Let’s head back to March 1971 when the North Delta Huskies won the 26th annual high school boy’s basketball tournament at the Pacific Coliseum.
In front of almost 8,200 fans, the Huskies edged out the Vancouver College Irish 43-38 in a close and exciting final to take the George Sparling Annual Trophy.
In coming into the final game to take the championship, North Delta put together three very close wins in the Fraser Valley tournament two weeks prior, and went on to win three more close ones in Vancouver before winning the final game.
Coach Stan Stewardson, along with players Mike McNeill and Dave Coutu, accepted the trophy from Lawrence Wallace, chair of the provincial centennial committee.
When asked about how he felt about his boys winning, a jubilant Stewardson said, “Great, Great. Couldn’t be better!”
Coutu, the previous year’s most valuable player in the tournament and first-team all star in the 1971 contest, attributed their success to their coach.
