Canadian, American Haidas split tourney titles

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It was an all-Haida evening on the final day of the 2004 All Native Basketball Tournament (ANT) in Prince Rupert, as Canadian Haidas met their American counterparts in two of the four division finals.

The 45th annual All Native wrapped up Feb. 15 at the Jim Ciccone Civic Centre, with the marquee matchups featuring Haida Gwaii teams going against teams from Hydaburg, Alaska. The end result was a split, with Skidegate rolling over Hydaburg in the intermediate men's final, 120-89; followed by Hydaburg's 93-81 victory over Masset in the senior men's final.

Both winners were repeat champions, with the Hydaburg senior men winning their fourth championship and seventh in eight years. The only bump in the road since 1997 came in 2000, at the hands of this same Masset squad.

"We were hoping to beat them, like we did a few years ago, but they're the champs and they played great," said Masset's Willis Parnell. "When it was close, down the stretch, we knew we would have to be pretty much perfect to win, but we missed a couple of two-footers, some free throws, and that was it."

Matt Carle, who had 35 points in the victory, was selected most valuable player for the fifth time in his ANT career. He said winning seven titles in eight years doesn't mean it gets any less exciting.

"It never gets routine. You never know what's going to happen because there are always new challenges each year," he said. "We put a lot of pride into getting ready every year. The talent level in this tournament keeps rising and we know teams are gunning for us."

Meanwhile, the Skidegate Saints have their own dynasty going, as they won their fourth intermediate crown in five years. That the defending champs won was not so much of a shocker as how they did it.

After the Saints lost a squeaker, 83-80, to Hydaburg in Friday's first semi-final, most fans were expecting another great battle. It never came close to materializing, though, as Skidegate came out flying and never looked back, leading by 24 at the half.

"They had the rest, so I don't know what was going on with them," shrugged Skidegate's Desi Collinson. "We were ready. We came in a lot more calm and controlled the game better."

Collinson had 17 points, with five other Skidegate players hitting double digits, including MVP Daniel McNeill, with 12.

McNeill, also named best defensive player, was surprised to be picked MVP, saying, "What was important was that everybody on the team stepped up."

There wasn't much stepping up on the other side, which was as surprising as it was disappointing for the second-place team.

"We were too relaxed, we didn't have any fire in us," said a glum Vin Edenshaw, a Hydaburg all-star selection, after the game.

In afternoon action, Kitamaat defeated Kincolith, 60-54, to take the masters men's division championship; and Prince Rupert knocked off Kispiox, 63-51, to claim the ladies division title after finishing second the previous two years.

Trish Helin paced the Prince Rupert ladies with 22 points and was named division MVP. Masters MVP Ellis Ross tallied 20 points in leading Kitamaat to their come-from-behind victory.

There were 54 teams competing at this year's ANT, from across British Columbia and including Alaskan communities Hydaburg, Kake, and Metlakatla. The annual tournament, one of the biggest of its kind on the continent, attracts an estimated 3,000 visitors to Prince Rupert each year.