The beat goes on for the Paul Kane Blues in high school hoops.
The second premier men's championship in a row was also the fourth in six years by the 4A provincial contenders.
"It's awesome to win it for the school. Not too many guys have been able to do that on teams over the history at Paul Kane so it's great to have back to back championships," said co-captain Khalil Bertin. "They say it's always hard to repeat and we were fortunate to do it. That's why it's much sweeter this year than last year."
Saturday's 88-62 blowout of the host O'Leary Spartans in the metro Edmonton final also guaranteed the Blues a berth at the March 15 to 17 provincials in Raymond.
"We've got really good potential this year to come out really strong at provincials," said Hyrum Sutton, the team's top scorer in the final with 19 points. "Last year we didn't do quite as well as we wanted to but this year we're going to go firing into provincials."
Last year the Blues finished eighth at provincials.
"Winning premier again gives us momentum going into provincials. We're going to give it a good run and hopefully we'll do some damage," said Adam Sturgess, a physical Grade 12 post.
The Blues are 21-11 overall as the fifth-ranked 4A team in the province after their 11th win in 12 games in premier.
"We're climbing to the top at the right time," Bertin said.
Zone playoffs
Thursday in the Edmonton zone elimination tournament the Blues battle the Edmonton public league champion Harry Ainlay Titans to determine the zone's top seed at provincials. Tip-off is 7 p.m. at Concordia University College.
The Titans are ranked No. 1 in the province.
"They're a great team. It's definitely going to be fun," Bertin said.
A loss would drop the Blues into Saturday's playoff to determine the second and third seeds. Game time is 5 p.m. at Concordia.
Last year the Blues were seeded eighth in the 16-team provincial draw as the third zone qualifier.
Eight players are back from the first appearance at provincials by the Blues since winning gold in 2008.
"I would definitely say this year we're a better team. We're more of a unit together. Everybody is on the same page," Bertin said. "We're a lot stronger and a lot bigger. Everyone worked hard with each other in the offseason to get better."
The team's record last season was 29-12.
"We've got players that are stepping up and doing the same jobs as the guys did last year," Sturgess said.
The pressure was on the Blues in Saturday's showdown to continue the tradition of excellence in Paul Kane basketball.
"It's a great feeling to live up to that legacy that was started by the guys six years ago," said Sutton.
The underrated Grade 12 forward was surprised the Blues beat the Spartans (10-2) by 26 points after crushing them 71-46 last month in league play at Paul Kane.
"We didn't think it would happen again, especially when they started to come back in the second quarter. We thought it was going to be a real close game," Sutton said. "In the second half we hustled on D and that turned it around for us."
Sutton, 17, led the second half charge with 14 points, including an early three-pointer.
"It was a real important game and I'm glad I could come out strong when it counted," he said.
In the first quarter the Blues outscored the Spartans 21-16 as Bertin and Tyler Wise both wired three-pointers and Sutton and Sturgess filled the hoop for points.
After the Spartans rallied to knot it at 23 in the second quarter, Stuart Boucher's field goal and Peter McKay's three-pointer put the Blues back on top.
Bertin, 17, raised the roof with a two-handed uncontested dunk after the athletic Grade 12 guard picked off a pass in the Paul Kane end to make it 32-25 with 4:26 left until halftime. His 15 points ranked second in team scoring.
The Spartans kept chipping away at the lead and the Blues needed a free throw by Boucher to escape the first half ahead 39-38.
Second half surge
In the opening minutes of the third quarter, four Blues — Sutton, Bertin, Wise and Sturgess — combined for 14 points as Paul Kane held the Spartans to only seven.
Boucher's three-pointer and Brandon Best's field goal in the last 30 seconds before quarter time gave the Blues a commanding 70-52 lead.
The Blues finished the game with eight three-pointers. McKay led the way with three for 13 points on the night.
Sturgess, 18, also chipped in with 13 while banging bodies in the paint.
"I just tried to do my job, just like everyone else to help us get this win," said the Paul Kane football player.
Sturgess was the last player to leave the crowded gym after the post-game trophy presentation.
"The feeling of winning the championship two years in a row at the senior level is crazy," he said. "The first time ever feels unreal but to be able to accomplish it twice in a row makes it that much more special."
