LANGLEY — Welcome to Varsity Letters’ coverage of the 79th annual B.C. Senior Boys Basketball Championships here at the Langley Events Centre.
No. 1 Pacific Academy will face No. 2 Summerland for the B.C. title Saturday (2:45 p.m.) at the Langley Event Centre’s Arena Bowl.
Here’s our two game reports from Final Four Friday:
Thanks for your patience and our promise to deliver on a nightly basis.
Howard Tsumura
DOUBLE-A
FINAL FOUR
TOP HALF DRAW
NO. 1 PACIFIC ACADEMY 71 NO. 4 WESTSYDE 66
By GARY KINGSTON (Special for Varsity Letters)
LANGLEY – Some high school basketball games you can measure by the volume of threes made. Are the shooters in the zone? Are they dropping bombs from seemingly the next gym over?
Other games are measured by the ferocity of the battles in the paint and the number of ice bags needed in the post-game lockerrooms to treat the aches.
Such was the case Friday in a 2A semifinal at Langley Events Centre as the No. 4 seed Westsyde Bruisers, er Whundas, brought their trench warfare style to the Centre Court hardwood in a battle with the No. 1 seed Pacific Academy Breakers.
The Breakers, who persevered 71-66, aren’t as big and broad as the Whundas, but they didn’t back down in a contest where driving the lane was like a demolition derby and every rebound was contested as if it was the last bun on the table in a house with 12 kids.
“That game was so physical,” said slight, 5-foot-11 Pacific Academy guard Judah Ashbee. “It was like a football game in the paint.
“But fun game, great game, great atmosphere in the building.”
Of course, it was fun for Pacific Academy because it meant the Surrey school was into a B.C. championship final for the first time in school history.
“It means a lot,” said Ashbee, who had 19 points and six assists for the winners. “Our school wasn’t a basketball school five years ago and now you tell that culture is there. Look at all the fans who were here. We turned ourselves into a basketball school.”
It was the Whundas who took the early lead, jumping out to a 20-14 advantage after one quarter. But an 11-0 run to end the second quarter tied the game at 34. After failing behind 51-46 after three quarters, Westside has a couple of two-point leads in the fourth, but a 1-for-6 stretch from the free throw line allowed Pacific to regain a lead they maintained through the final minute as the Whundas committed two egregious turnovers and had two of their best players foul out.
While the physical nature of the game inside was clearly evident, Pacific did hit two big three-pointers down the stretch, one by forward Earl Akene, the other from 6-foot-5 forward Adriel Bougep, a guy co-head coach Seth Sorenson calls “the Grade 10 stud.”
Akene, a primary ball handler but also a muscular 6-foot-4 forward, had 28 points, many on hesitation drives to the basket, and 11 rebounds.
“A lot of our shots weren’t going in early, but we kept attacking, kept playing hard and we played for each other,” said Akene. “To be in the final feels great.”
Cason Scott led the Whundas with 21 points and 18 hard-fought rebounds, while Kiyo Brown had 18 and ace defender Kooper Groenweld had 13 before fouling out.
Pacific Academy lost 73-68 in a semifinal last year to Collingwood.
“Last year it didn’t go our way and this year it did, so experience for sure,” said Sorenson. “And the guys worked really hard all year.”
Pacific could get a rematch with Collingwood, which faced off against Summerland in the late semifinal on Friday
BOTTOM HALF DRAW
NO. 2 SUMMERLAND 79 NO. 3 COLLINGWOOD 76
By GARY KINGSTON (Special for Varsity Letters)
LANGLEY – When something is relatively easy to do, someone will often say, “well, it’s not rocket science.”
So what brothers Desmond and Mateo Duchek do on the basketball court is rocket science then?
A Grade 12 and Grade 10, respectively the duo Ducek, are propelling the Summerland Rockets senior boys team to great heights by the combustion of their hardwood talent. On Friday in a Single A semifinal at the B.C. championships, the Rocketmen combined for 51 points as Summerland beat the Collingwood Cavaliers 79-76 to advance to its first ever provincial final.
“I’m kind of at a loss for words,” said Desmond, a 6-foot-3 guard/forward, who scored 29 and pulled down an astonishing 24 rebounds, while also dishing out six assists.
“Last year, we lost first round and that sat with me all (off-season). It’s all I’ve been thinking about, so this feels great.”
It took every bit of poise and composure the Rockets could muster after they let a 43-34 halftime lead slip away as Collingwood found its range from three-point territory in the third and fourth quarters, draining nine of its 14 treys in that 20 minutes.
The Cavaliers took a 66-65 lead midway through the fourth, but a 6-0 run put Summerland back in front and they held the lead despite some shaky moments late. The Rockets made just 2-of-8 free throws over the final 24.4 seconds, but Collingwood couldn’t take advantage.
“Yesterday, Des was 8-of-8 (from the free throw line in the last minute, then today he misses those last two (with 3.2 seconds remaining) to give them a chance,” said Summerland head coach Matthew Raimondo.
But the Cavaliers failed to get a desperation heave from near mid-court off before the buzzer sounded.
“We’ve been in games like this all year,” said Desmond Duchek. “We know how to win. In the end, we just find ways, turnovers, big buckets, things that change a game.”
Raimondo had high praise for the all-around game from Desmond Duchek on Friday.
“He gets to the basket at will every game. It’s unbelievable how much balance and strength he plays with.”
With the victory, the Rockets will face No. 1 seed Pacific Academy from Surrey on Saturday in the LEC Arena Bowl.
“We know they’re big and we’re small,” said Raimondo. “It’s kind of a David vs. Goliath matchup. We’ll see how it goes.”
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