By Joel van der Veen
DAVIDSON — There was plenty of skill on display as eight teams converged in Davidson last weekend for a senior boys basketball tournament.
The Raiders hosted teams from the towns of Southey, Langham, Coronach, Porcupine Plain, Herbert and Biggar over the weekend of Jan. 15 and 16.
Also competing in the tournament was the senior boys team from Frontier Collegiate Institute (FCI) in Cranberry Portage, Man., whose players travelled eight hours on a school bus from northern Manitoba to Davidson.
The Raiders faced some tough competition from familiar challengers, but ultimately prevailed, defeating the Biggar Blazers 72-66 on Saturday night.
“The whole group of them played really well,” said Davidson coach Kim Rettger. “It’s always nice to win your home tournament, especially for the Grade 12s.”
Davidson played its first game on Friday evening, easily defeating the Langham Vikings with a score of 77-36.
Rettger said all of his players had plenty of time on the court, giving them a chance to prepare for a stronger challenge on Saturday.
The next morning the Raiders took on the Herbert Laurels in the A-side final, struggling at first but later pulling ahead with a 72-62 win.
Meanwhile, the Coronach Colts — who won gold at the 1A provincials last year — were defeated by the Biggar Blazers, who combined an aggressive offence with strong defence.
Rettger said he was surprised at Biggar’s performance, noting that the team has several skilled shooters on its roster and a high level of accuracy.
Davidson met Biggar in the championship game. The Blazers took a commanding lead in the first quarter, but the Raiders narrowed the gap to 10 points by the game’s midway point.
A switch from a zone defence to a man-to-man defence brought Davidson within two points of taking the lead by the end of the third quarter.
Huck Rettger scored a total of 38 points in the final, 29 of which were scored during the second half. For his efforts he was recognized as Davidson’s player of the game.
The Raiders had secured a small lead in the closing minutes when the coach sent out Kieran Boehm, who picked up a couple of rebounds and turned them into successful layups. This gave the team a comfortable 72-66 lead at the final buzzer.
For the full story, please see the Jan. 25 edition of The Davidson Leader.