The seventh-seeded Ross Sheppard Thunderbirds turned in a brilliant first half to capture the 4A men's senior title 58-44 over the Paul Kane Blues after the fourth-ranked Archbishop O'Leary Spartans captured the women's title by upsetting the E.P. Scarlett Lancers of Calgary 79-72.

"It was great to see two Edmonton teams win," said Ross Shep head coach David Youngs, whose senior boys rode the skills of Mangisto Arop to his fifth provincial title. "You can't beat that. It was three Edmonton area teams in the finals."

Arop, who struggled in the early going Friday as the Thunderbirds eliminated the Harry Ainlay Titans in a semi-final, was absolutely brilliant last night.

"Personal things don't matter," Arop said. "We're like a family. People doubted us, but we believed in ourselves. Now that we've won this, it's like a dream come true."

Youngs described Arop as "the best high school player in Western Canada." Based on his second-half effort against Ainlay and his majestic display against Paul Kane, there is no disagreeing with the assessment.

"We weren't tired," he said although two gruelling victories were needed against Cardston and the top-seeded Bert Church Chargers on the way to the final.

"We just didn't play our game. I think the pressure of four games in this sort of environment was too much for the guys. We haven't been to this level of competition before."

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