St. Thomas More's eighth Chancellor boys' basketball title was as crazy as it gets.
The varsity Knights fashioned one of the most exciting finishes in the 46-year history of the Chancellor tournament, defeating a hot shooting Lord Tweedsmuir Panthers 76-75 in overtime in the tournament final on Saturday.
Leading by seven points heading into the final quarter, STM lost momentum against the stifling Tweedsmuir half-court trap and the lights-out shooting by offensive player of the game Paanu Sahi.
Sahi nailed three of his game-high seven three-pointers in the final 10 minutes along with five-of-five from the free-throw line. His sixth trey of the night, from the baseline, drew the two teams even at 58-58 midway through the final frame.
STM fought back and took a 63-59 lead on a floater to the basket by junior guard Jalen Jana with three minutes to play.
But Tweedsmuir broke back, taking advantage of a string of STM turnovers in the final minutes.
Panther guard Mike Messenger potted a turnaround jumper to give the Surrey school a one-point lead in the final seconds.
Forced to foul to stop the clock and trailing by three points, STM pulled some last-second magic out of a hat on a desperation three-pointer by tournament MVP Andrew Morris with no time left on the clock, sending the game into overtime.
In the five-minute extra time, Grade 11 post Giovanni Trasolini scored a pair of buckets, including his fifth offensive rebound of the game on a putback, that put the Knights into the lead for good.
"I figured we had to score somehow. I just threw it up, but when I saw it go through the hoop, it was amazing," said Morris after the game.
Morris potted 15 points and had 11 rebounds for the Knights, while Trasolini also helped himself to a double-double, scoring 14 points and hauling in 15 boards.
First-team all-star Ben Hieltjes led the Knights with 21 points.
Senior guard Mikey Carney also made the all-tournament first team. Denzel Laguerta was a second-team pick.
First-teamers Pavan Lehal and Sahi topped all scorers with 23 and 22 points, respectively.
Morris helped STM successfully through the tourney, potting a total of 57 points in his first three games.
STM opened with an 89-35 whitewash of Sutherland on Jan. 4. The Knights edged Enver Creek 68-61 on Thursday before beating up on AAA honourable mention Maple Ridge 74-47 in the semifinals.
"Since Grade 8, we've been a real team," said Morris of the Knights' effort. "We've stayed as a whole and played as a team. That's what makes us special, it is how we work as a group."
For STM head coach Aaron Mitchell, the wins at the Chancellor put the AA No. 7-ranked Knights back on the rails.
"It's as exciting as it gets. It's great for the team and great for the program," said Mitchell of the title game. "It's great we have this momentum back. But we can't get too high. We have to maintain that balance."
The tournament win was the Knights first Chancellor tournament title since 2007.
