Rupert, Skidegate, junior hoops champs

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Missed it by that much.

That's what Maxwell Smart would have said about Prince Rupert's efforts to sweep British Columbia's Junior All Native Basketball Championships held at the Caledonia High School gym in Terrace during Spring Break.

A last-second three-point shot by the Prince Rupert Friendship House Cubs' Derrick Reece rattled off the rim three times before failing to drop in, allowing the rival Skidegate Saints to escape with a 66-64 victory in the boys' final.

"He couldn't have asked for a better look," Cubs' assistant coach George Sampson said of the last-second miss by Reece.

Skidegate built a 10-point lead in the second half, but Reece was able to knock down four straight from beyond the arc to bring the Cubs back into the game.

At 6-foot-6-inches tall Jarod Casey was the big difference and a dominant force for Skidegate. Not only was he strong in the paint-as expected for a kid his size-but when he was held out, he was an effective shooter.

"In all of my years at the provincials, I haven't seen someone so young, at that size, play like that," said Sampson. "Usually, when you're that size, you're just a post player, but this guy can dribble well and he's got great footwork. He was unbelievable."

The Junior All Native is open to players age 17 and under and is held in different locations across the province annually.

The thrilling final came after a ho-hum girls' final that saw the Prince Rupert Friendship House Islanders trounce New Aiyansh, 60-34, making it three consecutive titles for the powerful Rupert side.

The Islanders faced no serious challenge, winning by no less than 25 points in their romp through the girls' division.

"We thought the final would be a bit of a fight because they gave us a bit of a run earlier," Rupert coach Trish Helin said of the final opponent. "Actually, we only had a two-point lead after the first quarter but we outscored them 18-2 in the second quarter and that was it."

So strong was the Rupert side that, in one game, Helin actually instructed her players to start shooting with their left hand so as not to run up the score. The frightening thing is that, even though the Isles will be losing one of their top players next year, they will likely be just as strong.

"We're losing one of our top two players, Kirsten (Helin, a first team all-star), but most of the team will be intact," said Trish.

The 2006 All Native Junior Provincials will be held in North Vancouver.