5th in the Province

Coach Vito Pasquale paid tribute to his senior boys basketball team during Tuesday's Headmaster's Gathering.

With the School returning from Spring Break, Coach Pasquale looked back to last spring, when he had originally challenged the core of this year's team to "do something special."

He also turned the clock back to 1975, the last time a Shawnigan group had finished higher than 5th at a Provincial 'AA' Championship, when Pierre Trudeau was Prime Minister and Captain and Tennille were on the radio. The School finished second overall in the lower tier of Provincial basketball that year, marking an end of a streak of three consecutive tournament appearances.

Seeded 11th in the 2016 tournament, Shawnigan opened with a 90-74 win over 6th seeded Pacific Academy.

In the quarter-finals, Shawnigan lost its lone game of the tournament – a 66-52 decision against the eventual tournament champion Collingwood Cavaliers. Still, Coach Pasquale says he was "very happy with the way the team competed" against Collingwood's powerhouse squad.

With a chance to still finish as high as fifth, Shawnigan cobbled together wins over Abbotsford Christian (10th seed) and St. Patrick's (4th seed), exceeding expectations and wrapping up the season in style.

Coach Pasquale says his team truly did work as a group, getting contributions from the entire bench. He singled out Litha N. (who averaged 24 points and 16 rebounds per game at Provincials and was named a 2nd-team all-star), as well as Sheldon C., Mostyn F., and Linus L. for their clutch performances.

He says plenty of sweat, blood and tears went into the campaign, and he also thanked Shawnigan's Basketball General Manager Cathy Pasquale, Assistant Coaches Jason Lam and Lukas Balkovec, and the School's minor officials, who coaches rate among the best in Province. "Don't forget Athletic Therapist Mike Matthies" says Coach Pasquale. "He travelled with us non-stop. He was a huge asset considering the injuries we had this year."

"I'm so proud of these guys for what they've given," Pasquale says. "They've worked to be the best they can be."

 

*For more Provincial Championship photos, visit Shawnigan's facebook page.