A fourth-quarter outburst propelled the Ross Sheppard Thunderbirds to victory in Saturday’s final at the Paul Kane Invitational Tournament.
Shep outscored the host Paul Kane Blues 18-11 in the last 10 minutes to win 62-54.
At halftime Shep led 28-25.
Daniel Fleming drained a game-high 21 points, Abdulrahman Al-Tamimi netted 14 and Mon Lueeth and Yasser Abdullahi had eight apiece for Shep, ranked fourth in 4A.
Lueeth was selected the tournament MVP and Al-Tamimi was named to the all-star team.
The Blues were led by Frankie White’s 15 points and Zane Warren’s 12. Theo Block, a tournament all-star, chipped in with eight.
In the metro Edmonton division one standings Shep is 5-0 and the Blues were 2-2 going into Tuesday’s game against the 2-2 Jasper Place Rebels. The score was unavailable at press time.
In Friday’s semifinals the Blues downed the Sturgeon Spirits 87-60 and Shep edged the McNally Tigers 69-68.
Warren dropped in 16 points, including four threes, Thomas Laxdal added 13 and Quinn Peterson sank 11 for the Blues, unranked in 4A.
McNally finished third in the eight-team draw by defeating Sturgeon 84-74.
The M.E. Lazerte Voyageurs placed fifth as the consolation winners, followed by the Fort McMurray Miners, Eastglen Blue Devils and the last-place Bellerose Bulldogs.
The Paul Kane Blues settled for fourth place in the women’s draw as the host team at their invitational tournament.
The Blues lost Saturday’s third-place game to the Dr. E.P. Scarlett Lancers of Calgary 65-48.
The Lancers led 19-15 after the first quarter, 28-26 at halftime and 47-39 after three quarters.
Sydney Hurlburt was the top scorer for the Blues with 18 points, including three three-pointers.
Rachel McIntyre, the team’s tournament all-star, posted 10 points and Kaitlyn Hunder added six.
Tournament all-star Abby Gibb scored a team-high 15 points for the Lancers, ranked sixth in 4A.
In Friday’s semifinals the Blues fell 62-51 to the Balfour Collegiate Redmen of Regina and the Lancers dropped a 64-37 decision to the O’Leary Spartans.
Hunder fired 13 points, McIntyre sank 12 and Hurlburt and Julie Fagan had 11 apiece in the loss.
Balfour wired eight threes in the win. Rebecca Klenk led the way with three for 10 points and Jennifer Tonita, a tournament all-star, made a pair for 19 points.
In the final O’Leary beat Balfour 57-52.
Kristyn Smart of O’Leary was honoured as the tournament MVP and teammate Megan Tywoniuk was an all-star selection.
In metro Edmonton division one O’Leary is 3-2 and the Blues were 4-0, plus 9-4 overall, prior to Tuesday’s game against the 1-3 Jasper Place Rebels. The score was unavailable at press time.
O’Leary and the Blues are both 4A honourable mentions.
Rounding out the eight-team draw were the Sturgeon Spirits as the consolation winners, Fort McMurray Miners, Hunting Hills Lightning of Red Deer and the last-place Bellerose Bulldogs.
The Sturgeon Spirits finished in the middle of the pack in the men’s and women’s draws at the Paul Kane Invitational Tournament.
Saturday the Sturgeon men lost the third-place game to the McNally Tigers 84-74 and the lady Spirits defeated the Fort McMurray Miners 35-32 in the consolation final.
Tournament all-star Jacob Kaup lit up McNally for 32 points. Corbin McCormack sank 11 and Josh Hardick added 10.
Kaup was Sturgeon’s top gun with 18 points in the 87-60 semifinal loss to the Paul Kane Blues. McCormack drained 13 and Eldosh Singo had eight.
Sturgeon, ranked second in 3A, is 1-4 in metro Edmonton division one and 9-9 overall as the winner of the J. Percy Page tournament and finalist as the host team at the Rise Up tournament.
Laurel Anderson scored a team-high nine points against the Miners and Kendra Fincaryk was a tournament all-star for the lady Spirits, 1-2 in pool B in metro Edmonton division two.
The SAPEC Invitational Junior High Basketball Tournament tips off Thursday at 4 p.m. in St. Albert.
The winning teams in the opening draw advance into the A division and the losing teams compete in the B division.
Saturday’s finals at Vincent J. Maloney School are 1 p.m. for the girls and 2:15 p.m. for the boys in the B division and 3:30 p.m. for the girls and 4:45 p.m. for the boys in the A division.
Games are scheduled at Sir George Simpson, Lorne Akins, Richard S. Fowler and VJM throughout the three-day competition.
The tournament features 16 girls’ and 16 boys’ teams. Local teams include the VJM Marauders, Elmer S. Gish Warriors, ESSMY Leopards, Lorne Akins Gators, Richard S. Fowler Falcons, Sir George Simpson Voyageurs, William D. Cuts Crusaders, Morinville Wolves, Camilla Thunderbirds and Sturgeon Heights Eagles.
Last year the lady Marauders three-peated as tournament champions for their fourth title in seven years and VJM won the boys’ final.
Meanwhile, the SAPEC regular season started Tuesday. The lady Voyageurs and VJM boys are the defending Tier 1 city champions. The finals are March 7 at the SkyDome.
