The Golden Boys Have Arrived: Collingwood's Crowd Helps Boost Them in First-Round Win vs. Prince George

Collingwood Sr. Boys v. Prince George

(photo credit: Ria Terins)

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, welcome to the 2024 No Regrets Tournament!

We find ourselves nestled into the cozy quarters of Collingwood School in West Van, with an absolute barn burner between the Collingwood Cavaliers and the visiting Prince George Polars.

It’s a familiar scene for the Collingwood community - a Spirit Game with the stands absolutely packed. But it’s not all familiar territory - for the first time ever we are seeing the debut of the Golden Boys. Looking fresh in their blue and yellow pinstripe overalls, these are the Cavalier’s very own hype boy crew! On top of the Golden Boys, we just witnessed an intro video for the 2024 Collingwood team that would rival those of the Lakers - truly unbelievable. Last and certainly not least, we witnessed the return of the infamous Tommy Trumpet. An environment that is unmatched - and with all of that excitement we still haven’t even had the tip off.

“It’s time to play some basketball!” our announcer, Liam, has confirmed - let’s go! The Cavs have started the game with some great execution with their half court offence, but that execution has been countered with a couple of quick buckets in transitions by the Polars. The Cavs have a clear game plan to start, which includes setting the pace for the game with their 3/4 court zone. Thus far it led to a couple turnovers, and a few buckets for Prince George when they did successfully break it down. Big man #22 for Collingwood, Julian Hinders, is cleaning up on the offensive boards and earning himself some putback opportunities. 

Both teams have no issues pushing the pace of play, aggressively defending, looking for turnovers and turning those turnovers into fastbreak opportunities. Thus far the Cavs have been able to take advantage of their opportunities, leading them to a 16-6 lead midway through the first quarter. Prince George is hoping their jetlag wears off, as they look to change the momentum of this game heading into the second Q. Elliot McNeil, #14 for the Cavs, earned himself multiple and-1 opportunities to finish the quarter. End of the first quarter, the Cavs were up 31-11.

Big man #13 on the Polars , Burbee, is looking to reverse that momentum by hitting a corner three early in the second quarter. Prince George might be a bit frustrated with their execution in the first half, but their energy levels have not wavered from giving it 100% all half long. #10 for Prince George, Cheema, is part of that group giving it his all - including making a strong finish at the rim and completing the 3-point play after taking the hard foul.

Tom Brady, I mean #2 for the Cavs, Sam Li, just delivered an absolute gem to #14 in transition - full-court length one-handed drop-it-in-over-the-shoulder type Tom Brady bomb. Li finished off the half in style, with a buzzer beater deep 3 - what a way to enter the locker room.

It’s game #1 for the Golden Boys, and they have been navigating exactly where the line in the sand sits when it comes to their participation and involvement in the game. Banging drums aggressively - confirmed acceptable. Starting the DEFENSE chat - confirmed acceptable. Acting like a Polar Bear on the baseline while the Polars shoot free throw - confirmed unacceptable. The hype crew has certainly brought the hype!

Score at the half, Cavs up 59 - 24.

Halftime Fact #1: Head coach for the Cavs, Andy Wong, is a mathematics teacher at Collingwood. Turns out his students have been paying attention in class, as our announcer Liam, clearly a student of Mr. Wong’s, confirmed at one point that the Cavs “had a 300% lead” on their opponent. Incredible.

Halftime Fact #2: Polar Bears are classified as marine mammals because they spend most of their lives on the sea ice of the Arctic Ocean, depending on the ocean for their food and habitat.

Coming off a performance from the Cavs dance team at half-time, the energy in the building continues to be off the charts! Not to be outdone, we all got to witness one of the more unique versions of musical chairs - the Cavs wrestling team, which from all accounts seems to be very good at wrestling, just played a game of musical chairs to Christmas music. As you might have imagined, we got equal parts wrestling to sitting.

Now back to basketball: Both teams have come out inspired by both the dance and the wrestling teams’ performance; a combination of impressive footwork and some gritty battles. The Cavs and Polars have come out slingin’, with 6 three pointers between the teams made in the first few minutes of the half. Cavs #22, Hinders, turned a steal on the perimeter into a crowd-pleasing dunk on the other end, extending Collingwood’s lead midway through the third Q. The Polars are tough, there’s no doubt about it. We just watched #1, Eli Mogus, take a shot to the nose which started the bleeding, stuffed some paper up there to reduce the bleeding and ran back to coach with a smile on his face confirming he’s ready to get back in. Love to see that grit!

It’s not just the players working hard, the Golden Boys are putting in a big shift - leading to them making sure their hydration levels are adequate; somewhat surprisingly that means coconut water as their hydrating beverage of choice.

End of the third quarter has the Cavs up 89-38.

I have a feeling I know what Coach Wong said to his team heading into this game - something to the effect of “let’s run, play pressure-filled defense, create turnovers and push the ball in transition.” I’m sure his words were more elegant, and likely referenced more numbers and complicated formulas to bring that to life - but that had to be the gist of it. His team listened.

It’s the first game of the tournament for the Polars as they settle in from their travel; hopefully they get a good night's rest at the Econo Lodge, a long time sponsor of the tourney.

A fast-paced hard fought battle from both teams - the Cavs earned their lead early and never showed signs of giving that up to the Polars. The entertainment value in the gym tonight was as good as it gets - what a way to kick-start the 2024 No Regrets Tourney!

Final Score: Collingwood: 118 - Prince George: 62.

No Regrets.