Hoops win for Men’s Tritons

2020 Canada West Men’s Basketball champions, CFB Esquimalt Men’s Tritons following the championship game Jan. 31 at 17 Wing in Winnipeg, MB. Photo by MCpl Justin Ancelin, 17 OSS Imaging, Winnipeg

Peter Mallett, Staff Writer ~

A five-game unbeaten run propelled the CFB Esquimalt Mens Tritons to a gold medal victory at the Canada West Regional basketball tournament in Shilo, MB.

After a 68-56 tournament-opening round robin win against tournament host Shilo Stags on Jan. 27, the Tritons then scored a 28-point victory in their rematch five days later in the tournament championship game. Esquimalt was paced by 18 points from centre Master Seaman Simon Dakin in their game win.

MS Dakin earned overall tournament Most Valuable Player honours for his stellar play while also drawing praise from his teammates. Those include Tritons guard and team manager Lieutenant (Navy) Kevin Chung who noted that MS Dakin, a student with Naval Fleet School (Pacific),  recorded multiple 20-point games along with at least two double-doubles (when a player records more than 10 in two of five statistical categories: points, assists, rebounds, assists, steals or blocked shots).

“Simon is a talented and hard-working force on the court and excels in both basketball and volleyball at the national level in the CAF,” said Lt(N) Chung. “He also brings veteran expertise and energy to the team whenever he suits up for us.”

The Tritons were also propelled by some long-distance sharpshooting, including seven three-pointers in the gold medal game. Forward Lt(N) James Byun from HMCS Winnipeg recorded six three-pointers and 20 points in the semi-final victory. Lt(N) Chung noted that Esquimalt was also buoyed by the backcourt presence of veteran guard Brigadier General David Awalt of 3rd Canadian Division HQ. 

“This year we were fortunate to have a well-rounded team with a great bench that allowed our starters to get some rest time and that was really our key to success,” said Lt(N) Chung.

Over five games the Tritons outscored the opposition by an average of 22.8 points per game with their largest margin of victory a 38-point win over Moose Jaw. Their other results included round robin wins over Edmonton (60-51) and Cold Lake (63-36). In the semi-final they quickly dispatched their opponents from Saskatchewan with an 88-50 decision.

With the victory the Tritons qualified for the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) Men’s Basketball Championship, but they won’t have to travel very far. This year’s national championship is being held at CFB Comox, April 20 to 24.

-With files from Jules Xavier, Shilo Stag