The basketball season in the Humboldt region was kicked off on December 3-4 with a tournament in Middle Lake.
The Three Lakes Avengers' senior boys' basketball team hosted their annual tournament on the weekend. Teams from Humboldt Collegiate Institute (HCI), Meath Park, Lake Lenore, Porcupine Plain, and Wynyard competed in the two-day tournament. Friday's games and the first two on Saturday were pool round-robin games, with the three playoff games held Saturday afternoon.
The first game of the tournament saw the Wynyard Bears take on the Lake Lenore Lancers. This was a closely fought game that saw neither team take control of the game until the end.
The first quarter ended in a 14-14 tie, but Wynyard dominated much of the play, keeping the Lancers off balance with high-pressure defence and lots of steals.
The second quarter saw the game keep its fast pace, while the Bears continued to penetrate the Lake Lenore defence almost at will. The Lancers had a few moments where everything clicked, but their play wasn't consistent. The game was tied at 26 at half.
The third quarter started out with a flurry of fouls by both teams before things settled down. The Bears took a small lead in this quarter, getting ahead 41-35 when the buzzer sounded.
The fourth quarter saw Wynyard take control of the game, although they had to work hard to maintain their lead. With a 10-point plus lead at times, the Bears looked certain to win, but the Lancers fought back and tied the game with less than two minutes left.
Foul trouble cost the Lancers the game as Wynyard's last three points came at the free throw line, giving them a 57-54 victory.
The second game of the night saw the Three Lakes Avengers take on the HCI Mohawks. This was a very different game than the previous match, with the pace much slower. As well, after the first half there was no doubt who was in control.
The Avengers jumped out to an 8-2 lead in the first quarter, but the Mohawks fought back and tied it. Play was much tighter after that with the two teams creating some breaks, but neither maintaining an advantage. The first quarter ended 16-15 for the Avengers.
The second quarter was a faster pace, with both teams having problems shooting. The half ended with HCI up 36-33.
HCI really took control of the game in the third quarter, with better rebounding and more offence. The Mohawks took a 55-40 lead into the fourth quarter and built on it.
When the final buzzer sounded, HCI had a 79-53 victory.
The third game of the night saw Wynyard dominate Porcupine Plain in a 81-21 romp.
HCI beat Meath Park 69-24 in the last game on Friday.
The Avengers beat Meath Park 53-30 on Saturday morning to finish pool play in second place.
Lake Lenore trounced Porcupine Plain 77-16 to finish second in their pool.
The first playoff game saw the third-place teams from each pool take to the court. Meath Park defeated Porcupine Plain 53-30 in that match.
Lake Lenore had a 10-point victory, 55-45, over the Avengers in the matchup between the two second-place teams.
Wynyard beat HCI 67-50 in the first place game to win the tournament.
