It's taken more than seven years, but the Elphinstone senior boys have finally captured first place at their annual Cougar Classic invitational tournament.
The road to a seat atop the podium wasn't without its fair share of injuries, miraculous comebacks, and a shot-for-shot final that left every fan on the edge of their seats.
Elphi started round-robin pool play on Friday afternoon against the St. John's Eagles from Vancouver.
Captain Dolf Vermeulen somehow managed to sprain his ankle off the opening jump ball, forcing him to the sidelines for the rest of the weekend. The Cougars looked a little shaky playing in front of a packed gym, but settled down in the second quarter and put together a string of dominant offensive sets, outscoring their opponents 43-14 in the second and third quarters and coasting to a 77-36 win.
Nathan Campbell and Oliver Telfer led the scoring with 18 and 14 points respectively.
If the first game had created a buzz for the hometown fans, the second game against the Rockridge Ravens took all that excitement away. The Ravens still seemed bitter from Elphi destroying them earlier in the season, and they looked to return the favour. The game remained close in the early going, but Rockridge amassed a lead mid-way through the second quarter and maintained the upper hand until the dying minutes of the fourth.
Elphinstone, beginning to taste their first defeat in over a month, began to attack the rim with tenacity and forced Rockridge into crippling foul trouble. Five Ravens had fouled out in the closing minutes, forcing them to forfeit a 57-56 lead.
Head coach Mike Sopow said he wasn't too impressed with the win.
"That was the worst game I had ever seen these guys play," said Sopow. "I don't feel good about the win. I'm not happy about it. I just hope that we can step it up tomorrow and give these fans something to be proud of."
Elphi was pitted against the Pemberton Devils in the semifinals and were looking for redemption. The Cougars came out with a feverish pace, consistently setting the tone at both ends of the court and doubling up with a final score of 84-42.
The Howe Sound Sounders breezed through their round robin play, and like Rockridge, looked to exact revenge on the Cougars for a defeat earlier in the season.
The championship final Saturday night saw the teams trade the lead 11 times throughout the contest, with Elphi up 56-50 heading into the fourth quarter.
But Howe Sound started the final frame on a 16-2 run, putting the Cougars against the ropes, a theme all too familiar in the tournament's past. With the score tied at 70 and less than a minute remaining, rookie guard Jason Chung drove to the hoop on two consecutive possessions, drawing fouls, and icing the game for the Cougars with clutch free-throw shooting.
Evan Murphy was awarded the game star for the final, Jason claimed first team tournament all-star honours, and Oliver received the MVP award for his great play and leadership throughout the weekend. Also, Howe Sound's sharpshooter Daman Batta won the three-point contest in convincing fashion.
The 4-0 showing at the Classic, along with a recent league win over St. Thomas Aquinas on Jan. 6 puts Elphinstone at 17-1 in the season, one of the best double-A records in the province.
The Cougars faced key match-ups this week with games against Seycove and Bodwell; results were not available at press time Thursday morning.
