The high school boys take to the courts this coming weekend as School Sports Newfoundland and Labrador sponsors five provincial basketball tournaments. Champions will be crowned in Small Schools, 2A, 3A, 4A and Fair Play divisions.

The Small Schools Boys Basketball event is being hosted by St. Mary�s All Grade in Mary�s Harbour, Labrador. Five teams will compete in a round robin format to determine the winner. The top team after the round robin will get a bye to the final, while the second and third place team will play in the semi-final game. Teams competing in the Small Schools tournament must have a population in high school of less than 40 students. Participating schools include the host, St. Mary�s, Main River Academy (Pollards Point), D.C. Young School (Port Hope Simpson), St. Lewis School (St. Lewis) and William Gillett Academy, Charlottetown. The tournament gets underway 11:00 a.m. Friday and concludes with the championship game at 6:00 p.m. Saturday.

Seven teams will be travelling to Doyles to compete against Belanger Memorial for the 2A Boys title. Competition in Division A will consist of Lakewood Academy (Glenwood), Grandy�s River Collegiate (Burnt Island), Christ the King High (Rushoon), and Viking Trail Academy (Plum Point). Division B will see action from Holy Name of Mary (Lawn), Random Island Academy, Belanger Memorial and Conrad Fitzgerald Academy (English Harbour). Round robin action begins Thursday afternoon and continues throughout Friday and Saturday morning. The semi-final games are scheduled for Saturday morning with a championship game at 2:30 p.m.

Lester Pearson Memorial in Wesleyvillle is the host school for the Boys 3A tournament. Eight teams will compete in the two division round robin tournament. Division A will consist of Fatima Academy (St. Brides), Mealy Mountain Collegiate (Happy Valley-Goose Bay), St. Lawrence Academy and Lester Pearson Memorial. Vying for the top spot in Division B will be Elwood High (Deer Lake), St. James Regional High (Port aux Basques), Dunne Memorial (St. Mary�s) and J. M. olds Collegiate (Twillingate). The tournament�s first game is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. on Thursday. The top two teams in each division advance to the semi-finals on Saturday afternoon. The championship game is set for 7:00 p.m. Saturday.

Laval High School in Placentia will host the Boys 4A championships. Competing in the Red Division will be Laval High, Mount Pearl Senior High, Corner Brook High and St. Catherine�s Academy (Mount Carmel). Teams in the White Division include Holy Heart of Mary (St. John�s), Roncalli High (Avondale), Gander Collegiate and Clarenville High. The games get underway 9:00 a.m. Thursday and continue thoughout Friday. The semi-finals are scheduled for 10:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. Saturday followed by the championship game at 4:00 p.m.

The Fair Play Boys Basketball championships will take place at Carbonear Collegiate. Eight teams will compete in a two division format for this title. Playing in the White Division will be Carbonear Collegiate, Mobile High, Baltimore High (Ferryland) and St. Marks School (Kings Cove). Exploits Valley High (Grand Falls-Windsor), Marystown Central High, Ascension Collegiate (Bay Roberts) and St. Kevins High (Goulds) will compete in the Burgundy Division. One game is scheduled for Thursday evening with the remainder of the round robin games set for Friday and Saturday. The championship game is scheduled for 4:00 p.m. on Saturday.

In its continuing effort to emphasize sportsmanship, School Sports Newfoundland and Labrador, are sponsoring the Sportsmanship First Program. Each team will nominate an individual player to receive an individual sportsmanship medal, as well a team sportsmanship banner will be awarded. The top teams will be awarded with gold and silver medals, while the winner of the championship game will also receive the coveted championship banner.

R.B.C. has joined as a major partner of School Sports Newfoundland and Labrador. For complete schedule and game scores, visit our website at www.schoolsportsnl.ca

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Boys Fair Play Basketball            David Kennedy 709-596-3911(Tel) 709-596-0462(Fax)
Boys Small Schools Basketball    Todd Farrell 709-921-6245(Tel) 709-921-6358 (Fax)
Boys 2A Basketball                     Kristy Young /Rolie Peddle 709-955-2940(Tel) 709- 955-2620(Fax)
Boys 3A Basketball                     Bryan Green 709-536-2254(Tel) 709-536-2185(Fax)
Boys 4A Basketball                     Dave Constantine 709-227-2041(Tel) 709-227-2155 (Fax)

Media contact:
Karen Richard
Executive Director
709-729-2795

2008 03 12                                                   10:15 a.m.