We have gone final here on Day 1 of the B.C. senior boys 2022 high school basketball championships.
The Double-A draw is complete.
All eight game reports are below, but first, here’s Thursday’s South Court schedule of championship-round games.
TOP HALF DRAW
7 p.m. — No. 1 King George vs. No. 9 West Point Grey Academy
8:45 p.m. — No. 4 Westsyde vs. No. 5 Southridge
BOTTOM HALF DRAW
3:30 p.m. — No. 2 Lambrick Park vs. No. 10 Windsor
5:15 p.m. — No. 3 Brentwood College vs. No. 6 Pacific Academy
And remember, you home to access everything is VarsityLetters.ca
Here’s this tier’s game reports:
Stories by STEVE FROST (Special for Varsity Letters)
No. 9 WEST POINT GREY ACADEMY 65, No. 8 LANGLEY CHRISTIAN 51
LANGLEY — No. 9 seeded West Point Grey Academy Wolves delivered the first upset of the B.C. senior boys Double-A championship on Wednesday when they took out No. 8 seed Langley Christian Lightning, 65-51, at the Langley Events Centre south court.
West Point Grey jumped out to a 20-6 first quarter lead and kept its lead in double-digits the rest of the game before settling for the 14-point victory. With the win the Wolves advance to the final eight to face top-seeded King George Dragons on Thursday.
Ten different players scored for the Wolves and four players reached double figures scoring. Grade 11 forward Mac Steenburgh and grade 12 guard Kai Tukker led the Wolves’ offence with 13-points each. Grade12 forward Max Greer hit three three-pointers to finish with 11 points while grade 11 guard Spenser Neil also had 10 points for the winners.
Grade 12 forward Lucas Woelders led all scorers with 15 points for the Lightning, who also got eight points from Elijah Olson, all in the second half.
No. 4 WESTSYDE 76, No. 13 J. L. CROWE 34
LANGLEY — No. 4 seed Westsyde Whundas of Kamloops started slowly but once they settled in were nearly unstoppable, posting a convincing 76-34 win over No. 13 seed J. L. Crowe (Trail) in the opening round of the B.C. senior boys Double-A championship at the Langley Events Centre south court on Wednesday.
After the Whundas shook off their tournament-opening nerves, they showcased a lock-down defence that held the Hawks from Trail to a single basket in the opening quarter.
“We scouted them and they have some good shooters but our defence got into what they wanted to shoot and we gave them some trouble,” said Westsyde head coach Chris Gremaud. “Our defence needs to be there and we have some guys who pride themselves on that and it showed today.”
“Every team in this tournament is a good team but we caught (J. L. Crowe) off guard and our defence played really well,” continued Gremaud. “Holding them to one basket in the first quarter gave us a bit of a psychological advantage.”
The Whundas settled in after the opening minutes, scored 22 first quarter points and then dropped 22 more in the second quarter while holding the Hawks to three first-half field goals.
It was 44-8 at the break.
“We had major nerves the first three or four minutes and we probably missed 10 two-foot shots so I just told the guys to remember that feeling because we can’t afford to do that next game,” said Gremaud.
Westsyde faces the winner of No. 5 Southridge Storm and No. 12 Summerland Rockets in the quarterfinals on Thursday.
In their tournament-opening win, the Whundas’ starters scored just eight points after the first quarter.
In the second half, the Whundas emptied their bench. All 12 players dressed for the game played, and everyone scored, led by grade 11 guard Jeremy McInnis. He came off the bench to hit three three-pointers and to score 13 points.
“We wanted to play with energy because we didn’t really have a crowd and I thought we did a pretty good job of that,” added Gremaud. “My hope was to get our bench involved in the game and we were able to do that.”
No. 5 SOUTHRIDGE 65, No. 12 SUMMERLAND 41
LANGLEY — Co-captain Rohan Sali scored 24 points to lift No. 5 Southridge Storm (Surrey) to a 65-41 win over No. 12 Summerland Rockets and advance to the quarterfinals at the B.C. senior boys Double-A championship at the Langley Events Centre south court on Wednesday.
Southridge scored early and often, connecting on seven threes in the first half, and working the ball inside to the 6-foot-4 grade 12 forward, Sali. He scored 14 first-half points.
The Storm built a 38-13 lead by halftime.
“We moved the ball really well, we looked inside for opportunities and we hit our shots,” said Sali. “We came to play.”
Storm co-captain Nabi Ashrafi, a 6-foot-1 guard, scored four three-pointers and finished with 14 points.
Summerland started slowly, scored just nine points in the first quarter and netted just two field goals in the second quarter. Southridge was leading 62-39 after three quarters when Summerland finally found their form.
“Our guys were really nervous to start and in the second half and the final quarter we finally found our legs and generated some momentum,” said Summerland head coach Kevin Lodermeier. “We know we can compete; the reality is we were just too tentative in the beginning.”
Lodermeier says the team that came out in the fourth quarter looks more like the team he coached all year. Summerland outscored the Storm 18-7 in the final period.
Summerland was led by grade 12 forward Nathan Dykstra with 18 points, including 13 in the second half, and grade 12 guard Gavin Lodermeier with 12 points.
“The fourth quarter is how we played most of the year, when we put pressure on other teams, and we shoot really well,” continued Coach Lodermeier. “I’m going to tell the guys to carry over how they played in the fourth, know that they can assert their skills, play with passion and play from the beginning to the end and we’ll be successful.”
Sali said the Storm had a similar takeaway.
“I think we learned that in this tournament we can’t take our foot off the gas,” he said. “We have to stay focused and keep playing until the final whistle. “
“When we are at our best, we play unselfish basketball, we move the ball around, we find the open shooters and we get the ball down low like we did for three quarters,” said Sali, whose team chanted M-V-P in the locker room after he was chosen player of the game.
No. 5 Southridge will face No. 4 Westsyde Whundas (Kelowna), 76-34 winners over No. 13 J. L. Crowe Hawks (Trail), in a quarterfinal game to be played Thursday.
No. 10 Windsor 66, No. 7 Charles Hays 53
LANGLEY – A third quarter defensive stand turned a close game into a tourney upset when North Vancouver’s No. 10 Windsor Dukes held the No. 7 Charles Hays Rainmakers of Prince Rupert to four third quarter points on their way to a 66-53 win over the Rainmakers in the opening round of the B.C. senior boys Double-A championship at the Langley Events Centre south court on Wednesday.
The Dukes from Windsor came out of the halftime break locked in on defence. They opened the second half on a 13-1 run over the first six minutes, stretching a 13-point halftime lead to 25 points by the end of the third quarter.
“When you play defence like that and limit them to four points, it shifts the game in your favour,” said Windsor head coach Marco Fong. “All season long we have focused on the defensive end and we worry about offense never.”
The defensive stand was remarkable. Charles Hays scored a single field goal and two free throws.
“From grade 8 to now we have relied on our fast pace and playing really, really hard defence because at the end of the day we can’t rely on shots going in but we can control our effort on defence,” said Windsor captain Aubrey Dorey-Havens, a 6-foot-3 guard, who was named player of the game. “That’s what we rely on and that’s the way we play.”
Dorey-Havens took care of the offence for the Dukes, scoring 35-points, including two three-pointers and three free throws. The offensive catalyst for the Dukes, who averaged 29.8 points per game during the regular season, spread his scoring over all four quarters. He scored six points in the first quarter, 14 in the second quarter, seven in the third, and eight in the final frame.
Grade 12 guard Bernardo Illoz also reached double figures scoring for the Dukes with 13 points.
“This is our last time playing together as a team,” said Dorey-Havens. “I’m a senior. This is it. We just have to play with heart and lock in on defence. We felt we were better than a 10 seed and now we are just going to keep proving everyone wrong.”
The Rainmakers recovered to make a fourth quarter rally. They connected on four three-pointers and outscored the Dukes 29-12.
Kole Jones scored 22-points and Joseph Lewis scored 16 to pace the Rainmakers.
“I wish I could have rested my starters a little more in the fourth because this is a long grind over four days and you want to get your guys rest when you can, so the fourth quarter was tighter than it needed to be,” said Fong.
Windsor claimed the final spot in the tournament from Vancouver Sea to Sky zone with a 74-62 win over Mulgrave and now they will face the winner between No. 2 Lambrick Park Lions (Victoria) and No. 15 South Okanagan Hornets (Oliver) in one quarterfinal.
LAMBRICK PARK 102, SOUTH OKANAGAN 43
Langley, BC – No. 2 seed Lambrick Park Lions (Victoria) scored 61 points in the first half and then rolled to a 102-43 win over No. 15 South Okanagan Hornets (Oliver) in the opening round of the B.C. senior boys Double-A championship at the Langley Events Centre south court on Wednesday.
This game was over early as the Hornets, who finished the regular season 9-11 and advanced to the tournament with a buzzer beater over George Elliott Coyotes in a third-place game to claim a berth, were clearly over-matched against the No. 2 seed.
The Lions played fast and aggressive, forced turnovers, scored in transition, and scored quickly. They used their size to their advantage.
“We came out very strong in the first quarter,” said Lambrick Park head coach Ed Somers. “This is the provincials and we wanted to elevate our level of intensity and get our heads into it early. Obviously, without a championship tournament last year everything is new so we wanted to get the kids their confidence, get everyone involved and get used to playing in this gym.”
“The score was higher today because our fast-break was working,” continued Somers. “We were breaking well, getting layups and converting a lot of fast breaks in the first half.”
Lambrick Park led 27-5 after the first quarter and poured in 34 points in the second period. The Lions were up 85-30 after three quarters and hit 100 points with one-minute left in the game.
“We ran the ball well and our big (6-foot-7 forward Alex Moch) got down the floor really well,” continued Somers. “He’s as fast as a guard and he caught everything we threw to him. Once we secured the rebound, he got down the floor fast and we were able to finish our chances.”
The Lions also scored eight three-pointers in the contest, five in the second quarter.
Six players scored in double figures for the Lions led by Angus Kidd off the bench with 18, followed by Alex Moch (12 points), Owen Jones (11), Jaydon Malinowski (11), Jacob Yager (10) and Aiden Grew (10).
Braydon Lee led the Hornets with 12 points.
Lambrick Park advances to a quarterfinal game Thursday against No. 10 Windsor Dukes, 66-53, upset winners over No. 7 Charles Hays Rainmakers (Prince Rupert).
“We are hoping that the level of intensity we got tonight, we carry forward,” said Somers, looking ahead to Thursday’s quarterfinal. “Our kids played hard and we want to bring this momentum forward with us against Windsor.”
PACIFIC ACADEMY 82 NECHAKO VALLEY 54
LANGLEY – No. 6 Pacific Academy Breakers (Surrey) took control of their game against No. 11 Nechako Valley Vikings (Vanderhoof) at the end of the second quarter and never looked back, winning 82-54 in the opening round of the B.C. senior boys Double-A championship at the Langley Events Centre south court on Wednesday.
The Breakers are off to the quarterfinals against the winner of No. 3 Brentwood College (Mill Bay) and No. 14 Hugh Boyd (Richmond).
t was a tight game until Pacific Academy pulled away in the final minutes of the second quarter with back-to-back-to-back fast break buckets and a steal and bucket by Nathan Thamtoro to go ahead 36-25. An 11-4 run to end the second quarter gave the Breakers a 10-point cushion at the half, 39-29.
Who knew the Breakers were just warming up?
The Mespin brothers, Jaden (grade 10) and Ethan (grade 12), pushed the lead to 16-points with back-to-back threes coming out of the break, and Pacific went on a 23-4 run to open the third period. Any hopes of an 11 vs 6 upset all but disappeared.
Jaden finished with 23 points on 8-of-16 shooting and Ethan scored 19 points on 8-of-16 shooting. The brothers each scored 11 points on three threes and a field goal in the decisive third quarter.
“We call ourselves a third quarter team because we usually take over games in the third but tonight it started a little earlier,” said Ethan Mespin. “By the end of the third it was pretty much wraps for us.”
The brothers had near identical stat lines, combining for 8 threes on 24 attempts, with younger brother Jaden netting five of them. They also combined for 13 rebounds (Ethan had seven) and 10 assists (Ethan had six).
“Unfortunately, because of COVID, this is the first year with my brother running the back court and it’s a lot of fun,” continued Ethan. “I love playing with him and we move the ball around really well as a unit. I like to hit him on pops and he likes to hit me.”
The brothers combined to average 48 points per game during the regular season.
As a team, Pacific Academy connected on 13-of-47 (27.7%) threes while the Vikings were just 2-of-30 (6.7%) from beyond the arc. Pacific took 18 more field goals than Nechako Valley during the game. Thamtoro finished with 12 points and was 2-of-4 on threes.
“We are a really good three-point shooting team and once we see a couple fall, we get on a run and everyone shoots,” explained Ethan, who was named player of the game. “We can go on a burst really quickly.”
The Breakers’ defence also stepped up in the third quarter, holding Nechako Valley to five points.
“When we are locked in defensively like we were in the third, we can run with anyone in 2A,” said Ethan. “We have been grinding all year to get to this point and it’s just really fun to be back in the provincial tournament and get the W.”
Brendon Mckee paced the Vikings with 14 points on 5-of-14 shooting and Brecken Fawcett added 12 points on 6-of-10 shooting.
BRENTWOOD COLLEGE 90 HUGH BOYD 49
LANGLEY – No. 3 seed Brentwood College (Mill Bay) turned a rather ordinary first half performance into a wake-up call and the team responded with a convincing 90-49 win over No. 14 Hugh Boyd Trojans in the final game of the opening round of the B.C. senior boys Double-A championship at the Langley Events Centre south court on Wednesday.
A 30-point third quarter salvaged a poor first half performance for the No. 3 seed from Vancouver Island. Brentwood missed all 19 three-point field goal attempts and shot poorly from the free throw line (5-of-12) in the first half, and it didn’t matter. Brentwood pounded the boards, created second chance opportunities and dug in on defence. They held the Trojans to nine points in each quarter and out-rebounded them 31-16 in the half.
In the third period Brentwood’s offence got on track and they looked more like a top-of-the-bracket team in creating a 41-point win to advance to the next round where they will face No. 6 Pacific Academy Breakers (Surrey) in a quarterfinal match on Thursday.
“We weren’t ready, we didn’t prepare ourselves and we came out a little too soft in the first half,” said guard Dylan Gage, who led Brentwood with 23 points on 9-of-16 shooting and grabbed 10 rebounds. “We are better than we looked in the second half. We had moments where we got after it, and that’s who we are, and that’s who people will see for the rest of the tournament.”
“I know we were fired up to play but maybe not ready to compete, not ready to be us, and (at halftime) I told them let’s hit the reset button and play the way we are capable of playing,” said head coach Blake Gage. “We can’t get out-worked like that again or we will be in trouble.”
Jayden Lust scored 15 points on 6-of-8 shooting off the bench and forward Santiago Fitznar scored 11 points for Brentwood Bay, who got points from 11 different players.
Despite pouring in 90 points, Brentwood Bay was just 5-of-32 (15.6%) from beyond the arc.
“I think that says something about our mental focus and even at oh-for 19 (in the first half) on threes we kept chucking,” said Coach Gage.
Hugh Boyd went 5-of-38 (13.2%) on threes. Trojans’ grade 11 guard Darius Willis scored 14 points in the first half but only two other players scored baskets for Hugh Boyd, who trailed Brentwood 37-18 at halftime. Willis finished with 22 points, the only Trojan in double figures scoring wise.
Brentwood out-rebounded Hugh Boyd 56-30 in the game.
“I hope we are better than the team in the second half,” said Coach Gage. “I hope we will execute better, I hope we will protect the ball better and I hope we will play more for each other tomorrow.”
Story by HOWARD TSUMURA
KING GEORGE 68 SAMUEL ROBERTSON 31
LANGLEY — Playing as the No. 1 seed brings it own set of pressures and when you couple that with an 8:30 a.m. start, the potential potholes are not hard to find.
Vancouver’s King George Dragons didn’t let anything get in the way of its plans of a return to the championship final, yet head coach Darko Kulic got about as tough, well-coached and adaptive a No. 16 seed as you ever apt to find in the form of Maple Ridge’s Samuel Robertson Titans.
The latter brought the noise with their fans, switched defences, and generally gave an excellent accounting of themselves against a team which has already beaten Quad-A No. 1 seed St. George’s this season.
“Today, I told them every team is going to look at you and give you the knock-out punch at the beginning,” said Kulic. “You just got to Muhammad Ali-style it… take the punches, protect yourself and come back swinging back. You’ve always got to get the jitters out. We always talk about how every day is a championship day so we didn’t overlook them at all. They are a wonderful team.”
Balanced scoring was the order of the day for King George, which faces the Langley Christian-West Point Grey Academy winner in a Thursday quarterfinal
Palmer Currie led the way with 17, while Max Astak added 14, and Adam Spano and Jose Zuluaga 12 each.
Erik Law led the Titans with 16 points, while Joel Blanco added 13.
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