Seven of the top eight seeds and the 11th-seed are through to the quarter-final round at the BC High School 4A Boys Basketball Tournament at Langley Events Centre on Wednesday.
The final eight teams now square off to see which four advance to Friday’s semi-final round.
No. 4 Vancouver College draws No. 5 Abbotsford (3:00 p.m.), No. 1 Burnaby South draws No. 8 Oak Bay (4:45 p.m.), No. 2 Centennial matches up against No. 7 Handsworth (6:30 p.m.) and its No. 3 Kelowna vs. No. 11 Claremont (8:15 p.m.).
Burnaby South Rebels 95 Mount Baker Wild 41
The combination of big men Sasha Vujisic and Karan Aujla was too much for the Mount Baker Wild. The six-foot-10 Vujisic (24 points, eight rebounds, three blocked shots) and six-foot-seven Aujla (16 points, 10 rebounds and five steals) helped the top-seed Burnaby South Rebels lead from start to finish in the 95-41 victory over the 16th-seed Wild from Cranbrook. Jeff Lalach led the Wild with 10 points.
Oak Bay Bays 81 Tamanawis Wildcats 79
The eighth/ninth game provided some late-game drama as the No. 8 Oak Bay Bays’ needed a buzzer-beating lay-up to get past the No. 9 Tamanawis Wildcats 81-79. Oak Bay was up 24 in the third quarter only to watch the Wildcats claw their way back into the game to tie the score at 79. But Oak Bay’s Jaime Molins scored the go-ahead hoop on a lay-up with 0.3 seconds remaining to send the Vancouver Island zone champs through to the quarter-finals. Lucas Maffia led Oak Bay with 35 points while Chris Horwood had 15. The Wildcats were led by the duo of Varris Janda (29 points) and Saim Bhutta (27 points).
Abbotsford Panthers 90 Terry Fox Ravens 61
The Abbotsford Panthers led from wire-to-wire in a 90-61 victory over the Terry Fox Ravens. Benjamin McGuckin scored 20 points, grabbed four rebounds and dished out five assists for the fifth-seed Panthers. Cameron Slaymaker had 17 points and nine rebounds for the No. 12 Ravens.
Vancouver College Fighting Irish 88 Fleetwood Park Dragons 58
The duo of Hunter Cruz-Dumont and Jacob Holt combined for 51 points as the Vancouver College Fighting Irish defeated the Fleetwood Park Dragons 88-58. Cruz-Dumont had 27 points and five rebounds and Holt had 24 points, 11 rebounds and six blocked shots for the fourth-seed Irish. Rav Randhawa led the No. 12 Dragons with 11 points.
Kelowna Owls 104 Frank Hurt Hornets 35
The third-ranked Kelowna Owls overpowered the No. 14 Frank Hurt Hornets 104-35. Johnathon Haughton led the Owls with 21 points. Marcellus Linnen and Sartaj Bhuller scored eight points apiece for the Hornets.
Claremont Spartans 69 Holy Cross Crusaders 67
Ethan Boag hit the game-winning shot with 7.3 seconds to play as the Claremont Spartans knocked off the Holy Cross Crusaders 69-67. Boag’s basket gave him a team-high 19 points (to go along with a game-high 13 rebounds) as the No. 11 Spartans defeated the No. 6 Crusaders. Uyi Ologhola had 25 points, a dozen rebounds, seven steals and three assists for the Crusaders.
Handsworth Royals 78 Yale Lions 57
The Handsworth Royals are through to the final eight after a 78-57 win over the Yale Lions. The 10th-seeded Lions struggled to shoot the ball, connecting on just 26.4 per cent of their field goals. And more often that not, those misses were cleaned up by the seventh-seed Royals who held a 56-34 advantage on the boards. Zackary Watters led Handsworth with 17 points and seven rebounds while Matthys Van Bylandt had 16 points and 10 boards. Jaydan Bains had 19 points, nine rebounds, three steals, two blocked shots and an assist for Yale.
Centennial Centaurs 80 Prince George Polars 46
The No. 2 Centennial Centaurs shook off a slow start to defeat the No. 15 Prince George Polars 80-46. The Centaurs were down seven points less than four minutes in but led by 11 after one quarter and never looked back as they advanced to the quarter-final. Dominic Parolin had 24 points, 18 rebounds, five steals and four assists. Harmandeep Gill’s 16 points led the Polars.
In 3A Boys action, six of the top eight seeds are through and joined by No. 9 and No. 11 after the first day.
That sets up Thursday’s quarter-final round which features No. 1 Duchess Park against No. 9 Pitt Meadows (3:00 p.m.), No. 4 Sir Charles Tupper and No. 5 St. Patrick (4:45 p.m.), No. 3 G.W. Graham against No. 11 Magee (6:30 p.m.) and No. 2 Vernon vs. No. 7 St. Thomas More Collegiate (8:15 p.m.)
Duchess Park Condors 83 Mark Isfeld Ice 60
Four players reached double digits as the No. 1 Duchess Park Condors defeated No. 16 Mark Isfeld Ice 83-60. Jackson Kuc had 20 points, eight rebounds and six steals while Tony Zejnulahovic had 14 points and nine rebounds. The Ice’s Temwa Mtawali led al scorers with 31 points while adding eight rebounds, four assists and four steals.
Pitt Meadows Marauders 58 St. Michaels University School Blue Jags 51
The first upset of the day saw the No. 9 Pitt Meadows Marauders edge the No. 8 St. Michaels University School Blue Jags 58-51 in a defensive battle. The teams combined for just 15 first quarter points and the Marauders were up 27-17 at the half. The Blue Jags did cut the deficit in half with a quarter to play but could get no closer. Ryan Tougas (17 points) and Brendan Pardy (16 points) led Pitt Meadows while Karter Fry scored 24 to lead St. Michaels University School.
St. Patrick Celtics John Barsby Bulldogs
The St. Patrick Celtics hit 13 triples in a 92-50 blowout victory over the John Barsby Bulldogs. The fifth-seed Celtics raced out to a 29-6 lead after 10 minutes and never looked back. Daniel Marcelo led the Celtics with 21 points. Ethan Katzberg had 15 points for the No. 12 Bulldogs.
Sir Charles Tupper Tigers 55 A.R. MacNeill Ravens 47
Down in the fourth quarter, the Sir Charles Tupper Tigers rallied back with a 13-2 run for the 55-47 win over the A.R. MacNeill Ravens. The No. 4 Tigers were led by Noah Basas’ dozen points while Matthew Dunkerley had 10 points and seven rebounds. Omar Abumalouh had 14 for the No. 13 Ravens.
Magee Lions 73 Richmond Colts 57
The Magee Lions exploded for 47 second-half points as the No. 11 seed upset the No. 6 Richmond Colts 73-57. Richmond was up 30-26 at the break but could not contain the Lions offence over the final 20 minutes. Harvie Dorado scored 21 points for Magee. Richmond was led by Arminas Ilciukas’ 23 points.
G.W. Graham Grizzlies 62 Ladysmith 49ers 49
The G.W. Graham Grizzlies used a 34-18 advantage in the paint to post an opening round 62-49 win over the Ladysmith 49ers. The third-seed Grizzlies received a 21-point, 16-rebound, four-block performance from Matthias Klim. Ladysmith’s Rocco Calabrase also had 21 points for the 14th seed.
Vernon Panthers 81 M.E.I. Eagles 37
The Vernon Panthers defence grounded the M.E.I. Eagles offence, holding them to single digits in three of the four quarters of their 81-37 opening round victory. The No. 2 Panthers were led by Isaiah Ondrik’s 22 points and nine rebounds. The No. 15 Eagles shot a dismal 22.1 per cent from the field. Jaylen Lee had nine points to lead the team.
St. Thomas More Collegiate Knights 76 Steveston-London Sharks 73
The Steveston-London Sharks had a shot at forcing overtime, but their attempt was blocked at the buzzer, sending the St. Thomas More Collegiate Knights to the 76-73 win. The seventh-seed Knights were led by 20 points form Chayze Deza while Jhnoelle Vergara had 22 points for the No. 6 Sharks. The game featured four lead changes and seven ties.
There were three upsets on day in the 2A Boys category, including the third seed falling to last year’s silver medalists.
Day two’s quarter-final round will feature No. 6 Lambrick Park against No. 14 George Elliot (3:00 p.m.), No. 2 King George against No. 10 Mulgrave (4:45 p.m.), No. 1 Charles Hays vs. No. 9 St. Thomas Aquinas (6:30 p.m.) and No. 4 Brentwood College and No. 5 Abbotsford Christian (8:15 p.m.).
Brentwood College 74 Clarence Fulton Maroons 28
No. 4 Brentwood College opened with a dominating 74-28 win over the No. 13 Clarence Fulton Maroons. Brentwood College’ Jack Napier-Ganley’s 19 points led all scorers while Juan Navarro finished with a double-double of 11 points and 14 rebounds. The Maroons’ Karan Malhotra scored seven points to lead his team.
Abbotsford Christian Knights 90 Surrey Christian Falcons 66
The Abbotsford Christian Knights received 25 points and eight rebounds form Zachary Meinen and 17 points and 10 rebounds from Aaron Van Belle as the No. 4 Knights defeated the No. 12 Surrey Christian Falcons. Spencer Langelaar added 25 points, six rebounds and three steals as well. The Falcons’ David Liu led his team with 19 points, nine rebounds and five assists.
George Elliot Coyotes 79 Southridge Storm 60
The George Elliot Coyotes may have entered as the No. 14 seed but with five returnees from last year’s silver medal team, the Coyotes pulled off the biggest upset of day one, taking down the No. 3 seed Southridge Storm 79-60. The Coyotes were up 10 at the half and doubled the lead in the third quarter to send the Fraser South zone champions to the consolation side of the bracket. Triston Hearn led a balanced attack with 17 points as the Coyotes had five players with at least 14 points. Graham Block led the Storm with 20 points and six rebounds.
Lambrick Park Lions 85 Hugh Boyd Trojans 48
Down five points early in the first quarter, the No. 6 Lambrick Park Lions rallied over the No. 11 Hugh Boyd Trojans. The Lions recovered to lead by a bucket after one quarter and stretched the lead to a dozen at the half for the decisive 85-48 victory. Coban Scott (28 points, four steals) and Taine Clague (26 points, 10 rebounds and five steals) led the way for the Lions. Payton Hinds’ scored nine points and grabbed six rebounds for the Trojans.
King George Dragons 95 J.L. Crowe Hawks 53
After a slow first quarter, the second-seed King George Dragons exploded for 36 points over the next 10 minutes in what became a 95-53 win over the No. 15 J.L. Crowe Hawks. Nikola Guzina led the Dragons with 25 points, nine rebounds and four steals. Sam Knight led the Hawks with 22 points and eight boards.
Mulgrave Titans 81 D.P. Todd Trojans 60
Twenty-three points and a dozen rebounds from Isaac Manji led the No. 10 Mulgrave Titans to an 81-60 upset of the No. 7 D.P. Todd Trojans. The Titans held a 53-36 rebounding advantage with four players getting nine or more boards. Cameron Sale scored 24 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for the Trojans.
St. Thomas Aquinas Fighting Saints 90 Princess Margaret Mustangs 84 (2/OT)
A rollercoaster game which required double overtime saw the No. 9 St. Thomas Aquinas Fighting Saints outlast the No. 8 Princess Margaret Mustangs 90-84. The Mustangs hit a pair of big three-pointers to score the final six points to extend the game and then built a 76-71 lead in the first overtime, But the Saints scores seven of the next nine points for another period and then doubled up the Mustangs 12-6 in the second extra period. Jansen Balmaceda and Rory Goodwin had 24 points apiece and Michael O’Flynn had 22. Goodwin and O’Flynn also finished with 15 and 14 rebounds, respectively. Adrian Orioli had 26 points to lead Princess Margaret.
Charles Hays Rainmakers 71 Samuel Robert Technical Titans 42
The defending champion and top-seed Charles Hays Rainmakers opened defence of their title with a convincing 71-42 win over the No. 16 Samuel Roberts Technical Titans. Tyler Jones was top scorer for the Rainmakers with 22 points, while adding nine rebounds, six steals and a pair of assists. Lucas Hutchinson had 16 points for the Titans.
It took until the last game of the day for the first upset when the No. 9 Cedars Christian Eagles took down the No. 9 Gudangaay Tlaats’gaa Naay Thunder in 1A play.
Thursday’s quarter-final round will feature No. 3 Unity Christian against No. 6 St. John’s (3:00 p.m.), No. 2 Kelowna Christian vs. No. 7 Glenlyon Norfolk (4:45 p.m.), No. 1 Highroad Academy and No. 9 Cedars Christian (6:30 p.m.) and No. 4 Barriere vs. No. 5 Fernie (8:15 p.m.).
Kelowna Christian Knights 92 Deer Lake Falcons 72
Indy Hallett had 13 of his game-high 28 points in the first quarter alone as the defending provincial champion Kelowna Christian Knights opened with a 92-72 win over the No. 15 Deer Lake Falcons. The second-seed Knights also received 21 points from Jake Sabbagh and 16 from Josh Flood in their opening round victory. Michael Mvundura had 18 points and Marcus Tsang scored 14 for the Falcons.
Glenlyon Norfolk Gryphons 73 Similkameen Sparks 57
The Glenlyon Norfolk Gryphons used strong second and third quarters (combined score 35-15) to defeat the Similkameen Sparks 73-57. The seventh-seed Gryphons were led by Connor Elliott’s 25 points while Sam Zhao added 19 points and 11 rebounds. Quinn Carignan scored 20 points and grabbed eight rebounds for the No. 10 Sparks.
Barriere Cougars 90 Grand Forks Wolves 58
The Barriere Cougars used a consistent offensive attack scoring 22 points in three quarters and 24 in the other to post a 90-58 win over the Grand Forks Wolves. The fourth-seed Cougars received 26 points, eight rebounds, three steals and two assists from Tyson Schilling. Liam Fraser scored 24 points with eight rebounds, three assists and three steals for the No. 13 Wolves.
Fernie Falcons 86 E’cole Gabrielle-Roy Phenix 74
A 51-point first half set the toner as the No. 4 Fernie Falcons advanced to the quarter-final round 86-74 over the No. 13 E’cole Gabrielle-Roy Phenix. Asher Hannemann had a monster game with 32 points, 12 rebounds seven assists and six steals. Nesta Malcom added 28 points and six rebounds. The Phenix were led by Cyrian Labert’s 16 points while Dan Mutunga had 13 points, seven rebounds, seven assists and four steals.
St. John’s Eagles 71 McBride Mustangs 64
The McBride Mustangs had a fast start and furious finish, but the No. 6 St. John’s Eagles did more than enough in the middle to cushion those blows, advancing to the quarterfinal round with a 71-64 win over the No. 11 seed. The Mustangs led by five in the first quarter before the Eagles took a seven-point lead to halftime and extended the advantage to 18 with a quarter to play. Steven Li scored 21 points and grabbed a dozen boards for the Eagles. Clay Cardinal’s 27 points and 11 rebounds led the Mustangs.
Unity Christian Flames 93 Northside Christian Northstars 50
The Unity Christian Flames came out firing with 32 points in the opening 10 minutes as they blitzed the Northside Christian Northstars 93-50. The Flames had four players score between a dozen and 16 points with Colby Vanderkooi leading the way with 16 points and 13 rebounds. Regan Unger and Ryan Bulitz had 11 points apiece for Northside.
Highroad Academy Knights 114 Maaqtusiis 57
A dominant first quarter set the tone as the top-seed Highroad Academy Knights crushed No. 16 Maaqtusiis 114-57. Elijah Grimard had 24 points while Dawson Hartskamp had dozen points to go along with his 12 rebounds for the Knights. Maaqtusiis was led by Keith Williams’ eight points.
Cedars Christian Eagles 81 Gudangaay Tlaats’gaa Naay Thunder 60
It took until the final game of the 1A tier for the first upset as the No. 9 Cedars Christian Eagles knocked off the No. 8 Gudangaay Tlaats’gaa Naay Thunder 81-60. The Thunder had raced out to an early nine-point lead in the first quarter, but Cedars Christian finished the period strong to take a three-point lead and then went to the locker room up seven. By the time the third quarter end, the lead was double digits. Mitchell Crosina’s 23 points and 14 points led the Eagles while the Thunder received a 28-point, seven-rebound effort form Devan Boyko.