for their hard work, dedication, and representing their schools proudly!
