The NBIAA Basketball Final 12 Was A Slam Dunk

 Photos: NBIAA Facebook

Saint John NB: This weekend, the NBIAA Basketball Final 12 took place, and what a tournament it was! Six incredible games were played, and we are here to take a deep dive into each matchup.

FRIDAY

The weekend tipped off with the AA girls final which featured the Woodstock Thunder and the Miramichi Valley Pulamoo. The Thunder started off with a bang taking a 20-4 lead after the first, and kept the momentum going into halftime with a 30-15 lead over the Pulamoo. After halftime, the Valley started up the comeback train and got only 4 points back from Woodstock, but Rylee McCartney and the Thunder derailed that train and ended the game with a score of 51-38. Player of the game for the Thunder was Emma Saunders who had 5 points. Player of the game for the Pulamoo was Talya Larocque who had a game high 12 points. 

The Friday night headliner was the AA boys final where we saw the Woodstock Thunder take on École Saint-Anne Castors. One year ago, the Castors lost by 40 points in this very game against the Fundy Mariners, which gave them some fuel in this matchup. The game started off very exciting as we had a tie game at 18 apiece going into the second quarter. Things changed for the better for Sainte-Anne as they were up by 4 at the half with a 32-28 score. The third stayed pretty even with the Castors outscoring Woodstock 10-8, but the damage had already been done in the first half as the score was 42-36 going into the final 10. The Castors dominated the Thunder in the 4th, finishing the game with a 60-43 victory. Player of the game for the Castors was NBIAA All-Star, Joel Clair, who scored 9 points and had 13 assists. Player of the game for the Thunder was NBIAA All-Star, Jackson McCartney who had 17 points and 11 rebounds.

SATURDAY

The first game of the day was bound to be a great one. The AAA girls final featured the École Mathieu Martin Vedettes taking on the Rothesay Red Hawks. All season the Red Hawks were known as the team to beat, and they started off strong with a 13-9 lead over the Vedettes. The momentum continued into a high scoring second quarter, where after it was done, the Red Hawks led with a score of 35-27. The 3rd was a close battle, but the Red Hawks still got the edge leading 49-42 going into the final 10. The Vedettes started off strong in the 4th, but that spurt of energy didn't last long as the Red Hawks took over with a dominant last few minutes, earning a 71-54 victory. Player of the game for the Red Hawks was NBIAA All-star Neve Pearson who put up 22 points. Player of the game for the Vedettes was NBIAA All-star Sophie Doiron, who had 20 points.

Next on deck was the AAA Boys Final, featuring the Rothesay Red Hawks versus the Fredericton Black Kats. This game started off entertaining with FHS leading the Red Hawks with a 21-14 lead. The second quarter went back and forth quite a bit, with Rothesay making things close, but the quarter ended with a push by FHS which gave them the 48-36 lead after two. The third was also highly competitive, with good momentum by both sides, however FHS still had the edge ending the quarter with a 71-57 lead. The final 10 was all FHS as they dominated the Red Hawks. Final score for this one was 90-62 for the Black Kats. Player of the game for the Black Kats was NBIAA All-star Jake Christie who scored 20 points. Player of the game for the Red Hawks was NBIAA All-star Colin Tilley who put up a very impressive 32 points.

Saturday evening started with the A Girls Final, where we saw the Fredericton Christian Academy Eagles take on the Southern Victoria Vikings. The first half was very close, with the score being 24-23 for the Vikings after the first 20. The Vikings came out to play in the third quarter, putting up 22 points which made the scoreboard show a 46-37 lead over the Eagles. The fourth was one for the books. FCA started the comeback and achieved it as they took the lead late. However, the Vikings didn't back down as they put in the work to take a 3 point lead, giving them the victory with a score of 62-59. Player of the game for the Vikings was Mataia Perley, who scored 23 points. Player of the game for the Eagles was NBIAA All-star Neely McAloon, with 14 points.

The final game of the weekend was the A Boys Final, which featured the Fredericton Christian Academy Eagles and the John Caldwell Golden Knights. JC came to ball, putting up 23 points in the first 10 minutes. FCA put in the work to make it close in the second, but it did not last long as JC took the 38-28 lead going into halftime. The third started with a push by FCA, but then JC decided to put up 16 unanswered points, giving them a 58-32 lead. JC did not let FCA have any wiggle room in the 4th as they took the championship with a final score of 74-54. Player of the game for the Golden Knights was NBIAA All-star Kohen Pietens, who put up 28 points and 13 rebounds. Player of the game for the Eagles was NBIAA All-star Farel Kengne, with 13 points.

The tournament was definitely one to remember. Congratulations to all athletes who played in this tournament, as well as all athletes in the NBIAA for a great season of basketball.