(As prepared by Mike Debolt)
Sheep River Shootout - Okotoks

June 1 and 2, 2007

The Jr. Dinos put on a defensive clinic to wrap up another U-17 tournament title. Defensively they only allowed an average of 53 points per game while on the offensive end they were able to average just over 98 points per game. The key was hard work and communication!

Game 1 vs CYDC: Jr. Dinos 120 CYDC 31

Not only did this game feature some great defensive work but it showed how well balanced a line-up the Jr. Dinos have with 6 players in double figures - Paul Ohlinger 13, Ian Tomaszewski 11, Eric Bakker 11, Brett Pekar 21, Derrick Waldner 11 and Dom Coward 19. Additionally 5 players had 5 or more rebounds - Kendell Boese 5, Trevor Debolt 7, Brett Pekar 8 Derrick 6 and Dom 9. A Great all around team effort!

Game 2 vs Grads Baker: Jr Dinos 80 Grads 70

This was probably the toughest test for the Jr. Dinos so far in their age group. This may have been the two best U-17 teams in the province going at it. This was a great game with the lead changing hands throughout the first half until the Jr. Dinos broke it open in the third quarter by out-scoring the Grads 24 - 2. Again a great defensive effort. Offensively the day belonged to Dom Coward with 32 points and 21 rebounds (12 offensive boards alone). Kendell Boese added 16 and Eric Bakker had a stellar game with 15 points and 8 steals. Sean McCormick kept up his fine play with 9 boards while Derrick Waldner also added 9. Overall the team as a whole collected 60 rebounds - amazing work on the boards! Nice win while only going 1 for 20 from the 3 pt. arc.

Game 3 vs Selects Ivor: Jr. Dinos 96 Selects 59

This game also had a couple of great defensive highlights for the team - the Jr. Dinos only allowed 8 points in the first quarter and 7 in the third quarter. Offensively the day was Kendell Boese’s with 29 points including 6 threes and some amazing open court plays, followed by Sean McCormick with 16 and Dom Coward with 14. Dom also hauled in 13 rebounds while Sean added 7 boards. The remaining 28 rebounds were almost shared equally by the rest of the team. Awesome tournament win, keep up the hard work!

Now on to Edmonton the July 1 weekend!

The University of Calgary Jr. Dinos improved their undefeated streak in U-17 tournaments since 2005 by capturing the Calgary Selects Victoria Day Classic. The Dinos faced the Jr. Pronghorns, the Calgary Selects U-17’s, the Red Deer Rebels, the NSD Stars U-16 team, and the Calgary Selects-Panthers in the Finals.

Dom Coward was named tournament MVP while Eric Bakker, and Ian Tomaszewski were named to the Tournament All-Star team.

***In other news, the Jr. Dinos had their best finish ever in the Airdrie Elite East Spring League. Entering the playoffs as the 4 seed after playing the toughest schedule in the league (the Jr. Dinos were the only team to play 3 of the top 4 teams in the league twice), the Jr. Dinos faced off against Bread and Butter which is comprised of former and current SAIT Trojan players.

With only 9 players on the bench including two red-shirts, the Dinos were able to come away with the 83-59 convincing win. The key to the game was the Dinos stellar defense which held Bread and Butter in check for most of the game, including a 2-3 zone defense which is rarely used by the team.

This set up a match-up against the varsity Dinos in the semi-finals. Again with only 9 players, the Jr. Dinos fought admirably coming up short 72-60. Again, the Jr. Dinos were able to hold their opponents in check for most of the game, and worked hard to almost come up with the upset. A great performance, and a great result in a very tough league!