The Vanier Crusaders senior boys team will attempt to three-peat at the Yukon Basketball Championships this week.
They appear to have the tools to make it happen.
The Crusaders won the Super Hoops title in a 93-61 win over the F.H. Collins Warriors at Vanier Catholic Secondary on Friday.
The win marks the end of an immaculate Super Hoops season, having not dropped a game in the Whitehorse high school league.
“We’ve played tremendous as a group, we’ve really come together as a team,” said Crusader head coach Cody Hougen. “We started more as individual units and came together as a really solid team and it’s shown in our play.
“We still have the Yukon champs ahead of us and that’s going to be our biggest challenge. All the other teams will be at their best, playing as hard as they can.”
The Crusaders finished the first half up by 21 with a buzzer-beater from Alex Bonvier.
The team showed their stamina with a 16-point run to start the fourth quarter to go up 87-52.
“We have a really deep bench,” said Hougen. “We have eight guys on the bunch that can come on and contribute, and that’s what we got today. I think almost everyone scored on the team.”
Crusaders co-captain and league MVP Chris Carino led his team with 25 points in the final while teammate All-Star RJ Siosan had 21. Ian New, who was named the Crusaders’ Player of the Game, had 10.
“It feels great,” said Carino. “Everybody on the team had their own job and they did a good job. From the start we knew we wanted to win and that’s what drove us to this point.”
Warriors’ JB New led his team with 15 points. Michael Tesoro was named F.H. Collins’ Player of the Game.
“Tonight we didn’t finish baskets early on that would have kept us in the game,” said Warriors head coach James Shaw. “It allowed their lead to expand and expand. That was the difference.
“We got a little tired and a little lazy on defence. They started dominating us in transition and the game was pretty much settled by then.”
The Warriors downed the Porter Creek Rams 72-57 in the semifinal the previous evening, handing the Rams a third place finish in the Whitehorse league.
The Yukon Basketball Championship are taking place this week with the final this Saturday at Porter Creek Secondary.
All-Stars
Tristan Brown (Rams)
Bryan Hermosa (Warriors)
Ken Baldez (Warriors)
RJ Siosan (Crusaders)
Josh Tobias (Crusaders)
MVP Chris Carino (Warriors)
Contact Tom Patrick at tomp@yukon-news.com