ST. JOSEPH’S, NL – The 2025 School Sports NL 1A boys basketball championship kicked off with the St Joseph’s Academy Jaguars taking on the Eric G Lambert School out of Churchill Falls Labrador. The Churchill Falls team were big in stature and physically athletic. I guess that has a bit to do with most of them being hockey players.
Go to athletes nonetheless but in front of the hometown crowd in a packed gymnasium the air was nothing less than electric and hometown St Joseph’s plugged into that and it was smooth sailing all the way.
As big and athletic as the Churchill Falls team were they could not hold off the St Joseph’s Squad who came out flying right from the opening minute of the game and secured more than 30-point victory.
GAME 2
Next up was neighbour school, St Lawrence Academy Blues, who obtained the wild card spot after placing second in the regional qualifiers. They went up against the heavily favoured Baltimore Broncos who had dropped back from higher ranked categories this season and cut down every team they came up against pretty much.
Although the St Lawrence squad held them to a 20-point deficit they were still out matched. The real Savior for the Blues in this game was the team’s sheer size. Players like Nick Turpin who is 6′ 3″ along with Brayden Rennie, David Miller and the up and coming coming Jayden Beck, who promises in the future to be a dominating force on the court. Final score, 67-47.
Game 3
The next game I took in was St Joseph’s Academy Jaguars taking on the St Ann’s Academy (Se’t A’newey Kina’matino’kuom) team based out of Miawpukek ( Conne River).
The problem here was not that the team didn’t have a good repertoire of players. A lot of these players were good in their own right but a lot of times I find with some of these more isolated communities is that they aren’t necessarily in the area where they get good exposure to basketball and a decent regiment of games to prepare them for provincial tournament. I noticed two or three players on this team that definitely would have been contenders for any provincial team with the right coaching. Some stood about 6 ft 5 and held the commanding presence on the court. But at the end of the day the more experienced hometown St Joseph’s Jaguars kept their foot on the gas from the opening minutes of the game right to the very end pulling away the St Ann’s Squad by score of 93 to 40.
Game 4
Next up was MSB Regional High from Middle Arm on the Baie Verte peninsula and they took on Eric G Lambert of Churchill Falls. This is one of those games that was increasingly frustrating to watch as the time went on. MSB were clearly the superior team but for some reason just could not get ahead on the scoreboard this game. For the most part it was a two-point game either way right from the opening minutes it was very competitive but some might say it was also very sloppy. But strictly from a skill standpoint MSB of middle-arm we’re definitely that team but Eric G Lambert had their number at the end of the day squeaking out a 57-54 victory. I’m left a scratching my head wondering what and just happened or how this just happened but this is provincial and stranger things have happened.
Game 5
Next up is the hometown St Joseph’s Academy Jaguars taking on MSP Regional School from Middle Arm and MSB came to play this time. The sloppy game from before had tied up it’s loose ends and had buttoned up everything that it needed to do come out full force and give the Jaguars their first real competition of the tournament. They had no intentions on going away quietly or easily and they were always in arms reach of the Jaguars and every step of the way right up until the 4th quarter. Then the hometown team showed their endurance and depth from their bench spreading the gap in the fourth quarter and ultimately securing a 75 to 63 victory.
Game 6
Next was the high energy Lambert school from Churchill Falls taking on St Ann’s Academy. These teams came out appearing very evenly matched and it was a back and forth affair the entire game. Watching from the sidelines I think this game could have went either way. They were both pretty much evenly matched in size and ability and had the ball bounced or rolled differently on a couple of occasions this could have been a very different game with very different outcome. At the end of the day though it was Eric G Lambert securing their second win of the tournament putting them in shooting distance of a playoff spot
Game 7
Next up we had what was anticipated to be potentially a very competitive game between the hometown Saint Joseph’s Jaguars and the Belanger Memorial Blazers from Doyles in the Codroy Valley. Over the years the Blazers have always been at the top of the food chain when it comes to hunting the provincial title in their division.
It turned out to be something quite opposite. And it became abundantly clear very quickly that the Blazers were accustomed to being top of the food chain in their basketball world and had a lot of trouble adjusting to the faster pace, more dominant style of east coast basketball as well as the the officiating which let very little slide in the way of indiscretions.
Their star player came in for big time foul trouble very early in the first quarter and had to be taken off and that opened the floodgates for the fast paced dominant Jaguars team to step on the proverbial gas pedal and not let up till the very end.
More arguing and complaining on the part of the Codroy Valley coaches was done than basketball played which had onlookers just shaking their heads.
But playing Devil’s Advocate it is a bitter pill to swallow when you are used to being top dog in a certain sport in your area but then you travel 10 to 12 hours to the east coast to play in the tournament that you are just severely outmatched.
It became awkward to the point that I was just praying for it to be over and finally it was with the St Joseph Jaguars winning 81 to 61 and secured first place in their division heading into the playoff round to play second place St Lawrence Academy Blues in the provincial.
Game 8 (semi final)
In the past when both these teams have met it’s been no less than a 40 point deficit for St Joseph’s but St Lawrence Academy had no intentions on letting that happen this time around. With a very split fan base because allegiances were tested here as both of these schools and communities are so close to one another every way you could possibly imagine.
The blues came to fight . On the court there was a lot of back and forth in the first two quarters especially it was just five to seven point game for the most part. The cheers and jeers between teams at times was hot as often happens between close companions. But in the end the host and hometown St Joseph’s Jaguars came out on top with a final score of 69 to 50 securing a spot in the final.
Game 9 (semi final)
Semi-final number 2 saw the Baltimore Broncos take on the Belanger Blazers. I secretly hoped that after the Blazers lost to the Jaguars that they will pull up their bootstraps and give the Broncos a run for their money but unfortunately that was only a pipe dream has the Blazers could not seem to mount any serious offensive at all. The Baltimore Broncos cut through the Blazers like a hot knife through butter. One Step Closer to putting another provincial banner on their wall for a third year in a row in the lower division.
The Final
Which brings us up to the 1A provincial boys basketball championship final. Now this is a story in itself all on its own and it’s filled with controversy and animosity by many in the basketball community as many felt that the Baltimore Broncos had no place being here.
And are they wrong? How do you justify winning the provincial 2A championship back to back years in 2023 and 2024 and having your team picture holding said Banner on the ssnl website only to drop back to the lower 1A division the next season.
The argument was that they didn’t stand a chance in the 2A division because several players had graduated out. But is that really a good enough reason? It’s called a rebuilding year and every team everyone has to go through it at some point. Taking the road that the Broncos did was just a cop out so they could guarantee another provincial banner hanging out there gymnasium wall.
Game Time
So, that brings us up to game time. As much as myself and others had expected the much bigger, more dominant, Baltimore Broncos came out in a flurry taking a 10 point lead very quickly before the Jaguars could even get a bucket on the board.
It went like that for most of the game. As the Jaguars would get a little closer the Broncos would step on the gas and spread the gap a little bit more. At one point to almost a 20-point deficit and it was a little disheartening to watch as the Jaguars were starting to look a little defeated. It seemed all but hopeless as time dwindled away.
But somewhere in the second half of the fourth quarter the Baltimore Broncos bad behaviour started to catch up with them. Foul trouble caught up with them as not one but two of their starters were forced to leave the game with five fouls a piece. Even with that was it too little too late for the Jaguars to play catch up?
Well, they didn’t seem to think so as I saw the mixture of depth and determination rise above any amount of skill they were facing. They chipped away and they chipped away and then the last 2 minutes of the game it had become a two-point game. It was one of those situations that you didn’t want to watch but you couldn’t look away either. It also wasn’t something you’d expect to see in a 1A championship but no one told the young Jaguars at they played as if it was the 4A championship.
The clock ran down…
The clock ran down and the game was tied because level two student Chris king truly became King of the moment as he stepped up and nailed a clutch shot putting the Jaguars up 53 – 51 and ultimately securing the provincial 1A championship for the St Joseph’s Jaguars for the first time in the history of that school.
Never before had basketball had a place on the walls of the gymnasium at St Joseph’s but due to Mark Pittman’s tireless dedication to these boys and to this school it all culminated in one glorious moment of shock even for him.
The boys couldn’t believe it, he couldn’t believe it, and even more so I couldn’t believe it.
The looks of the faces of the Baltimore Broncos was shock and disbelief that they had let this game slip away. That plan to win another provincial banner to hang on there gymnasium walls had failed. You know what they say about best laid plans.
