After two lopsided wins, the D.P. Todd Trojans got a true test in the championship game. But, with the PGSS Polars as their opponents, they were still victorious in the Trojan Wars senior boys basketball tournament.
In the final, played Saturday night at D.P. Todd, the host Trojans downed the Polars 81-75. D.P. Todd trailed as time was ticking down in the fourth quarter but went on an 11-0 scoring run to pull out the win.
"We really got a good game out of the Polars," said Trojans coach Norm Garfield. "They had the lead for the majority of the game and had gotten up by as much as nine in the fourth quarter but we started to chip away and come back."
On the way to the win, the Trojans got 33 points from Haydn Molcak, their six-foot-six post player. Molcak's effort helped offset a dominant performance by Tyrell Laing, a Grade 10 guard for the Polars who hit for a game-high 48 points.
"He couldn't miss," Garfield said. "In the first quarter he must have scored 19 of their 21 points and after that he was on cruise control. He was feeling it that game. He was hitting from a lot of different spots and was really tough to guard."
Earlier in the eight-team tournament, the Trojans beat the Duchess Park Condors 94-21 and defeated Smithers 88-42.
The Polars, meanwhile, edged the College Heights Cougars 55-52 and topped the Kelly Road Roadrunners 69-44.
Molcak was chosen as the tournament's most valuable player and teammate Tanner Stephenson received the top defensive player award. Laing landed on the first all-star team.
The Trojans are currently the 10th-ranked club in the provincial double-A division.
The Polars are scheduled to host a tournament this weekend.
