Saints Fall Short in their Title Defense as Brentwood Wins their First ‘No Regrets’ Tourney Title
Saturday, December 10, 2022
Scott Leigh
St. George’s v. Brentwood
Here we are ladies and gentlemen, for the 2022 No Regrets Boys Basketball Final in the brand new Handsworth gym. We have the St. George’s Saints going up against Brentwood, both rocking the red, white and black. We’ve got a battle between two private schools, and the battle of Nike versus Under Armour. Brentwood is rocking the Nike swag, and St. George’s is representing Under Armour. With Brentwood hoping to catch a late ferry home tonight, the game has gotten underway quickly and the pace of play has been intense.
The Saints have looked determined defensively, making every pass and possession for Brentwood frustrating. On top of that, the Saints have been hitting from deep and earned themselves an 11-3 lead with 4 minutes left in Q1. Brentwood has struggled so far in the first quarter to find any sort of offensive rhythm, but they continue to work hard and show aggression on the offensive glass. #13 for the Saints, Isaac Brown, has been effective in the early parts of this finals matchup, but has found himself in foul trouble and spending more time than he would prefer on the bench. At the end of the first quarter, St. George’s is up 19-8.
Brentwood started the second quarter with a fresh degree of urgency, and after the shot clock buzzer beater 3 they are only behind by 1. Three consecutive deep balls for Brentwood has briefly tied this game up at 21. This resurgence from Brentwood is exactly what the crowd was hoping for in the last game of the 2022 ‘No Regrets’ tourney. Both teams in the first half have done a significant amount of their damage from the three-point line. As we head into the break, the Saints are up one, 35-34.
Halftime Facts: Brentwood College School was founded in 1923 by a Board of Governors led by Cuthbert Holmes and its first Headmaster, H.P. Hope. St. George’s was founded in 1930, which, according to my math, means it is 7 years younger than their opponent in this finals game. This leads to the age-old question, will experience or youthful naivety lead to the W?
With the infamous No Regrets trophy of Quinn’s actual shoe on the line, these teams will undoubtedly be leaving everything on the floor in this last 20 minutes of action. Both teams have been using a combination of fastbreak when available and settling into structured offensive sets when the fast-paced option seems unwise. After Brentwood fought its way back into this game in the second quarter, neither team was able to extend a lead more than a few points. If this is any indication of what we should expect from here on out, one of these teams is going to need to knock down a clutch bucket or two to finish the tourney with a perfect 4-0 record.
The Saints have gone on a run by finding their way to the rim and either finishing inside or getting fouled, but Brentwood, as they seem to repeatedly to do, have hit back-to-back threes just when things start slipping away and put themselves up 1 heading into Q4.
Neither Brentwood nor St. George’s wants to leave the gym without the championship trophy in hand, and their passion is evident as everyone can see that finish line just one quarter away. The competitiveness is hitting a new level, as is everyone’s feistiness. It seems that just when one team feels like they may take a bit of momentum and go on a damaging run, the other team finds a way to make a big shot and put a stop to any such plans. Halfway through this final quarter the Saints hold onto a one-point advantage. ‘Big man’ #2 for Brentwood, Avik Bakchi, came off the bench and hit a huge 3 with less than three minutes remaining, to give his team a momentary 2-point lead. One thing is for certain, Brentwood will be doing whatever they can to earn this victory in regulation - I don’t think BC Ferries has any interest in waiting put while they try to get the W in overtime.
With only 1:19 remaining, Brentwood is up 1. Brentwood’s Jayden Lust, went 1 of 2 at the line with 30 seconds to go, leaving the Saints with plenty of time to score. #24 for the Saints, Will Hyland, goes 1 of 2 at the other end, bringing his team to within 1. With no choice but to foul before the final whistle, the Saints send #8, Dylan Gage, to the line and he hit both clutch free-throws to give his team a 3-point lead with 9 seconds to go. The Saints #1 Dom Aquino put up the deep three with 1 second remaining in a last-ditch effort to win the game, and the ball could not have been any closer to going down before somehow rattling around and missing.
What an incredible final game, ultimately with Brentwood coming away with the win 65-63! You could not have drawn this one up any better!
Final Score: Brentwood 65 - St. George’s 63.
Big thanks to all of the individuals that made this tournament possible, we look forward to seeing everyone in 2023!
No Regrets.