Totem fans trickled in slowly, starting with the senior girls final at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 10, which saw Nanaimo’s Dover Bay Dolphins outshoot Victoria’s Pacific Christian Pacers 88-73 to win a Totem 70 trophy.
Dolphins head coach Shayne Pfeiffer said his team pushed hard throughout the three-day basketball tournament. They opened with a 50-44 win over Alberni Storm girls on Thursday.
“We are really proud of them. It’s always a circled date on our calendar to be here at Totem and to go away with gold medals is just icing on the cake,” said coach Pfeiffer.
Tournament MVP Jessica Slater sunk five consecutive foul shots in the fourth quarter to help the Dolphins swim away with the victory.
“I wanted to slow down the pace a little bit, stay in control and keep us in a good position,” said Slater. “(Pacific Christian) did win Provincials last year so they are a really tough team and a respectful team. It was a really great tournament, super well-run and really fun to play in.”
Bleachers were being saved by the row at 3 p.m. during a close 70-66 semifinal game between the senior boys Ballenas Whalers and the Reynolds Roadrunners. Ballenas took third and Reynolds fourth.
By 5 p.m., for the senior girls semifinal game between the host Alberni Storm and Nanaimo’s Wellington Wildcats, the gymnasium was pushing capacity with roughly 1,800 roaring Totem fans rolling into the venue.
But the thunder of a hometown crowd couldn’t save the Storm girls from falling 57-54 to the Wildcats.
“It felt really sad at first, when the buzzer went, but then I reflected on the past three years of senior basketball and I couldn’t have had it any better. I put everything out there and I feel like even though we lost, we came out on top emotionally. We tried our best, we gave it our all and I’m really proud of us,” said Storm player Hayleigh Watts.
Watts, who heads to Florida next year to play college softball, said the energy at Totem 70 was bigger than years before.
“The crowd really helped us in so many ways. Winning our games, losing our games, keeping our energy to keep us going,” she said.
Edward Milne Wolverines coach Trevor Bligh dedicated Saturday’s final game of B.C.’s longest running basketball tournament to Tseshaht elder Tom Watts.
Tom Watts is an Alberni District Secondary School (ADSS) Athletics and Nuu-chah-nulth Sports Hall of Fame inductee, and in 1962 he was awarded the Tom Longboat Award, an annual accolade that recognizes Indigenous athletes for their contributions to sport in Canada.
“What a legend Tom Watts is. He really inspired me. I started to talk to him and I did some research and I got a photo with him. Ninety-three-years old? He looks better than me at 50,” said Bligh.
Bligh’s senior boys silenced the Storm 69-53 to nab back-to-back Totem titles.
“It means a lot. It’s super exciting. We count on this every year as a steppingstone to Provincials. Believe it or not, our Grade 11’s as Juniors were 24 and 2 last year. We’re actually better next year than we are this year,” he said.
Wolverine’s player Malakai Hills won Totem MVP for the second year in a row.
“He’s aging out. He’s in Grade 12. His next big decision is going to be how hard he’s going to play the rest of the season and what CIS university he chooses to go to,” said Bligh.
Alberni Storm’s Coen Erickson beamed with a gold All-Star medal around his neck as fans flushed out of the gym into a rainy night. The Grade 12 student also thought this year shows the biggest surge of spectators he’s ever witnessed at Totem.
“It was a great atmosphere, especially for my senior year. I’ve been playing since Grade 10 and it’s gotten better every year. I feel like we were really connected this year. It really meant a lot to me to do that with my teammates. We did have success, I wish we won, but that’s okay. It’s been a good time,” said Erickson.
