NSSAF hoops take centre stage

With the possible exception of track and field provincials, there is no high school athletic event in Nova Scotia with the impact of the NSSAF Division 1 boys’ basketball championship.

There are other finals – hockey or volleyball – that have their share of excitement (to be fair, in hockey, often some of the best tournaments aren’t at the D-1 level). In football, the final comes down to two teams, head-to-head.

While there is more strategy involved in female basketball and I like the girls’ game, in terms of sheer excitement I’ll take the boys’ action: faster, higher scoring, bigger, stronger players.

This weekend, the D-1 boys’ basketball provincials are at Horton High School. The fact the Griffins come in on a 61-game winning streak might take away some of the potential for excitement, there are teams in the field with their sights on an upset - and fully capable of pulling one off.

Some say the Griffins have been here before and, other than last year, always seemed to find a way to lose. That’s unfair to this year’s team, one I wouldn’t bet against to win it all.

Ellis Ffrench and Jeremy Dunn might be the two best players in the province – certainly the two best who play as teammates – and, while the Griffins’ bench maybe isn’t as strong as last year, Horton is seven deep with lots of firepower. The Griffins, one through 11, have the strong work ethic head coach Tim Kendrick and his staff demand, manifesting itself in a total commitment to team defense and an often-suffocating full-court press.

The “darkhorse” in the Horton mix might be senior forward Patrick Riley, who has elevated his game big-time. Opponents can’t afford to double-team Dunn or Ffrench with players like Riley and the Grade 11 Sage Tanner around.

The D-1 boys’ is the only NSSAF provincial tournament in our area, but the Horton boys aren’t the only local team going after a provincial hoops banner.

The Horton girls in D-1 and the NKEC, Central Kings and Middleton girls and C.K., West Kings and Kings-Edgehill boys, all in D-2; all have their sights on provincial gold.

Two years from back-to-back provincial D-1 titles, the Horton girls have improved this season and quietly made themselves a place among the province’s elite. There’s only one Grade 12 player but, with veteran Ian MacMillan at the helm, the girls are more than capable of making a statement. They’ll need to bring their ‘A’ game and avoid foul trouble.

The NKEC girls are “dark horses” at their provincials, but will likely go in ranked second or third based on a breakout season that saw them win their region. The Titans are also young, with the bulk of their impact players in Grade 9 and 10. At the same time, they could surprise people.

The Central Kings, West Kings and Kings-Edgehill boys’ teams all deserve to be at provincials. At the same time, none of them is likely to be among the top three seeds and, as much as I’d like to see one of them win, it looks like there are stronger teams.