The Abbotsford News from Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada • 11

The Abbotsford News Tuesday. March 26. 2002 B1 Sports Editor Neil Corbett THE ABBOTSFORD NEWS' College men champs again gPf1T8 RliF The UCFV Cascades have their second hoops title in three years by NEIL CORBETT Abbotsford News College women fall to fourth by NEIL CORBETT Abbotsford News him to it, with the identical speech. You cant overestimate the value of that kind of veteran leadership, said the coach. Right after the time out big Dan Young slammed on an Algonquin players head with an NBA-style dunk that got everyone in the building on their feet.

We never looked back after that, said Lee. They didnt know what hit them. Mike Lee finished the game with 17 points and five assists, while filling in at point guard for the injured Wayne Jones. That sealed his MVP nomination. Talented post Logan Kitteringham had 15 points and eight rebounds, Young had 12 points and five boards, and Peter Wauthy had 11 points and six rebounds.

Lee said the real tournament championship was the semi-final, in which UCFV beat the Dawson College Blues 66-65. It was a phenomenal display of intensity by both teams, said Lee, who fully expected the Montreal college to be their toughest opponent. They kids knew it, and just went out and had a wonderful game. The Cascades played a lot of catch-up through the game. The lead changed hands five times in the last two minutes.

Down a point and with six seconds left on the clock, the Cascades -were inbounding the ball. 'They decoyed to the red hot Mike Lee, the Blues took the bait, and the ball went to Kitteringham under the basket, and he hit the winning layup. CONTINUED B2 There is not an all-Canadian or a major award winner on the roster of the UCFV Cascades mens basketball team, but on Saturday night in Nova Scotia they proved they are the best team in the country, and won their second national championship in the last three years. The Canadian Colleges Athletic Association final saw the Abbotsford team beat the Algonquin Thunder of Ottawa 85-72. When it comes to talented players coach Pat Lee has an embarrassment of riches, but the guy who scored the most consistently was his son Mike Lee, who won the tournament MVP award.

He was very determined, and when we needed shots he took the shots, said his father. I was very proud of him. The Thunder dominated the first five minutes, and actually had the Cascades down by a dozen. They were pumped, and we were looking nervous, like we didnt know what they were doing, said Lee. He subbed in rookies Kyle Morton and Matt Thiessen.

The latter went right to work. Thiessen hit three treys and a pull-up jumper in the space of about two minutes, and we were right back in the game, said Lee. Thiessen would finish with 14 points in about 20 minutes of playing time. The Thunder battled back, pulling to within three points, and Lee called a timeout. He was gomg to tell his boys: We cant play to not lose, weve got to play to win, but his son beat The UCFV womens basketball team, the top seed heading into the national championships in Calgary over the weekend, finished a disappointing fourth.

The Cascades ran into the eventual tournament champions, the Montmorency Nomades, in their second game of the tournament, and lost 55-40. The Cascade all-stars led the team through that game. MEI graduate Cassie Born, who won a first team all-star, had eight points and eight rebounds. Her cousin Jamie Born of Chilliwack had nine points and seven boards. She was the games most valuable player, and the rookie Cascade had a second team all-star.

The Cascades won two games and lost two in the tournament. Their first win was against eighth-seeded Nova Scotia Agricultural College 56-40. Sam Hill was the game MVP with 11 points and six rebounds, while Cassie was the top scorer with 16 points and 11 boards. Their other win came in an offensive breakout against the Dawson Blues, as Cassie broke out for 21 points. Her rookie cousin also had a solid game, with 14 points and six rebounds, and Sam Hill and Erin Lee each had eight points.

In the bronze final the Cascades lost to the host Grant MacEwan Griffins 51-44, dropping them to fourth place. The game MVP was point guard Lindsay Strickland, Cassie led the scoring with nine points, and Lauren Alonzo crashed the boards for 11 rebounds. The Nomades beat Mount Royal the tournament final. Storm blowing in for junior semis As expected, the Abbotsford Pilots will be facing the Campbell River Storm in their provincial junior semi-final series this weekend. Pilots owner Jack Goeson went to Vancouver Island to watch the VIJHL final between the Storm and Peninsula on Friday, and said his team is going to have its hands full.

Theyre a real quick team, very aggressive, good size it will be a good match for both teams, he said. The Storm boasts a goal-tender who went 29-0, and the team dominated the VIJHL with a record of 40-4-4. With the World Bantam Hockey Tournament taking place in Abbotsford this week, the Pilots have had to take their show on the road. The first game will be played Friday night at the Chilliwack Coliseum, starting at 7 p.m. Game 2 is set for Saturday, at MSA Arena, and if necessary Game 3 will be Sunday at MRC Arena.

Both of the local games will begin at 4 p.m. The winner of this series will play either the Beaver Valley Nitehawks or the Sicamous Eagles in a best-of-three series in the Interior, to determine the B.C. champion. Atoms Hawks silver in Coquitlam tourney The Abbotsford Hawks atom team played a spring break tournament in Coquitlam last week, and almost won it. They won their first two games in round-robin play.

The first was a 12-1 romp over Kamloops, with Clayton Cumiskey receiving player of the game honors. Against Burnaby Minor, an 8-1 win, Derek Grant got the games MVP. Their third game against Seafair of Richmond ending in a 2-2 tie, and the MVP was Brendan Nadolny. Finishing third out of 16 teams after the round-robin, the Hawks faced their nemesis Surrey in the first round of the finals, beating them 6-4, with Riley Boychuk receiving the MVP In the senn-finals Abbotsford came up against host Coquitlam and dominated them as they had done all year, 6-3, with Jeff Regier named player of the game. Going into the final game with the North Shore Winter Club, both teams sported undefeated records.

After the first period the Hawks were down 3-0. They played hard in the second, frame, but couldnt muster a goal. Down 4-0 going into the third period they pressed hard, but lost 4-2. Throughout the tournament, goalie Michael Chan played outstanding in five games. Brendan Nadolny also won the fastest skating forward in the skills competition.

Named to the tournament all-star team were Clayton Cumiskey for forward and Jeff Regier on KIRK SAINT News Contributor Cascades guard Mike Lee (9) was the MVP of the national finals. Twisters gymnasts host annual mega meet by NEIL CORBETT Abbotsford News The largest gymnastics meet in B.C. was hosted by Twisters gym over the weekend, with 500 international competitors who came from as far away as Japan for the event. There was a lot at stake for the competitors. The Twisters Invitational was also the trials for the Western Canadian Championships, coming up April 19 in Calgary, for the provincial level 4 competitors.

It was also the second trials meet for national girls and boys. In addition to athletes from across B.C., there were gymnasts from Saskatchewan, Halifax and Twisters gymnast Meghan Drown performs floor exercises during the clubs annual invitational meet, held at Ag-Rec over the weekend. in keeping with tradition the club again hosted Japanese gymnasts, including national team members from the land of the rising sun. And there was a lot at stake for the local club. For most clubs, when they host a meet, its their major fundraiser for the year, said Twisters president She said last year the club cleared $15,000 at their meet, so it is a major part of their breakeven budget.

Its easy to attract top competition to an Abbotsford meet. The Twisters gym is the home of both Canadian champions Kate Richardson on the girls side, and Richard Ikeda on the mens side. Whats more, there are no less than nine members of Canadas mens team who tram with Twisters, under the direction of head coach Mits Ikeda, father of the national champ. The Twisters womens side is also slowly building into a force in gymnastics, as coach David Kenwright is putting girls on podiums. "Weve stayed in the upper ech elons, which is where you want to be, said Kenwright.

There were about 30 Japanese athletes who were billeted with local families. With their travelling costs largely paid for by major corporate sponsors, they are happy to go abroad for competition. Meanwhile, the Twister athletes find such opportunities rare. "David Kenwright, coach for the Olympic team, had to buy his own track suit for the Olympics, said Schimnowsky. So having the Japanese in town for a meet is novel for the Canadians, said Schimnowsky.

"They get a chance to compete against kids they havent seen before. printer cartridge refills cuts Save up to We sell and recycle: Inkjets Compatible inkjet cartridges Laser, printer, fax photocopier toner cartridges on inkjet printer cartridge refills SEVENOAKS SHOPPING CENTRE (drop by the kiosk next to the Food Court) 60C -1153-9600 Coquitlam Centre, Coquitlam Lougheed Mall, Burnaby 604-415-9089 Guildford Town Centre, Surrey 604-589-2988 4 I I.