LANGLEY TOWNSHIP — Welcome to Day 1 of the 2026 B.C. senior boys Single-A basketball championship, coming to you from the Langley Events Centre.
Please check back here regularly as our team of writers provide first-hand game coverage from the eight sudden-elimination games being contested at this tier.
Thanks for your loyalty!
Howard Tsumura
BOYS
DAY 1
No. 1 ST JOHN’S EAGLES 108 vs. No. 16 QUEEN’S MARGARET ROYALS 48
By GARY AHUJA (Special for Varsity Letters)
LANGLEY – The defending champions didn’t miss a beat in their return to Langley Events Centre.
Vancouver’s St. John’s School Eagles unleashed a dominant offensive performance, routing Duncan’s Queen Margaret’s Royals 108-48 to open the B.C. Boys Single-A Basketball Championship on Wednesday morning at the Fieldhouse Court.
Kian Afshar — dubbed the heart and soul of the team by head coach Jonathan Kinman — set the tone early, pouring in 18 of his game-high 35 points in the opening quarter. He was one of four Eagles to reach double figures, joined by Harry Whyte (17), Jacob Botha (16) and Douglas Cassidy (13). Perhaps most impressive: Afshar is the lone senior among the group.
Queen Margaret’s, making its provincial championship debut as the No. 16 seed, was paced by Grade 10 guard Reiden Lin with 11 points.
No. 8 CREDO CHRISTIAN KODIAKS 81 vs. No. 9 LAKES DISTRICT LAKERS 58
By GARY AHUJA (Special for Varsity Letters)
LANGLEY — Jake Hanson and Ben Vanderhorst traded buckets all morning, with Hanson edging the head-to-head scoring duel 32-29. But when the final buzzer sounded, it was Vanderhorst and his Credo Christian teammates moving on, the Kodiaks securing an 81-58 victory over the Lakes District Lakers to punch their ticket to the quarterfinals.
The teams met in their opening-round matchup at the B.C. Boys Single-A Basketball Championship on Wednesday morning at the Fieldhouse Court at Langley Events Centre.
Lakes District — the Northwest champions from Burns Lake making their first provincial appearance in a decade — led 12-11 after the first quarter, and the game remained within five at halftime. Credo Christian stretched the margin to 12 by the end of the third before pulling away in the fourth, sparked by 16 points in the final frame from Grade 11 guard Vanderhorst.
Grade 10 forward Jonathan VanDyke, Credo’s Player of the Game, added 17 points. Hanson, also in Grade 11, earned Player of the Game honours for the Lakers after pouring in 25 of his game-high 32 points in the second half.
No. 4 UCLUELET WARRIORS 91 vs. No. 13 EBENEZER TIMBERS 59
By GARY AHUJA (Special for Varsity Letters)
LANGLEY — Basketball might not be his primary sport, but you wouldn’t know it watching Clay Chiovitti on the court.
The 6-foot-3 Grade 12 forward has suited up for high school hoops for just two seasons — splitting his time with international surfing competitions — yet he looked every bit at home Wednesday morning. Chiovitti poured in 24 points to earn Player of the Game honours, powering the fourth-seeded Ucluelet Warriors to a commanding 91-59 win over Smithers’ Ebenezer Timbers.
The teams were meeting in their opening-round matchup at the B.C. Boys Single-A Basketball Championship on the Fieldhouse Court at Langley Events Centre.
Chiovitti did his damage over the first three quarters as the Warriors — after briefly trailing early — controlled the game the rest of the way against a Timbers squad making its tournament debut. And he had plenty of support. Five Ucluelet players reached double figures: Riley Gerbrandt scored 13, Julien Sylvester added 12, while Bo Smith and Will Star chipped in 11 apiece.
Tony Vandenberg led Ebenezer, finishing with 24 points for the Timbers.
No. 12 IMMACULATA MUSTANGS 97 vs. No. 5 SPARWOOD SPARTANS 58
By GARY AHUJA (Special for Varsity Letters)
LANGLEY — The Immaculata Mustangs caught fire from beyond the arc — and rode that hot shooting to a stunning first-round upset.
The No. 12 seed from Kelowna knocked down triples at a blistering pace, with three players drilling five apiece in a 97-58 rout of the fourth-seeded Sparwood Spartans in the Round of 16 at the B.C. Boys Single-A Basketball Championship. The game tipped off Wednesday afternoon on the Fieldhouse Court at Langley Events Centre.
Mateo Rizzo led the charge with 36 points, while Ian Balaszy added 21 and Kai Oliveria chipped in 19 — each connecting on five shots from long range. Even more ominous for future opponents: all three sharpshooters are Grade 11s.
Immaculata’s offence didn’t immediately hint at what was coming, as the Mustangs held a slim 13-8 edge after one quarter and led 40-23 at halftime. But the third quarter blew the game wide open.
The Mustangs erupted for 35 points in the frame — 17 from Rizzo alone — stretching the margin to 30 and putting the game out of reach.
Lukas Pinchak paced Sparwood with 16 points, while Dane Rybachuck (13) and Matthew White (10) rounded out the Spartans’ top contributors.
No. 6 MEADOWRIDGE 81 vs. No. 11 CAMPBELL RIVER CHRISTIAN 67
By GARY AHUJA (Special for Varsity Letters)
LANGLEY — Locked in a tight, three-point battle at halftime, the Meadowridge Gryphons seized control in the second half, pulling away for an 81-67 victory over the Campbell River Christian Cougars.
The teams squared off in their opening-round contest Wednesday afternoon at the B.C. Boys Single-A Basketball Championship on the Fieldhouse Court at Langley Events Centre.
Meadowridge — the No. 6 seed out of Maple Ridge and Fraser North champions — was powered by Player of the Game Myles Galazka, who scored 25 points. Rico Xie added 20, while Ethan Banack chipped in 13 to help the Gryphons create separation over the final 20 minutes.
For the 11th-seeded Cougars, point guard Jacob Mankly poured in 29 points, with Teo Higgins and Josiah Hart contributing 12 points apiece.
No. 3 VERNON CHRISTIAN 81 vs. No. 14 NISGA’A 56
By GARY AHUJA (Special for Varsity Letters)
LANGLEY — Vernon Christian may be young, but the Royals proved they’re more than just happy to be at the Big Dance — they’re here to make noise.
With no seniors in their starting five and just two on the entire roster, the Thompson-Okanagan champions and No. 3 seed wasted little time asserting themselves, rolling past the Nisga’a Chiefs 82-56 in their opening-round matchup.
The Royals did their damage from long range, knocking down 14 three-pointers to overwhelm the 14th-seeded squad from Gitlaxt’aamiks on Day 1 of the B.C. Boys Single-A Basketball Championship at the Fieldhouse Court at Langley Events Centre.
JD Vass led the way with 32 points, including five shots from beyond the arc. Oliver Gingras and Caden Kooger added 17 points apiece to fuel the balanced attack.
For the Chiefs — making their first provincial tournament appearance since 2006 — Edward Azak scored 16 points, while Xavior Benson chipped in 15.
No. 10 SIMILKAMEEN 81 vs. No. 7 SOUTHPOINTE ACADEMY 64
By GARY AHUJA (Special for Varsity Letters)
LANGLEY — The Similkameen Sparks completed a clean sweep for the Thompson-Okanagan, as all three teams from the region advanced to the quarterfinals.
The Sparks, the No. 10 seed, pulled off an 81-64 upset over the No. 7 Southpointe Academy Titans from Delta on Day 1 of the B.C. Boys Single-A Basketball Championship at the Fieldhouse Court at Langley Events Centre. They join fellow Thompson-Okanagan representatives Vernon Christian (#3) and Immaculata (#12) in the quarterfinal round.
Balkaran Lidhar scored 14 of his game-high 26 points in the second quarter, while Krishon Terbasket (23) and Jasdeep Dhaliwal (19) fueled the Sparks’ offense, each hitting five three-pointers to keep the Titans at bay.
For Southpointe, Abir Matta and Kameron Macintyre each scored 13 points, with Sandro Wong and Dylan Olak adding 11 apiece.
No. 6 DAAXIIGAN SK’ADÁA NÉE 83 vs. No. 15 MOUNTAIN CHRISTIAN 38
By GARY AHUJA (Special for Varsity Letters)
LANGLEY — It was a long journey to Langley, but the Daaxigaan Sḵadáa Née came out firing.
The Thunderbirds — an all-Haida Indigenous squad — led by as much as 35 points in a dominant 35-1 stretch, overwhelming Dawson Creek’s Mountain Christian Rams. The matchup served as the final game of the day on the Fieldhouse Court at Langley Events Centre, closing out Day 1 of the B.C. Boys Single-A Basketball Championship.
Trace Swain, a Grade 12 veteran marking his fourth consecutive provincial championship appearance, led the Thunderbirds with 30 points. For the Rams — likely making their tournament debut — Alex Ready scored 26 points to pace the team.
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Simolkameen sparks went on to upset number 2 seat on day 2!!! Go similkameen sparks