Vikings off to BSSI semifinals

Markus Stevenson did a lot of good things for the Vincent Massey Vikings last year, but the one he struggled with stung.

“In provincials last year, when we played St. Paul’s, my defence really got exposed. I couldn’t play because I kept fouling,” Stevenson said.

“I really wanted to work on my defence, because I didn’t want to sit on the bench because I couldn’t guard.”

The Grade 11 guard worked on it all summer, and it paid off on Friday as the Vikings beat the Miles Macdonell Buckeyes 81-71, then dropped the Martin (Sask.) Monarchs 92-71 to finish atop Pool D of the Brandon Sun Spartan Invitational’s Victoria Inn Division (Tier 1).

“It felt great,” Stevenson said. “Last year, we lost all three in front of our school … so it’s a great feeling.”

Stevenson led the Vikings with 36 points against the Monarchs. One of three Grade 11s who started on the varsity squad as sophomores last year, he has taken his game to another level.

So has Knox Smith, who spent the summer of 2024 with Team Manitoba.

Smith dropped 26 against Miles Mac in Massey’s lowest-scoring game of the year, which was a one-possession game well into the fourth quarter before the five-foot-11 guard sparked the Vikings on the defensive end with a few key steals leading to fast-break buckets when they needed to pull away.

Massey is off to the championship semifinals today, taking on the Oak Park Raiders at the Healthy Living Centre at 11:40 a.m.

The final is at Massey at 7 o’clock, following the Source for Sports Division (Tier 2) final at 5:10 p.m.

No matter what, it’s the best the Vikings have finished at the tournament, and Stevenson feels the improvement is simply due to his group’s experience.

Stevenson and the guys don’t just play during the season and at regular practice times. They’re getting reps in at Brandon University whenever they can as well, which has sometimes included battling against the Bobcats.

While the end goal of a AAAA provincial title is always there, Stevenson doesn’t need anything to play for as motivation to improve.

“I’m always thinking about the season and want to be the best I can be, but I just love playing basketball and love hanging out with my friends,” he said.

“I didn’t really play organized basketball until high school. This just made it so much better and made me want to play more.”

It’s clear this group has plenty of skill and the ability to light up the scoreboard, considering it averages more than 90 points per game through six contests this year, but they don’t care where the points come from.

They’ve bought into doing whatever it takes to succeed as a team.

“Logan, he boxes out. That’s not something the fans see or the students here see, but he boxes out so good. I get more rebounds because of it; everyone does. Logan’s a great rebounder,” Stevenson said.

“Knox’s defence, Nate’s defence, Callum grabs rebounds, it’s just the little things.

“We practise like we play in games. We’re going hard, picking up full court all the time, and it starts at practice and with (head coach Brett) Nohr, the way he coaches us and the principles he instills in us.”

» tfriesen@brandonsun.com