Provincial title a long time coming for Kendrick, Griffins

Tim Kendrick has had it coming for a long time.

Eighteen years of disappointment, frustration, missed opportunities and lost hopes and dreams finally were put to rest Saturday when the Horton Griffins won the NSSAF Division 1 boys’ basketball championship.

The Griffins won Kendrick his first provincial title in fine style, with a 77-61 win over an upstart group of Sackville Kingfishers that deserved some credit of their own for making it to the final.

Horton entered the tournament as the top seed after a season in which the team lost just four games. The Griffins had their best size and best depth in years.

Everything seemed to be in place - there was even a lunar eclipse thrown in for good measure later in the day.

But, as Kendrick would tell you, he's been there before, agonizingly close, only to fall short. Three times in the previous four years, the Griffins reached the provincial final, only to settle for a runner-up finish; the other year, they ended up third.

What was the difference this year?

Some would point to the outstanding play all season of Grade 11 point guard Ellis Ffrench, who matured big-time this year, both as a basketball player and as a person; and Jeremy Dunn, also in Grade 11, whose family moved here from Yarmouth last summer.

Others would cite consistent, inspired play at both ends of the court from seniors Brandon MacInnis, Joe Kendrick, Josh McGill and Nathan Dunn.

Others might credit a true team effort from a squad literally 12-deep, talented throughout and able to come at you in waves - not to mention play Horton's traditional defense to a T.

Some - including me - would cite the coaching of Kendrick and his excellent and dedicated assistant coaches, Marvin Rhyno, Jay Robichaud and Bob McGill.

And, there would even be some who would point to the “fallout effect” of the Horton girls winning provincials back-to-back in 2005 and 2006, and the positive effect watching Bev Greenlaw and Ian MacMillan coach has had on Kendrick and his crew.

You know what? All those people would probably be right.

It takes more than just talent and good coaching - and even a little luck - to win a championship in any sport. It takes perseverance, the ability to deal with disappointment and frustration and be able to shrug it off - and more than a hint of humility thrown in.

Truly, all the stars and planets have to line up - which makes winning back-to-back titles, as the Horton girls did last year, that much more of an accomplishment.

Like the Horton girls last year, the Horton boys and the Halifax Grammar girls were the favorites to win in D-1 this year - which not only isn't a guarantee of winning, but more often than not can end up being more of a curse. Both teams deserve a lot of credit for the seasons they had, especially the Horton boys, who arguably had a tougher field to overcome.

This year's Horton girls' team got to host provincials, and actually had a decent shot at a “three-peat” before dropping a 75-63 semifinal decision to CEC.

Horton, which battled adversity all year, including a succession of injuries to key players, showed some character in rebounding to top Breton 78-57 and claim third place overall - not a championship, but quite an accomplishment nonetheless.

Between them, the two Horton basketball programs have forged an enviable record. They may not win every year - though at least one of them has for each of the past three, and I wouldn't count out the boys' chances for a repeat in 2008 - but they're always there, and they always represent their school, and their community, with class - win or lose.