Nova Scotia claims 2 championships at national basketball tourney

A double MVP designation for two Nova Scotia brothers was the icing on the cake following twin victories for the province at Canada Basketball's Boy's National Championship.

But the brothers said their individual achievements are thanks tothe strength of their teams.

"Our team, we bring guys from all around the city, so we know each other," Chase Tynes told CBC's Information Morning."We're all friends, we know their strengths and weaknesses. So I guess that kind of helped us out."

'We play more as a team'

Chase played on Nova Scotia's under-17 boys team, which won gold at the tournament. His brother, Kellen Tynes, played for the under-15 boys team, which also came out on top.

Playing against teams from much larger provinces, the brothers said Nova Scotia's small size was an advantage, fostering a spirit of co-operation among a close-knit group.

"I think the big teams, they have a lot of good players, but they like to play more individually, and Nova Scotia we play more as a team," said Kellen Tynes.

Dramatic comeback

The gold medals were a hard-fought victory for both teams; the under-15 boys were behind by 18 points in the semifinal against Ontario, and had been ranked 7th overall going into the tournament.

Kellen said at the halftime they were in the locker room trying to stay positive, trusting that they could recover.

In the end, the team rallied, going on to win gold alongside the under-17 team, who won for the second year in a row.

Something to be proud of

Kellen said he wasn't expecting they would win, although he had hope. And he already knew that regardless of the resulthe had something to be proud of.

"I was thinking just go out and give it my all, and no matter what the outcome is, walk out with my head held high."