(BOYS FINAL) Handsworth Royals hold on for second championship in as many years against Charles Hays Rainmakers

December 7, 2019

Handsworth Royals v. Charles Hays Rainmakers

Written by Scott Leigh, Handsworth Grad ‘06

Deja Vu anyone? A repeat of the final from last year, we have the visiting Rainmakers in from Prince Rupert to take on the home town Royals for the No Regrets Basketball Tournament boys championship. 

The Royals are coming off a great start to the season, taking down some top 10 teams in a run that led them to a second place finish in their tournament last week. The boys are hoping for a different finals result tonight on a rainy day in the British Properties of West Vancouver.  Charles Hays, who tend to be fans of the rain, are looking to make amends for a tough loss in last years’ No Regrets final, and earn that revenge W to make the journey home tomorrow that much more enjoyable.

With a battle of two strong teams that are reasonably alike in size, we can expect an entertaining game for all those in attendance. The Royals may be the home team, but the Rainmakers’ bench is creating more noise than the fans in the stands to start the game. Both squads have come out with a game plan to get it inside, and let easy buckets down-low open up the court for the long-range game. This game plan has benefited Handsworth thus far, getting them out to a 9-4 lead through the first 5 minutes of the game. George Horn, #21 for the Royals, held his position on the defensive end and that earned him a big block on Caden Pagens, #14 for the Rainmakers. The refs are letting them play, there aren’t any ticky tack fouls to complain about in this game. The Royals have been able to take advantage of the turnovers they have forced and get themselves open shots in transition. A few missed opportunities for the Rainmakers has seen this lead creep to double digits, with the Royals up 15-5 with a couple minutes left in the Q. Tyler Jones, #1 for the Rainmakers, is looking to flip the script by taking matters into his own hands. The in-n-out cross, and we aren’t talking about the burger joint, gets him to the rim and a couple of three throw opportunities. Marko Stojslavevic, #11 for Handsworth, almost finishes the quarter in style with his shot from half just missing. 19-11 for Handsworth after the first Q.  

The Royals look to get the three from the corner off before the buzzer goes, but Kai Leighton, #10 for the Rainmakers, had a different plan as he sent the ball flying into the third row of the stands. The momentum from Leighton’s block has carried forward with a few solid offensive possessions in a row - Charles Hays is now within 6 points with 7 minutes remaining in the Q. Horn has been a rebound monster, nom nom nom all over the glass - must be nearing the double digits. The teams have exchanged buckets for the majority of this second quarter, keeping the Royals with a fairly comfortable lead. The finals announcer, the infamous Mark Barrett, comes with the “BOOM GOES THE DYNAMITE” call on cue - as Stojslavevic knocks down the three late in the half. Halftime score - Royals 34 and Rainmakers 23. 

Halftime Fact: Big Man for the Royals, #21 George Horn, had a spicy pasta dish as his pregame meal. 

Halftime Fact: Charles Hays Secondary School is named in honour of Charles Melville Hays, the president in the early 1900s of the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway, whose terminus station in Western Canada is located in Prince Rupert. 

The zesty play from Horn, likely as a result of his pregame meal, will be important for the Royals as they look to extend their lead early in the second half. The Rainmakers have made things difficult for their opponents throughout this tournament with a healthy dose of high pressure defence, transition buckets and knocking down threes. This combination is yet have the necessary affect on the Royals, but lots of ball left to play. Handsworth is testing out the 3/4 court press, which if the Rainmakers can break effectively will lead to more opportunities on the run. George “Zesty” Horn is using his height to finish inside and earn chances from the charity stripe - the Royals hold on to a 9 point lead with 3 minutes remaining in the third quarter. The physical toughness from the Rainmakers is matched with their mental toughness; this team refuses to succumb to the pressure. We are in for an exciting final quarter, the lead now down to 8.

Tristan Gau, #14 for the Royals, is the type of player you never liked to be matched up against; non-stop hustle, fighting for every rebound and loose-ball - the guy you want on your team, all the time, every time.  A 9-0 run by Charles Hays narrows the gap to 1 point with 7 remaining. Nail Biter. Leighton hits a big three to give his team their first lead of the game. Jones makes a nice dish under the hoop in transition, followed up by a steal and layup giving the Rainmakers the one point lead once again. Horn is working hard on the inside, following up on his own missed shot and earning himself a couple of three throws. The Royals are going to have to hit a few more of these free throws in the final 2 minutes to squeak out a win. Tie game at 58, 3 minutes to go. You can feel the tension in the air as both of these teams would love nothing more than a couple minutes of solid play to finish the tourney off in style. Robert Lutman, #6 for Handsworth, hustles back on D and comes up with a huge block on Leighton at the rim. 42 seconds left and the Royals hold on to a two point lead. A missed three from Pagens leads to a long rebound, which ends up in Jones hands at the three point line - you know the rest, boom - clutch three to give the Rainmakers a one point lead with 30 seconds remaining. 29.5 second left, shot clock is turned off - it is clutch time. Stojslavevic does not have any shooting confidence issues - he has missed a few threes in the second half, and after Horn comes up with a rebound off a missed Stojslavevic three, he does what shooters do, take the open shot and he knocked it down. Clutch three - puts the Royals up 2. 4.9 seconds left and the Royals are at the line. A couple of free-throw makes could end this game. The first trickles out, and the second is pure. 

The Royals hold on and earn a huge win in dramatic fashion. As a fan, you couldn’t ask for much more than what we just witnessed. Incredible effort by both teams that literally came down to the last second. 

Congratulations to the Rainmakers on another great tournament, and congratulations to the back-to-back No Regrets Basketball Tournament champions, the Handsworth Royals.

Final Score: Handsworth 64 : Charles Hays 61.

No Regrets.