ST. PAUL – Glendon School was host to intense boys’ and girls’ St. Paul Athletic Association (SPAA) senior high basketball championship games on March 6.
This year, the long-time court rivalry between Glendon School and Ashmont School was at full display, with the benches of the Glendon School gymnasium packed with large crowds of people cheering on their teams.
Boys
For the boys’ side, the game was a close match from start to finish, with both teams displaying impressive skill and determination on the court. The crowd rallied the spirits of the players, as they made shot after shot, with Glendon starting strong until Ashmont caught up in the second quarter, 29-28.
In the third quarter, the excitement escalated as Glendon pushed themselves to gain the lead 58-66 with two minutes left in the quarter. But by the fourth quarter, Ashmont changed the momentum and caught up 66-64.
But the Glendon team was able to widen the gap 63-66 with only one minute remaining in the last quarter.
Ashmont did not give in. Working to close the gap until the last second. They managed to close the lead 74-71 with 20 seconds left in the game. A basket from the Ashmont boys brought the game to within one point, and a final score of 74-73 with Glendon winning the game.
Glendon’s leading scorer was Dalton Doonanco, who is on his last year of high school. He said the game was “too close” and that while Glendon did “some things right and some things wrong,” he is proud of the team for holding it together.
“We got some things to work on, but we did good,” he said. “We did almost as good as we could have.”
He also applauded Ashmont for the “great game,” which could have gone either way.
Jorell Jackson Cardinal, who is among Ashmont’s top performers, also expressed his thoughts on the game. “It was amazing [and] we played pretty good.”
Recalling how the team played hard right to the final buzzer, Cardinal said, “Never give up man... never give up.”
Ashmont coach Trevor Stepp expressed how proud he was of his team’s performance, and “all the work that they put in this year.”
“[Ashmont] always have a great battle with Glendon,” said Stepp. He commended Glendon for the game. “They played a little bit better than us and ended up winning. So, congratulations to them.”
Girls
The girls’ side was equally intense, with Ashmont leading the game for the most part of the first half. Glendon managed to inch closer to Ashmont, and the score was 18-15 in the third quarter, in favour of Ashmont.
Then Glendon made an impressive rally, slowly catching up to Ashmont’s lead by the fourth quarter.
Finally, with just under a minute left off the clock, victory edged closer for Ashmont, as the girls lead the score by one point at 27-26.
However, much to the crowd’s surprise, Glendon scored a free throw to tie the score 27-27, forcing the game to overtime. The crowd erupted into cheers when the two teams got back on the court.
Both teams played hard despite the evident exhaustion, and ultimately, Ashmont won the championship 34-29.
Madie Ganser, captain of Glendon’s girls’ team, said, “We tried our best [and] we did everything we could do.” While she expressed her disappointed not winning the SPAA banner, she was proud of her team, reiterating, “Our team did amazing.”
Ganser also praised Ashmont for their solid lineup. “We’ve always been head-to head with Ashmont and [it] definitely was an interesting game. So, I’m not too sad about it,” she said.
Sandra Lysy, Glendon School’s girls’ coach, expressed her pride for the team. Last year, the team, which was composed of many of the same players who played this year, did not make it to the playoffs, she explained.
"This year, we made it to the finals and almost won,” said Lysy. “So, they don’t have anything to hang their heads about. I’m very, very proud of this team.”
Rhea Quinney is a player with the Ashmont Falcons and felt proud and excited for her first SPAA championship win. Quinney is currently in Grade 10, so she still has two more years of high school basketball ahead of her.
When asked what the biggest challenge the team faced during the game was, Quinney said the team briefly lost its momentum and chemistry on the court, “but then we came back and got it going again.” She also commended Glendon for a well-played game.
“We both did really good and I’m really super proud of all of us,” she said.
Sarjenka Kuryliw, coach for Ashmont School’s girls’ team, also shared her feelings after the game, saying she was “super proud of my girls,” particularly of the teamwork they displayed.
“It was really stressful going into overtime... but I’m proud that they came together as a team and didn’t get mad at each other and stayed positive,” said Kuryliw. She commended Glendon for their growth this year.
“I look forward to playing them next year,” said the Ashmont coach.
Daryn Galatiuk, SPAA vice-president and organizer of the tournament, as well as the coach for Glendon’s boys’ team, congratulated all teams and thanked all volunteers, giving special thanks to the referees.
He said without the referees, the season would not have been possible. “We’ve been losing a lot of officials in our area and sometimes it’s due to unsportsmanlike behavior of fans, players, or coaches,” he said.
“So, we’ve had a strong emphasis on protecting the interests of our referees,” he said, explaining that there was a moment at the beginning of the season when “we were unsure if we were going to have any referees in the area.”
“We’re very proud that the league, SPAA, and the local referee association were able to work together to ensure we still had basketball this year,” he said. He is feeling confident that the increased support for referees will encourage more referees, including young referees, to get involved in basketball in the region.
Galatiuk is happy to see the championship end in success, especially after the pandemic.
“As you can see here tonight, the stands are full of people, and the atmosphere of basketball has returned to the Lakeland and St. Paul area,” he said. “It's been wonderful to be able to put on a league that so many parents and kids can enjoy. I’m just ecstatic about the whole thing [and] that basketball is alive and well in the area.”
