Alberni District Secondary School athletic director Mike Roberts had only one word for the 68th annual Totem basketball tournament that took place in Port Alberni over the weekend.
“Flawless,” he said.
The tournament went off without a hitch, drawing hundreds of spectators to the ADSS gym to watch six teams on the boys’ and girls’ side battle it out for the championship trophy. While neither ADSS team claimed first place, the senior girls finished second and the senior boys finished third.
The girls battled hard in the championship game against Pacific Christian School, said ADSS coach Greg Freethy, but they faced a tough opponent. Pacific Christian won the game 73-41.
“Definitely our effort was there,” Freethy said. “You always learn more from losing than winning, so we’ve got a few things we need to clean up. There’s still lots of season left.”
He said he was pretty happy with the team’s defense. Alberni players Sarah Warman and Jaidin Knightin had the tough task of guarding PCS’s two best players. For her effort, Warman was named the player of the game.
“They both worked extremely hard,” said Freethy.
After the girls’ championship, the ADSS boys took to the court to face the Ballenas Whalers in the battle for third place. It was a close game, but ADSS managed to hold onto the lead and take the game 76-71. Earlier in the day, Campbell River’s Carihi defeated Edward Milne 80-61 to win the boys’ championship.
At the end of the night, Jace Fedirchuk was crowned the winner of the Totem Spirit competition.
Roberts said the tournament was a sold-out event. At times, the noise of the crowd drowned out the music performed by the pep band. Roberts said the success of Totem is a testament to all the people working behind the scenes to organize it and make sure it runs smoothly.
“They were great games,” he said. “It would have been great if we had won, but if we win all the time then it’s not special anymore.”
Final results—
Boys Totem Champion: Carihi
Boys MVP: Zach Auramenko (Carihi)
Boys All-Star Team: Bowen Baikie (Carihi), Malachy Hill (Edward Milne), Scottie Cisaroski (ADSS), Nick Cross (ADSS), Mason Fettback (Ballenas).
Girls Totem Champion: PCS
Girls MVP: A. Ellison (PCS)
Girls All-Star Team: Meelah Mentoine (Ballenas), Alexi Bowser (Belmont), K. Tupas-Singh (PCS), Ella McDougall (Alberni), Hayleigh Watts (ADSS).
Most Sportsmanlike Team: Kwalikum
Totem Spirit Winner: Jace Fedirchuk
