Announcement
Finals Wrap-Up
The PEI Mustangs were proud to host the Maritime Wheelchair Basketball Association League Finals this past weekend in Charlottetown, PEI. The tournament was held at the Holland College gymnasium.
Teams from all over the Maritimes traveled to PEI and braved the storm as they were anxious to get to the final tournament of the 2014-15 season. The weekend kicked off with a great contest between the Elm City Thunder and the Saint John Rebels. Early in the game, the teams traded points until the Rebels were able to rally for a solid run and take the lead. The teams battled hard in the fourth but the Thunder couldn't quite handle the Rebels strong half court coverage. Final score: Rebels 47-Thunder 26.
Next up were the PEI Mustangs versus the New Brunswick Canada Games team in the Bastarache Divison. The Mustangs came out strong and kept the game very close in the first but in the second, New Brunswick was able to apply full court coverage on some key Mustangs. New Brunswick was able to secure a comfortable lead by half-time and in the third, continued to maintain that lead. Final Score: NB Canada Games 65-Mustangs 49.
In the Edney Division, the Antigonish Highland Hawks took on the PEI Canada Games team in what was one of the closest games of the weekend. The teams battled hard early and the Hawks showed they were in the running for an upset. Both teams had many ups and downs throughout the second and third quarters. In the fourth, PEI was able to secure a lead and clinch the win. Final Score: PEI Canada Games 51-Hawks 44.
In the last game on Saturday, the Nova Scotia Canada Games team took on the Elm City Lightning in the Bastarache Division. Nova Scotia kept it a tight game after the first tying it up early. The Elm City Lightning had to re-gather and focus on the task at hand. In the second, the Lightning came out strong and took the lead and never looked back. It was a great fight from the Nova Scotia team. Final Score: Lightning 65-Nova Scotia Canada Games 33.
In the Bronze Medal Game in the Edney Division, the Elm City Thunder and the Antigonish Highland Hawks fought back and forth for the first half of the game. The Hawks had a couple sets of hot hands and their defense was able to lock down the key threats from the Thunder. The Hawks clinched the win and took home the bronze medal. Final Score: Hawks 41-Thunder 29.
In the Bronze Medal Games in the Bastarache Divisin, the PEI Mustangs started out strong with many contributors as scorers. The Mustangs put pressure up and played solid defense in order to secure the win in this medal round. Final Score: Mustangs 67-Nova Scotia Canada Games 47.
The Gold Medal Game in the Edney Division was a tough battle for both teams. The PEI Canada Games team struggled early while the Saint John Rebels were able to cycle through their bench and have several scoring threats on at all times. The Rebels took the lead and led by 17 at one point in this game. The PEI Canada Games team started to fight back late in the third and got within 6 points but were unable to pull off the comeback. Final Score: Rebels 48-PEI Canada Games 42.
The final game of the tournament was the Gold Medal Game in the Bastarache Division. In what became the tightest game of the tournament, both teams had contributors on both offence and defense to keep it close all the way through. The Elm City Lightning earned the lead several times but late in the game, the New Brunswick Canada Games team executed the game plan precisely and were able to pull of the win and take home the Gold. Final Score: New Brunswick Canada Games 67-Lightning 54
MWBA Awards were given out at the banquet on Saturday night. The winners were:
Bastarache Division All-Star Team
Joel Watts
Alex Hayward
Dave Durepos
Shane Dunnett
Robbie Cameron
Sean Wilson (MVP)
Edney Division All-Star Team
John Collins
Brandon Humphrey
Karen Ferguson
Chris Aalders
Sean McCormick
Jeremy Watts (MVP)
Rookie of the Year
Colin Higgins
Most Sportmanlike Player
Logan Aalders
Defensive Player of the Year
Jacob Fudge
Most Improved Player
Liam Hickey
Top Female Scorer (combined Edney and Bastarache Divisions)
Tie-Karen Ferguson and Joanna Swett
Top Male Scorer-Bastarache Division
Robbie Cameron
Top Male Scorer-Edney Division
John Collins
Congratulations to all participants in the MWBA this season. The League saw many successes with the Canada Games, the All-Star Weekend and the MWBA League Finals. All the best to everyone and we will see you all next season.
Adam Loo, League Commissioner
Maritime Wheelchair Basketball Association, sponsored by Pharmasave