Team Canada wins men’s 6-foot and under title at Hoopfest

Jeffand Stephanie Price were dancing on Nike Center Court near a bag of prizes following Team Canada’s championship game triumph in the men’s elite 6-foot-and-under division.

Jeff Price, a former University of Calgary and Mount Royal sharpshooter, hit the game-winning two-pointer Sunday to lift his team to a 20-12 triumph over All of the Lights, a squad comprised of former Montana State-Northern players.

His wife, Stephanie Price of YCC Canada, lost two hours earlier in the women’s elite championship game, a title her team earned in 2017.

Members from both of the Price’s teams drove a passenger van down from Calgary on Friday, and all eight players will return to cargo, from trophies to headphones to backpacks for their deep tournament runs.

“I don’t know how we’re going to going to get all of this stuff back to Canada,” joked Stephanie, a former University of Lethbridge and Mount Royal star who teamed up with ex-Gonzaga standout Janelle Bekkering.

Michael Price would have been happy to take a home ribbon, so long he won his bracket, something he’s tried to do for 12 years.

Price and his group of ex-Canadian college basketball players Cam Dodd (Mount Royal), Steve Trinidad (Mount Royal) and Jerome Makasiar (Mount Royal), had at least a four-point cushion on the former NAIA basketball players for most of the title round.

Some of that had to do with Team Canada’s good perimeter shooting and good defense.

Some of that had to taking advantage of the absence of All of the Light’s primary big man, Willy Perry.

Whenever athletic guards Warren Edmondson and Alfie Miller tried to provide a spark for All of the Lights, it was quickly doused.

“You get to these games after playing all weekend, and your legs start to get heavy,” Price said. “But we were able to hit some big buckets.”