Glenboro Varsity Boys Panthers capture Provincial A Basketball title
Coaches Ryan Diehl, Devin McLean and Drake Wallis travelled north to Ste. Rose with the Varsity Boys Panthers basketball team, where they captured the provincial banner after dominating the court all weekend. After finishing as runners-up the past two years, the long-awaited provincial title made the victory even more special.
Following the round robin, the Panthers took on the Wanipigow Stingers in the championship game on Saturday and came out on the right side of a 72–47 score. Tucker Forbes of Glenboro was presented with the highly esteemed Most Valuable Player award, while Dylan Granger of the Wawanesa Warriors received the coveted Players’ Choice Award. Panthers Max Janz of Baldur and Evan Griffin of Glenboro were also named Provincial All-Stars.
The Panthers’ first match of the tournament was against Chief Sam Cook School of Tataskweyak, where they put up an impressive 109–39 win over the northern team.
Coach Diehl commented that the Panthers were unfamiliar with the team and didn’t know what to expect.
“We were able to build an early lead and cruise to victory. We also got to go deep into our bench, giving everyone minutes of provincial experience,” he said.
Owen McLean led the Panthers in scoring and received Player of the Game honours.
Following that victory, the Panthers faced the highly seeded host team, the Ste. Rose Celtics.
“Playing the home team can be tough as they have the crowd support. I was proud of how the boys handled the situation and hit 10 three-pointers in the opponent’s home gym,” said Diehl.
The two teams had faced each other twice earlier in the season, including a previous matchup where Ste. Rose led at halftime. This time, however, the Panthers dominated play, finishing with a 95–36 win.
“Like in the first game, we were able to get a lead in the first quarter and create turnovers throughout the game,” said Diehl, noting that the victory secured their place in the championship final against the Stingers.
Austin Dubyts led the Panthers in scoring and was named Game All-Star.
The provincial final saw the Panthers take on the Stingers.
Glenboro trailed midway through the second quarter but managed to take a four-point lead just before halftime.
The Panthers exploded in the third quarter, scoring 29 points—17 of them from Tucker Forbes. By the end of the third quarter, the Panthers held a 27-point lead and went on to claim the provincial title with a 72–47 victory.
“It was a tight game at halftime, but to witness the Panthers’ response in the third quarter was impressive,” said Diehl. “We have many players who can score, but Tucker took over the game. I couldn’t be happier for him and our Grade 12 players. It was a great way to finish their high school basketball experience.”
PHOTO CAPTION: PROVINCIAL A BASKETBALL CHAMPIONS: (back row l. to r.) Ryan Diehl – coach, Will Drinkwater, Brydon Cornock, Kylan Diehl, Austin Dubyts, Owen McLean, Tucker Forbes, Max Janz, Evan Griffin, Devin McLean – Coach, Drake Wallis – coach. (front row l. to r.) Dalton Potvin, Easton Shearer, Spencer Jones, Brady Barr, Brycen Anderson.
