An Exciting Finish to the Kodiak Klassic Championship
The final of this year’s Kodiak Klassic was unlike finals of the past: It was a close game! Before the final between Brentwood College (Victoria, BC) and Bishop O’Byrne (Calgary, AB) most spectators expected another lopsided victory in the final after the team from Calgary had been dismantling their opposition with a blend of intimidating size and crafty guard play. Unfortunately for the Bobcats, they were facing a team ( the defending BC AA champions from Victoria) that looked a lot like they did. What’s more, Brentwood College came ready to play.
Right from the opening tip, Brentwood College seized control of the game. On offense, they were executing their flex offense to perfection. Defensively, they’re length and misleading size forced the Bobcats into difficult shots and costly turnovers. By the end of the 1st quarter, Brentwood had built a 10 point lead.
In the 2nd quarter, the Bishop O’Byrne team found some openings from outside as well as some timely high-low passing opportunities to tie the game at 31 to close the half. As the 2nd half began, Brentwood College reasserted themselves and rebuilt their 10 point lead.
The 4th quarter is where the game got really exciting. The Bobcat’s 5’6 guard, Alonzo Tan, began to assert his playmaking ability with several acrobatic jumpers and pinpoint passing. Tan’s effort was matched by Bobcat forward Jordan Carriere, who punctuated the mid-quarter comeback with a monster dunk in traffic. Holding on to a 3 point lead, Brentwood turned to Brendan Sullivan, who nailed 3 point shots on back to back trips, then pushed the lead back to 10 with a baseline drive right into the teeth of the Bobcat defense.
Fortunately for the fans, this wasn’t the end of the team from Calgary. With his team down by 8 with about 3 minutes left, Bishop O’Byrne guard Holt Tomie took over the Bobcat offense. With crafty fakes and up-and-under moves, Holt single-handedly brought his team back to within 1 point. Unfortunately for Tomie, and his Bobcat teammates, his efforts were not enough. With a failed, last second heave from just over center, the Bishop O’Byrne hopes fell as short as their final, desperate shot.
