The Mark Isfeld Ice Senior Boys AAA basketball team made school history with a third-place finish at the provincial championships, capping off an unforgettable run with a hard-fought 76-71 victory over Island rivals Wellington.
Seeded 11th out of 16 teams, the Ice were labelled the tournament鈥檚 鈥淐inderella story鈥� 鈥� but the boys made it clear they didn鈥檛 need magic. As they put it, 鈥淐inderella needed a magic. We did it with hard work.鈥�
In their opening game, the Ice made a bold statement by upsetting #6th ranked Magee 78-57. The team came out flying, with Nate Boan hitting big shots was also named Player of the game. The win propelled the Ice into the quarter final bracket where they faced third-seeded St. Patrick鈥檚.
In the team's second match up against third-ranked St. Pat鈥檚, the Ice showed their resilience, battling through foul trouble and turning up the intensity when it mattered most. Torr Robertson and Parker Guile made huge plays driving to the hoop and ended up with 23 points, while Moldenhauer led the way with 27 points. The Ice secured a stunning 90-79 win, punching their ticket to The Arena Bowl and proving they weren鈥檛 just a lucky lower seed 鈥� they were a force to be reckoned with.
In The Bowl, the Ice faced second-ranked Windsor, a team loaded with size and skill. Despite a relentless effort, Isfeld fell 56-74 to the eventual tournament champions. But instead of feeling defeated, the Ice regrouped and shifted their focus to the bronze medal match 鈥� a rematch against Wellington, the team that had beaten them for the Island title just two weeks earlier.
Heading into the bronze medal game, the Ice knew they鈥檇 have to battle through fifth-ranked Wellington鈥檚 towering front court, featuring a 6鈥�9鈥� centre, 6鈥�7鈥� forward and a 6鈥�5鈥� guard. But the boys had been on a tear all tournament, and they weren鈥檛 about to back down.
Torr Robertson set the tone, scoring the team鈥檚 first five points, while Ethan Moss came off the bench and nailed a three-pointer with his first touch of the ball. Senior Jaden Kuo had one of his best games of the tournament, stepping up defensively to guard Wellington鈥檚 star player, Grayson Ritzand, and adding a few clutch buckets of his own.
Owen Stewart hit smooth jumpers from the top of the key but fouled out late in the game after a tireless effort covering Wellington鈥檚 big man. That鈥檚 when Carter Ratcliffe stepped up, playing tough defense and adding a few key buckets to keep the Ice in the fight.
Parker Guile brought his trademark intensity, attacking the basket and playing fearless defense until he too fouled out in the fourth quarter. Meanwhile, Nate Boan came up huge once again, draining three critical three-pointers to keep the Ice in striking distance.
Senior players Jacob Borden Sayah and Noah Mallis dug deep to keep the Wellington Wildcats on their paws, providing key defensive stops and steady leadership. Even the rookies, Lucas Fisher and Shervin Singh stepped up to bring infectious positivity and high energy, lifting the team鈥檚 spirits and making the victory even sweeter.
Daxin Moldenhauer continued his outstanding tournament, scoring 21 points and making his presence felt on both ends of the court. But the defining moment came from senior Bryson Gailloux-Milina making the pivotal play of the game 鈥� with 30 seconds left on the clock Bryson made a steal against Ritzand and then hit two clutch free throws to keep the Ice ahead, that sealed the 76-71 victory and sent the Ice bench into a frenzy.
The team was guided by head coach Blake Tobacca, who capped off his final year coaching with the most successful run in school history. Tobacca鈥檚 leadership, passion, and belief in his players helped shape the team鈥檚 relentless mindset. Meanwhile, assistant coach Denis Beausoleil鈥檚 sharp defensive strategies 鈥� especially his second-half adjustments against St. Pat鈥檚 鈥� gave the Ice the edge they needed to pull off two massive upsets and keep their championship dreams alive.
The win marked the best provincial finish in Isfeld basketball history, and the boys鈥� grit and determination earned them the Most Inspirational Team award. Moldenhauer was named a 1st Team All-Star, while he and Boan each claimed Player of the Game honours during the tournament.
鈥淭his team has so much heart,鈥� said Coach Tobacca. 鈥淭hey trusted each other, played for each other, and never let anyone tell them what they couldn鈥檛 do. This bronze medal is the result of pure determination.鈥�
From an 11th seed to a podium finish, the Mark Isfeld Ice showed that rankings mean nothing when you combine passion, perseverance, and belief. They didn鈥檛 just make history 鈥� they proved that hard work beats the odds every time.
