By Joel van der Veen
MOOSE JAW — Like all good cliffhangers, the story of the Davidson Raiders’ road to the provincial championship is filled with twists and turns.
The senior boys basketball team from Davidson School weathered its share of surprises — including serious injuries to two key players — on its way to the top.
Ultimately, coaches said, the team as a whole was firing on all cylinders to clinch a 67-61 win over Coronach in the 1A final, giving the boys the provincial title for the first time in school history.
“It was the most pure and perfect team effort that I’ve ever been part of,” said head coach Kim Rettger. “Every kid just busted their arse. . . It was just electric in that gym on Saturday.”
“I knew we could do it,” said assistant coach Ian Kadlec, adding that the only question was “whether or not everything would line up for us.”
The Raiders faced a familiar foe, the LCBI Bisons, in the opening game on March 18 at Central Collegiate in Moose Jaw.
They had defeated the Bisons in all three matches this past season, and the head coach said he had warned the boys not to be too overconfident.
As it turned out, Rettger said, his team was focused on not losing, while the Bisons had their eyes on a win.
In the game that ensued, the Raiders struggled with a high number of turnovers, as well as combating LCBI’s “smothering defense,” in Rettger’s words. Davidson led 38-35 at half-time.
A crisis arose in the fourth quarter when Andrew Read broke his ankle, following an awkward landing on a rebound.
Rettger recalled Read’s response to the injury — telling his coach, “I’m sorry I got hurt” — and said it’s reflective of his spirit of competition and sportsmanship.
Without Read’s efforts on defense and rebounds, the other teammates needed to step up, and they did so admirably, said the coach.
Rettger said Gabe Ebenal had a particularly strong game, contributing 25 points as the team’s high scorer.
“I think he was the guy that put us over the top,” said Rettger, noting that Ebenal had coped with an ankle sprain all year and a broken wrist sustained in January. “He just shot the lights out.”
A one-handed floater shot by Huck Rettger broke a tie near the game’s close to give Davidson a 73-71 victory over LCBI.
Meanwhile, the Coronach Colts had defeated the Beauval Valley View Voyageurs 78-70 in the other semi-final.
With one of his starters out of the picture, Rettger said the team would need a smart rotation and a minimum of fouls in the final game on March 19.
Parker Smith took Read’s place, and the head coach said he did an admirable, amazing job, playing a smart defense.
He also complimented Huck Rettger, the high scorer in the final with 36 points, noting, “He just was pulling shots from all over the court . . . He was something to watch.”
The Raiders were ahead by as much as 24 points during the first half and still held a 37-23 lead at half-time.
However, the team was beset by another crisis in the third period when Parker Smith suffered a concussion, striking his head on the floor.
It was up to the team as a whole to soldier on, and Rettger said they proved they were up to the challenge, adding, “You could never question their effort.”
Kadlec encouraged forward Ben Nykiforuk to track Colton Thurlow — at 6’5″, a considerable presence — resulting in the Coronach centre fouling out in the fourth quarter.
Coronach’s coaches called a time out with around 100 seconds left in the game, giving Rettger one last chance to give his team a pep talk.
“You have to play a minute and 40 seconds of perfect, no-mistakes basketball,” he told them. “You have to trust in yourself and make no mistakes.”
The second half saw Davidson excelling as a team, causing turnovers, scoring baskets and putting every last ounce of effort into that victory.
When the buzzer sounded, giving the Raiders a 67-61 win over the Colts, Rettger said there was no doubt that they had earned it.
The victory marked the first time a Davidson team has won a provincial basketball title, and with a significant local presence in the audience, Rettger said the win became a true community event.
He expressed his appreciation to assistant coaches Dave Nykiforuk, Kattlyn Williams, Luke Edwards and Ian Kadlec, noting in particular the commitment made by the latter two, who regularly travelled from out of town to work with the team.
Kadlec said he was able to share his expertise in working with Team Saskatchewan, working on a new offense and also using video replays to help the Raiders correct their mistakes and develop strategies.
In addition to the bond the boys have shared, Rettger said the hours of practice and preparation taught them about working hard to achieve their goals.
“There’s no guarantee that you will,” he said,” but if you don’t put the effort in, you’ll never have the chance.”
