Another year of Totem has come to an end, and Alberni District Secondary School has walked away with two third place showings.
The ADSS senior girls took a commanding lead over Victoria High in their third and final game of the tournament, entering halftime with a score of 31-7. They added to their lead in the second half, and held Vic High to only five points, for a 74-12 final.
The senior boys took on Stelly’s Secondary School in their final. Although action was back-and-forth in the first quarter, the Armada quickly took the lead and ran with it. The final was a 78-59 win for the home team.
According to ADSS athletic director Mike Roberts, the 64th year of Totem has been the “most successful” tournament at the new school on Roger Street so far.
“This is crowd-wise the biggest we’ve had,” he explained. “And two third place finishes is not bad at all. Everyone’s to be proud of something.”
Every year, the Totem committee works to add something new to the mix. Totem 63 saw the addition of a “mini” basketball game featuring local elementary school students, as well as the addition of a pep band. This year, a group of young Port Alberni dancers joined the ADSS dance and cheer teams during halftime shows.
“We try to find different ways to bring people in,” said Roberts.
One of the highlights of Totem is the crowning of the Totem Spirit winner at the end of the tournament. This year’s winner was Nikki Aquino, representing the cheer team. Aquino tearfully accepted her crown at the end of the boys’ win before being mobbed by her fellow cheerleaders.
Totem is the longest-running high school basketball tournament in the province, and with that comes some history. This year’s tournament recognized the history, as former coach and Totem founder Elmer Matthews was posthumously inducted into the ADSS Wall of Fame.
But Totem 64 also made history of its own, as the ADSS senior girls participated in the tournament’s first-ever double overtime game on Friday, Jan. 11.
“We’re continuing the legacy,” Roberts explained. “We try to keep it interesting and appealing.
“If it was just a basketball tournament, it would probably still be going. We’d still celebrate our 64th year, and the 65th. But I don’t think you’d have the crowd support.”
Final Results:
Boys—
- Mark Isfeld
- Reynolds
- ADSS
- Spectrum
- Stelly’s
- Ballenas
- Kwalikum
- Edward Milne
Girls—
- Ballenas
- Windsor
- ADSS
- Belmont
- Vic High
- Pacific Christian School
- Kwalikum
- Gulf Island
Boys Tournament MVP: Thaskani Mtawali (Isfeld)
Girls Tournament MVP: Abigail Becker (Ballenas)
Most Sportsmanlike Team: Edward Milne
Boys All-Star Team: Takeshi Croke (Reynolds), Aiden McDonald (Isfeld), Ephrem Woldu (Reynolds), Dallyn McQuarrie (Spectrum), and Cameron Cyr (ADSS)
Girls All-Star Team: Maddie Grant (Belmont), Sabrina Mason (Windsor), Jules Clark (Ballenas), Kelsey Fisher (Windsor), and Abby Broekhuizen (ADSS)
