Not long ago, Brentwood College School senior boys basketball coach Blake Gage wasn’t even thinking about his team winning a third consecutive Island title.
He still wasn’t expecting it when the AA championship tournament started in Ladysmith last week, but his team pulled it off, and will get another trip to provincials next week.
“To be honest, I’m a little surprised and delighted,” Gage said. “The boys are working hard and playing their best basketball of the year right now.
“By the time we got to Islands, I thought we had a chance because of how hard the guys are playing. I certainly wasn’t thinking of an Island title a month ago or six months ago.”
Brentwood edged St. Michaels University School in the Island final last Saturday evening, squeaking out a 72-70 victory. SMUS nearly forced overtime with a basket in the final five seconds, but the ball rimmed out.
“I think both teams did a good job of taking each other out of what they wanted to do,” Gage said. “It was a dogfight.
“Credit to the guys; they worked hard. As a coach, it’s great to see the kids buy in together and how far they’ve come, too.
“They’re working harder than I’ve ever seen them work before.”
Brentwood opened the tournament with a 99-70 win over Timberline last Thursday, although Gage didn’t feel his team was at its best. The team defeated Lambrick Park 70-55 in the semifinal.
“Our offence struggled,” Gage acknowledged. “But our work ethic and tenacity at the defensive end made things tough for Lambrick.”
Mattias Streblow was named Player of the Game against Timberline, while Juan Navarro earned that honour in both the semifinal and final on his way to being named a tournament first-team all-star. Shaw Blaisdell was a second-team all-star and the tournament’s Best Defensive Player, while team captain Ian Grabher was named MVP.
One of two players returning from last year’s provincial championship team along with Grant Dillard, Grabher is a talented offensive player who gradually earned more playing time last season by making strides on defence, and is the team’s second-leading rebounder this year despite being a guard. Grabher and Dillard are both starters, major contributors and leaders on the current team.
Even though Brentwood is heading into the AA provincial championship tournament in Langley next week as two-time defending champions, the team is still relatively under the radar.
“It’s definitely a different feeling than last year,” Gage said.
“There’s no target on our backs. We could be the underdogs in every game we play. If the guys continue to get better in practice and come out with the same intensity as last weekend, I’ll take my shot at anyone.”
Regardless of the result at provincials, Gage is pleased with how far the team has come this season.
“Our goal has been to be as good as we can this time of year,” he said. “If we manage the things we can control, we’ll be very happy with whatever the outcome is.”