Bowman Bears Get Hungry Late, Pull Away from Mulgrave Titans

Aden Bowman Vs Mulgrave Titans Sr. Boys

It’s a misty Friday night in the mountains of West Vancouver, where Mulgrave’s Castle School plays host to the visiting Aden Bowman Bears from Saskatchewan. Both teams dropped tough games to open the tournament last night and are looking to rebound—both on the scoreboard and in the paint—in Mulgrave’s beautiful, echo-filled gym.

It’s the travelling Bears who come out scorching to start the game. They may be from Saskatoon, but they’re showing absolutely no signs of prairie cold tonight. The handful of Mulgrave fans who made the trip up the hill are doing their best to warm things up too, armed with drumsticks and a collection of 20-gallon buckets that can be heard from one end of the gym to the other.

The Titans slowly claw their way back as the quarter unfolds, tightening up on both ends. At the buzzer, it’s 20–18 for the visitors—much to the delight of the Aden Bowman girls team, who has just arrived and immediately inherited the buckets and drumsticks. The noise level has officially tripled.

A couple minutes into the second quarter, Mulgrave’s #13 Vrsnik channels his inner #13 Quinn Keast with a huge block on the defensive end, then races down and buries a massive three. This sequence sparks his squad, and by the midpoint of the frame, the Titans have flipped the script and taken a 27–26 lead. This one is heating up, play by play.

With two minutes left in the half, Mulgrave’s #12 Wilson converts the rarely-seen four-point play, and the gym is buzzing—maybe a little too much. The Aden Bowman girls, fully invested in the chaos, are promptly instructed by the orders of the Mulgrave coach to surrender their buckets and drumsticks. They are, of course, disgusted (not really), and the crowd’s temperature spikes another few degrees.

Just in time, #12 Dobranski—who, in his green uniform and unapologetically short shorts, could easily be mistaken for Larry Bird’s long-lost nephew—steps up and drills a big three. The Bowman girls erupt, the Bears bench comes alive, and the visitors head into the break up 37–33.

Fun Fact: Aden Bowman Collegiate is named after Aden Bowman, an early Saskatoon newspaper publisher known for championing community events. Legend has it he once organized a sports day featuring tug-of-war, potato sack races, and a “dress-up relay.” Thankfully, only basketball is on tonight’s agenda.

The home side wastes no time coming out of the break. Mulgrave’s #12 Wilson steps into a massive three early in the third quarter, pushing the Titans ahead 40–38 and sending the home bench to its feet. Momentum, once again, is very much up for grabs.

Midway through the quarter, Bears’ #22 Blanch makes his presence felt in a big way. Sporting a mullet, a moustache, and a clothing tag still hanging proudly from his shorts, Blanch knocks down a deep three to show he’s equally comfortable at the skate park and on the hardwood. Style points awarded.

Not to be outdone, #12 Dobranski answers with back-to-back triples for the Bears, only to see Mulgrave’s #14 Xu respond by tearing apart the defence with a nasty drive to the rim that had the crowd buzzing. The intensity continues to rise, and as the third quarter horn sounds, it’s Aden Bowman clinging to a slim 59–58 lead.

The final frame opens with a grind. The teams trade baskets and stops, locked at 63–63 with six minutes remaining. Defence is the star of the show now, with clean looks hard to come by and every possession feeling heavy. It’s clear this one will go down to the wire.

The fourth quarter turns into a battle of wills. Bears’ #22 Blanch steps up again, knocking down a clutch three to put the visitors up by two in a stretch where points are at a premium. Then, seemingly smelling blood, he takes over completely—burying two more triples in quick succession. Nine points in two minutes gives the Bears a commanding 10-point lead with just two minutes to play. That Bear is hungry.

Mulgrave responds by cranking up the pressure, switching to a full-court press in hopes of forcing turnovers and sparking a late run. The effort is there, but the clock isn’t on their side. The Bears stay composed, close it out from the line, and earn a hard-fought 80–68 win.

Player of the Game: Aden Bowman’s #12 Dobranski