By Gary Anderson

March 30 – The victorious Saskatchewan squad celebrate their win over Quebec in the Canadian Junior Wheelchair Basketball Championships ©Wheelchair Basketball CanadaNik Goncin was the star of the show as he led his Saskatchewan side to victory over Quebec in a thrilling final of the Canadian Junior National Wheelchair Basketball Championships, scoring 26 points while taking 13 rebounds and making eight assists.

Goncin's exploits at the Saville Community Centre in Edmonton earned him the male most valuable player (MVP) of the tournament accolade, as his side made it through to the decider against rivals Quebec who were the reigning champions as well as the three-time defending Canada Games gold medallists.

Saskatchewan, led by Goncin, started the game in determined mood and amassed a 44-29 lead after 20 minutes.

However, the defending champions demonstrated their composure and resiliency by clawing their way back into the game and led by Benjamin Palmer, who registered a game-high 27 points, Quebec ensured a thrilling climax by drawing to within one point of their opponents with less than five seconds left on the clock.

Despite having possession in the offensive third in the dying moments, Quebec could not fashion a scoring chance as a staunch rearguard action from Saskatchewan was enough to hold on and seal a famous 62-61 win.

"The athletes have worked so hard over the last few years to get to this point and they deserve a lot of credit," said Team Saskatchewan head coach, Katie Miyazaki.

"We proved, especially at the beginning of the game, that we are the team that other people have to compete with, and that not many teams can compete with our size and speed and how many weapons we have."

Tournament MVP Goncin added: "Everyone is going to remember this feeling for a long time.

"Quebec played a great game and put up a great fight.

"It was closer than I would have liked it to be in the end, but that makes it all the more rewarding that we were able to hang in there and get the win."

In the bronze medal match, Team Alberta delighted the home fans in Edmonton with a 59-37 win over British Columbia.

A 20-point haul from Ben Moronchuk helped his side to the win and he was ably assisted by Braden Doll and Arinn Young who both registered 17 points apiece.

"I am extremely proud of this group," said Alberta head coach, Darrell Nordell.

"Thinking about how far we have come and earning the bronze medal today shows us that all of the little things that we are doing right are starting to pay off for us.

"We still have nine months to go until Canada Games and we will continue to build on this and ensure we are a medal contender in 2015."

Alberta's Arinn Young was awarded female MVP while Doll, Palmer, Aidan Love of British Columbia and Quebec pair Elodie Tessier and Vincent Dallaire were named to the All-Star team of the tournament.

Contact the writer of this story at [email protected]


Related Stories
October 2013: 
Wheelchair Basketball Canada officially open world's first full-time training academy
September 2013: Wheelchair Basketball Canada Academy set to open doors for first time next week
April 2013: Wheelchair basketball legend set to lead groundbreaking Canadian academy