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Brentwood Takes the Kodiak Klassic

2 January 2018
Olamide O, Privett ‘18; Photo by Jim Ganley
The basketball season is underway around the province and Brentwood is no exception; each of our teams got into action in their respective tournaments this past weekend. The Senior Boys Basketball team participated in the Heritage Woods Kodiak Klassic, one of the top tournaments in British Columbia. The competition was almost exclusively 4A teams, so we knew this would be an opportunity to see just how good we are against the province’s best.  In the first round, the team faced the Lord Tweedsmuir Panthers. Brentwood had a solid start to the game; the boys ran patient offense and played aggressive defense. Over the course of the second quarter, the Panthers made a run to close the seven-point deficit, but Brentwood responded well, increasing their advantage to 10 points by halftime. The team carried its momentum into the third quarter, going up by as much as 15 points. Not wanting to go out quietly, the Panthers battled back, making it a three-point game with just over two minutes left in the period. Brentwood then went on a run of their own, increasing the lead to 11 points before silly turnovers reduced it to seven as the period ended. The fourth quarter saw Brentwood come out with a new focus. Their commitment to the defensive side of the ball and rebounding helped them get easy buckets in transition, none more impressive than a dunk from Will N, Ellis ‘18 on the fast break. Brentwood ultimately won the game 89-68. Brendan S, Ellis ‘18, was named the game MVP with his 22 points. Johnny M, Ellis ‘18, played very well off the bench, scoring 19 points, grabbing eight rebounds, and viciously rejecting opponents all game, finishing with six blocks. Bruno C, Whittall ‘18, also had a great game with 14 points, 12 rebounds, and six assists.  Later than day, Brentwood squared off against the W.J. Mouat Hawks. To start the game, the team continued their trend of patient offense, leading to easy baskets early. However, turnovers and fouls hindered them from building a large advantage. Nonetheless, Brentwood held a 18-12 lead after the first quarter. In the second period, the team took care of the ball much better, doubling their advantage by halftime with a score of 38-26. The third quarter began with a barrage of threes from both teams, maintaining the scoring difference. Slowly, Brentwood gained a 17-point lead, only for the Hawks to cut it down to 10 with about three minutes left in the period. Brentwood responded with a run of their own, doubling their lead, finishing the quarter with a 65-45 lead. In the final quarter, Brentwood extended their lead to 23 points, beating the Hawks 81-58. Brendan S again led the team in scoring with 21 points including six three-pointers and was named the game MVP. Somto D, Rogers ‘18, had a huge game off the bench scoring 18 points and grabbing 8 rebounds while Casper P, Whittall ‘18, had a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds. Nathan P, Ellis’ 18 was an offensive playmaker, finishing with 13 points and 5 assists.  In the semifinals, Brentwood was set up against the Semiahmoo Totems. The team was without Somto D and Jeff M, Ellis ‘18, who were writing the SAT. Regardless, the boys were ready for the challenge ahead. The game started with a fast pace; both teams got out on the fastbreak several times but failed to convert often or turned the ball over frequently. After the first quarter, Brentwood led 16-12. The second quarter saw a bit of an offensive improvement for Brentwood. They took better care of the ball and executed in the half court. This scoring uptick saw Brentwood double their lead by halftime, leading the game 37-29. The opening minutes quarter were dominated by the Totems. They hit a slew of three-pointers, including a four-point play which cut their deficit to three points. Brentwood battled back to increase their lead to seven before a Totem run whittled it down to four. The run continued into the fourth, as the Totems took a one point lead. However, this was short-lived as Brentwood fought to retake the lead and held it for the rest of the game with the clutch threes from Brendan S and Bruno C. The final score was 77-68. Nathan P led the team in scoring with 21 points and grabbed 7 rebounds en route to being named the game MVP. Brendan S and Bruno C scored 15 points and 13 points, respectively, and Johnny M and Casper P combined for 20 rebounds.  In the finals, Brentwood was set to play the Bishop O’Byrne Bobcats, a team from Calgary. Brentwood got out to a great start; the team played stifling defense and ran their offense well, jumping out to a 17-5 lead over the first nine minutes. Slowly but surely, the Bobcats fought back, using offensive putbacks and free throws to tie the game up at 31-31 at halftime. In the third quarter, Brentwood got out on the fast break, converting easy baskets. Coupled with shots starting to fall, the team led by as much as 11 before the Bobcats reduced it to seven by the quarter’s end. In the final frame, Brendan S came out hot. He scored eight points in the first two minutes, and his shooting helped extend Brentwood’s lead to 14 points. The Bobcats made it tough, but with three and a half minutes left, Brentwood led 67-56. The crowd thought the game was over; unfortunately they were wrong. After playing a solid game, Brentwood collapsed in the final minutes. The team couldn’t run their offense, forcing passes that were easily stolen and converted on the other end. In just two minutes, Brentwood’s lead was cut from 11 to four. After a foul, Olamide O, Privett ‘18, would make one of his two free-throws; that would be the last point Brentwood scored in the game. In the final minute, the Bobcats narrowed the deficit to a single point off of a layup and free throws. With under 20 seconds left, Brentwood passed the ball across the court trying to run out the shot clock, but poor execution led to a shot that gave the Bobcats a chance to win. Fortunately, a final heave fell short and Brentwood walked away with a 71-70 victory in a thrilling final. The game MVP Brendan S led the team in scoring with 19 points while Bruno C added 15 points and eight rebounds. Nathan P had a great all around game with 13 points, six rebounds and six steals while the big man duo of Olamide O and Somto S combined for 16 rebounds. Being a playmaker on both sides of the ball, Casper P had six assists and five steals in the win.  After the game, awards were handed out. Nathan P was named a First Team All-Star, Bruno C won the Most Outstanding Defensive Player Award, and Brendan S was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player. While the boys were proud of their accomplishments as individuals and as a team, they knew that there was much room for improvement, especially down the stretch of games. Fortunately, they have a slew of games over the next couple of weeks and an exciting tournament during Winter Break where they will face some of the best teams in the BC, Alberta, and Washington State. This is going to be a very busy season for the Brentwood boys, and there’s no better way to start it off than with a big tournament win.  Olamide O, Privett ‘18

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