Rebels eke out overtime win in tourney final

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Spouting off to an official might not seem to be the best way to handle yourself on the court, especially in a one-point ball game with less than a minute remaining. However, Charlton Weasel Head redeemed himself after he drew an unsportsmanlike technical foul when he led a frenetic charge in the dying seconds of the final game of the 26th Annual Oki Basketball Tournament on the Peigan reserve in Brocket.

Playing for the Blackfeet Rebels, Weasel Head teamed up with a combination of players from various nations from southern Alberta and Montana to become part of the first all-Native squad to win the championship in many years in a thrilling 96-91 overtime decision against the Lethbridge RH Sports.

Driving to the hoop with his team trailing 79-78, Weasel Head missed the lay-up after some apparent body contact with an RH defender. None too pleased the referee who failed to call the foul, Weasel Head had some choice words for the official.

"I thought I got fouled and my frustrations got to me," said Weasel Head, who played two years for the Brandon University Bobcats. Two successful free throws and another basket pushed the margin to five points, before Weasel Head made his winning moves.

Potting a three-ball, Weasel Head created a turnover near mid-court on Lethbridge's return and upon receiving a pass from Darcy Day Chief, a second-year guard with the University of Lethbridge Pronghorns, had an easy lay-up for a tie at 83.

Twenty-eight seconds remaining and Weasel Head stole the ball on Lethbridge's inbound pass. With possession of the ball, the Rebels called a time-out and on a set play from the endline, Alan Spoonhunter, also a Pronghorn, fed Sam Aims Back, one of the Rebels' Montana recruits, who scored the bucket underneath. In drawing a foul, he converted the free throw for an 86-83 advantage.

With Lethbridge running out of time, victory was just about locked up when Weasel Head tipped the ball into the corner. Saving the contest for Lethbridge was Jared Kilkenny's three-pointer with five seconds remaining.

Weasel Head had a nearmiss at the horn when his 22-footer hit the back rim.

The five-minute extra frame was all Rebels as Spoonhunter, with a team-high 27 points, anticipated the loose ball from the jump and went in uncontested for the lay-up as Blackfeet outscored a visibly tired Lethbridge 10-5.

Although Weasel Head didn't score in the overtime, his contributions more than made up for his verbal outburst.

"There had never been an all-Native team to win this tournament and I knew that I could step up and help this team," the guard said, who finished with 11 points.

This was the second time these squads met in the 12-team tournament held between Feb. 28 and March 2. In the opening round of the double-knockout format, the Rebels' 83-65 win sent them through the winner's bracket while Lethbridge had to go through the back door and avoid a second loss.

Playing three games on Sunday, including the semi-final against the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology alumni, Lethbridge had only a 15-minute break before the final in what became its sixth contest. The Rebels meanwhile were well rested entering the championship as that was only their fifth game of the weekend.

It didn't appear Lethbridge would succumb to exhaustion after it jumped out to a 12-4 lead in the opening three minutes as forward Nick Baldwin, another present-day Pronghorn, was uncontested down low. While Day Chief, with 21 points, connected on three-straight 3-balls to keep the score close, it wasn't until nine minutes left in the game before the Rebels tied the game.

There was a noticeable difference by the Rebel defense after the break, however, when Lethbridge led 44-40. Points in the paint by Lethbridge became harder to come by as Blackfeet employed more double-teaming and frenzied hand-waving to distract the opposing shooters.

Part of that stronger interior presence was Sam Aims Back, who despite giving up several centimetrs on the taller Baldwin, was able to maintain his rebounding position. When Baldwin fouled out with three minutes left with a game-high 29 points, Lethbridge only had a 77-74 lead but lost a significant height advantage.

"I just started to get more physical and I was being too easy," Aims Back said, with 21 points and the third Rebel to register more than 20 points.

"In the first half I couldn't loosen up."

Once Baldwin left the floor, running the Lethbridge show was Cheyno Finnie, a U of L graduate, who finished with 16 points.

While his team missed the $1,200 prize, instead winding up with $700 for second place, Finnie was neither surprised nor disappointed with a loss to the Rebels.

"Our goal was to get to the final and give ourselves a chance to win," said Finnie, the coach for Alberta's midget boys program. "We had left it all on the line versus Calgary (SAIT) and we had our chances but didn't make them."