NO. 1 NOTRE DAME 82 NO. 4 KING GEORGE 59
By IAN FRENCH (Special for Varsity Letters)
LANGLEY — Fighting for the final spot in the B.C. senior boys’ Single-A provincial championship, the top-ranked Notre Dame Jugglers matched up against the fourth-seeded King George Dragons, and the game quickly lived up to the stakes. Through a beautiful blend of grit and finesse from both sides, leading to an ‘anything-you-can-do-I-can-do-better’ first half, the Jugglers went nuclear in the third. Led by Caleb Parrotta, who scored 12 of his team’s 22 points in the frame, the Jugglers continued to add on the rest of the way to solidify an 82-59 win.
Sophomore Dragons guard Rei Ikeda recorded a team-high 20 points, while junior guard Abud Shawwa was not far behind with 16 of his own, both hovering around 50 per cent shooting from the floor. For the Jugglers, senior guard Parrotta poured in a game-high 30 points, hauled in 15 rebounds, tallied seven assists and snatched four steals. Next in line was senior guard Connor Mabel, who totalled 27 points en route to the win.
“[Parrotta] is the ultimate competitor”, began Jugglers head coach Cam Wright. “He was talking to the guys at halftime; he truly believed in himself as well as his teammates. He led the charge but got other guys involved. That was a team effort in the second half for sure.”
The opening minutes were slow in pace but deliberate. Each side waited for the other to make a mistake and take advantage. This resulted in limited open looks, leading to the majority of the buckets coming from inside the paint early on, including a floater that kissed off the glass before falling in for two from King George’s Ikeda. As the score seesawed throughout the frame, Ikeda heated up, adding to his line by hitting an old-school jumper from the elbow. Shawwa followed suit on the next possession with a jump shot from a similar location for a 12-8 lead. However, Mabel quickly responded for the Jugglers by connecting on the game’s first three ball. As the clock ticked down, Ikeda added another floater for two, but Mabel had an answer once again. He raced down the court in the dying seconds before putting up a buzzer-beating layup to keep it a one-point game, ending the first 16-15 in favour of the Dragons.
Starting the second, the Dragons looked aggressive. Shawwa kicked off the scoring by driving hard into a traffic-heavy painted area before knocking down a fading jumper for the score. After King George tacked on another bucket, Niko Kuna fired back for Notre Dame with a three-pointer. It was a fast-paced stretch for both sides. Ikeda led the offensive charge for the Dragons, either through efficient scoring or by dishing it to the open man. While Mabel stayed hot for the Jugglers.
As the clock ticked down towards zero, the pace was cranked up to ten. Each side traded buckets before Notre Dame’s Mabel pulled up from deep three-point range and drained it, nothing but net. Shortly after, Parrotta drove from well above the three-point line, through the congested paint before banking it in off the glass and converting the and-one opportunity. Now a two-point game in the final minute, the Jugglers forced a turnover off an inbounds pass, and capitalized, as senior forward Nathan Roye sent it off the glass and in to tie the game while drawing a foul. He sank the and-one free throw, marking the team’s first lead since the opening quarter while ending the half up 40-39.
Coming out of the break, the Jugglers put the Dragons on their heels. Highlighted by an inside layup from Kuna, three more points from Mabel, and a trio of inside scores for Parrotta, the Jugglers pieced together a 12-2 run by the midway point. Notre Dame continued to battle defensively, swarming ball handlers to force tough passes while closing out hard on shot attempts. The floor felt tilted in favour of the Jugglers. Shawwa tried to will the Dragons back into this one by working in the paint. He spun around a defender but was fouled as he banked it in. After knocking down the and-one opportunity, it was an 11-point game. But Parrotta took it upon himself to hold onto the Jugglers’ double-digit lead. The guard fought his way towards the foul line before pulling up for a moving jumper for his 23rd point of the contest. After another score from Kuna, the Jugglers got up to a 62-47 advantage by the end of three.
The Dragons struck first in the fourth, but the Jugglers just kept coming. A few minutes in, Parrotta picked the pocket of the defender, went around his back to avoid the defence in transition before finding Mabel for the breakaway score. A few minutes later, Parrotta drove to the hoop once more. This time, as defenders closed in to help, the guard kicked it out to a wide-open Mabel waiting in the corner, who drained it. The Dragons tried to claw their way back, but time was not on their side, as they eventually fell 82-59.
“We knew King George coming in, was going to have a really good gameplan. They pride themselves on their defence, and it definitely gave us some trouble in the first half’, reflected Notre Dame coach Wright. “We were able to make some adjustments in the second half, put the foot down on the gas a little bit, and we’re really happy with the result.”
The top-ranked Notre Dame Jugglers advance and will face off against the second-seeded Collingwood Cavaliers in the provincial championship. Tipoff for the final game is set for 2:45 p.m. PT on March 7th at the Langley Event Centre’s Arena Bowl.
If you’re reading this story or viewing these photos on any website other than one belonging to a university athletic department, it has been taken without appropriate permission. In these challenging times, true journalism will survive only through your dedicated support and loyalty. VarsityLetters.ca and all of its exclusive content has been created to serve B.C.’s high school and university sports community with hard work, integrity and respect. Feel free to drop us a line any time at howardtsumura@gmail.com.
