It had all the makings of another classic matchup in the storied rivalry between the two towns.
On one side were the Gryphons boys from Barr-head. On the other were the Thunderbirds from R.F. Staples in Westlock. And there could only be one winner.
That winner was the Gryphons, who in a show of might knocked off their rivals from the east with ease, and in the process won their home tournament in front of dozens of cheering parents, friends and girlfriends.
The final score of 62-37 did not fully demonstrate how the Gryphons bottled up the T-Birds at every turn en route to earning the gold.
“The guys did Barrhead proud,” said coach Dave Mueller. “They were all class and treated the referees with respect.”
In the championship final, the Gryphons marched out to a large lead, holding the T-Birds to single digits in the first quarter. By the end of the first half, the Gryphons had increased their lead to the point where they had more than twice the points the T-Birds had accumulated.
Perhaps the most striking images of the domination the Gryphons put forward were the numerous highlight reel shot blocks Gerben Deinum recorded, preventing the T-Birds from getting too close.
In order to get to the final, the Gryphons opened the tournament with a resounding 67-15 win over Warburg on Friday evening.
That win sent them into the semifinals on Saturday afternoon against Hilltop out of Whitecourt. That game proved to be a sterner test for the Gryphons, but they were up to the task and dispatched their opponents by a 55-49 score, setting up a dream final against R.F Staples, who had to dig deep in their own semifinal against Beaverlodge, eking out a 50-48 win in the dying seconds.
“It just all came together for us,” Mueller said.
Up next for the Gryphons is a tournament in Devon slated for Feb. 24-25.
