Blake Murphy Sports Writing

For Euriah Pemberton and seven other Grade 12 players, this past weekend marked the beginning of the final chapter in their high school basketball careers.

Another Mike Dea Classic kicked off the season, as it has for the past 15 years.

Pemberton was influential in leading the host St. Francis Xavier Rams to Saturday’s final, where they came up short of defending their tournament championship against Calgary’s Bishop Grandin Ghosts. The Rams and Ghosts played a tight first half before Grandin pulled away to a 74-53 win.

Nelson Wani, a Grade 10 student, also had a big tournament for the Rams, showing his coaches that they can trust him in high-pressure situations despite his status as the only junior on the team.

Prior to the final, the Rams beat three strong teams, including local rival Jasper Place Rebels, showing that the experienced veteran-heavy team is ready for the season to get going.

“It affirms what we think we are, and that’s one of the top teams in Edmonton,” said St. Francis Xavier assistant coach Fergal Peters. “Our goal is to peak in March. These are tough games. Grandin is very well coached and should have a very good year.”

“We need to work hard to hopefully get to play them again and get a better result next time,” said head coach Jeremy Posteraro.

Jasper Place finished third, defeating Vancouver College 75-73 in a bronze-medal game that was one of the weekend’s most exciting contests.

On the girls’ side, Regina powerhouse Dr. Martin Leboldus Golden Suns took home the title for the second consecutive year. They defeated the Spruce Grove Saints 75-53 in the final to complete a dominant weekend.

Calgary’s Bishop O’Byrne placed third after beating Lethbridge’s Catholic Central High School 86-58 in the bronze-medal game.

The weekend has grown from a simple basketball tournament to a highly competitive, tone-setting weekend for teams. This is the first game action for many teams and their only games in advance of the season’s first edition of the Alberta provincial rankings.

At the same time, it’s also a weekend that fosters team building through fun competitions, and even a turkey lunch as part of Friday’s St. Francis Xavier Day, a student-focused day of feasting and activities.

“I’m really enjoying it,” said Mike Dea from his position at half court in the main gym. “There have been some great games, and the jamboree was a lot of fun.”

The games are supplemented by the friendly St. Francis Xavier alumni tournament, a six-team event that includes teachers and former students, many influenced first-hand by Dea. Even Posteraro took part in the alumni tournament.

George Jackson of Bishop Grandin took home the slam dunk title, finishing things off with a jam after teammates had bumped and set the ball for him in volleyball fashion. Josh Exner of Luther College and Shenelle Tamminen of Bishop O’Byrne won their respective three-point contests. There was also a unique “two-ball” competition where a boy and a girl from different schools were paired together in a shooting contest against other pairs.

“The tournament has been a big success, there has been a lot of great feedback,” said Posteraro, who also co-organizes the weekend. “A lot of teams want to come back next year, and this year we had to turn teams away.”

Being able to attract strong teams from around Western Canada is a benefit to all the teams in the tournament, improving the level of competition as they get ready for the season.

“We’ve been practising with nine guys, so it was time to play some teams,” said Lloyd Scrubb, head coach of the Vancouver College team that made the long trip down for the first time this year.

As the competition wrapped up, Dea reflected on 15 years as the namesake of what has become one of the most popular tournaments on the high school basketball calendar.

“Some of my fellow coaches give me a hard time,” said Dea. “I might be singled out, but it’s a representation of all of the people and all of the coaches who have come through St FX. It’s an honour to all of the coaches, and it’s an honour to me.”

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EDMONTON – Another Mike Dea Classic is in the books, having kicked off the high school basketball season in Edmonton, as it has for the past 15 years.The tournament, which ran from Thursday to Saturday, featured 16 boys teams and 12 girls teams from the Edmonton area and beyond, including teams from Regina and Vancouver.

Last year, the host St. Francis Xavier Rams won the boys side of the bracket for the second time in three years and the fourth time overall. They nearly defended their title this year, winning three hard-fought games but coming up short in the final to Calgary’s Bishop Grandin High School. Bishop Grandin won Saturday night’s finale 74-53.

“The wins affirm what we think we are, and that’s one of the top teams in Edmonton,” said St. Francis Xavier assistant coach Fergal Peters. “Our goal is to peak in March. These are good wins and tough games. Grandin is very well coached and should have a very good year.”

Jasper Place finished third, defeating Vancouver College 75-73 in a bronze medal game that was one of the weekend’s most exciting contests.

On the girls side of the tournament, Regina powerhouse Dr. Martin Leboldus Golden Suns took home the title for the second consecutive year. They defeated the Spruce Grove Saints 75-53 in the final on Saturday night to complete a dominant weekend.

Calgary’s Bishop O’Byrne placed third after beating Lethbridge’s Catholic Central High School 86-58 in the bronze medal game.

The weekend has grown from a simple basketball tournament to a highly competitive, tone-setting weekend for teams. This is the first game action for many teams and their only games in advance of the season’s first edition of the provincial rankings.

At the same time, it’s also a weekend that fosters team building through fun competitions, and even a turkey lunch as part of Friday’s St. Francis Xavier Day, a student-focused day of feasting and activities.

“I’m really enjoying it,” said Mike Dea himself, from his position at half court in the main gym. “There have been some great games, and the Jamboree was a lot of fun.”

The games are supplemented by the friendly St. Francis Xavier Alumni Tournament, a six-team tournament that includes many teachers and former students, many of whom were influenced first-hand by Dea. Even Jeremy Posteraro, the head coach of the boys’ team at St. Francis Xavier, took part in the alumni tournament.

George Jackson of Bishop Grandin took home the slam dunk title, finishing things off with a jam after teammates had bumped and set the ball for him in volleyball fashion. Josh Exner of Luther College and Shenelle Tamminen of Bishop O’Byrne won their respective three-point contests. There was also a unique “two-ball” competition where a boy and a girl from different schools were paired together in a shooting contest against other pairs.

“The tournament has been a big success, there has been a lot of great feedback,” said Posteraro, who also co-organizes the weekend. “A lot of teams want to come back next year, and this year we had to turn teams away. We want to continue to build that reputation to get the best competition here.”