Vernon Panthers' point guard Zack Smith battles through the defensive presence of the A.R. MacNeill Ravens on Friday. (Photo by Wilson Wong 2019. All Rights Reserved)
Feature High School Boys Basketball

TRIPLE A: After 33 years, Vernon’s churnin’ Panthers return to a B.C. final! Says coach Reid “…there is a football factor there for sure.”

LANGLEY — Heading into tonight’s B.C. Triple A championship final, it’s fair to say that the North Delta Huskies have a J.D. Jackson-like presence in their line-up in the form of long-and-explosive senior guard Suraj Gahir.

That's the look of pure elation on the face of North Delta's Suraj Gahir after hitting his game-winning triple with just under three seconds remaining in the Huskies' 62-61 win over Duchess Park. While teammate Bhavraj Thiara trails, a Condors' player falls to the floor in disbelief. (Photo by Wilson Wong property of UBC athletics 2019. All Rights Reserved)
Feature High School Boys Basketball

Husky nation hopes to end near-30 year B.C. title drought tonight after North Delta’s Gahir banks home Final 4 dagger trey versus Duchess Park

LANGLEY — It was the shot his coach had told him not to take. But in the end, it was the shot for his teammates and for the generations of greying men who wondered whether the day was ever going to come again.

Jackson Corneil (right) and the Lord Tweedsmuir Panthers celebrate a win over Burnaby South and the program's first-ever berth in a B.C. senior boys basketball championship final on Friday at the LEC. (Photo by Wilson Wong property of UBC athletics 2019. All Rights Reserved)
Prince Rupert's Charles Hays Rainmakers celebrate after beating a tough Sa-Hali Sabres' squad from Kamloops in Friday's Final Four. (Photo by Wilson Wong property of UBC athletics 2019. All Rights Reserved)
Feature High School Boys Basketball

FINAL EDITION: Double A B.C. Boys: It’s Charles Hays vs. George Elliot after Rainmakers, ‘Yotes win on Final 4 Friday!

LANGLEY — Welcome to our Day 3 coverage from the 2019 B.C. senior boys basketball championships. We’ve gone final for the day.Coverage for both Quad-A and Triple-A games will be provided by Howard Tsumura. Former Vancouver Sun sportswriter Gary Kingston will cover the Double-A semifinals, while the Langley Event Centre’s own Gary Ahuja will provide […]

Credo Christian's Ryan Hoogstra can't contain his joy as the Credo Christian Kodiaks topped No. 1 Glenlyon Norfolk in the Final Four on Friday. (Photo by Wilson Wong property of UBC athletics 2019. All Rights Reserved)
Feature High School Boys Basketball

FINAL EDITION: Single-A B.C. Boys: It’s Credo’s Kodiaks, KCS’ Knights after Gryphons, Highroad fall in Final 4

LANGLEY — Welcome to our Day 3 coverage from the 2019 B.C. senior boys basketball championships.Coverage is being provided for all eight Final Four games across four tiers tonight. We appreciate your patience as we do our best to post game reports tonight.Coverage for both Quad-A and Triple-A games will be provided by Howard Tsumura. […]

Lord Tweedsmuir head coach Drew Gallacher couldn't hide his emotion after the Panthers rallied from 20 points down to beat No. 1 Holy Cross and earn a Final Four berth Friday. (Photo by Wilson Wong property of UBC athletics 2019. All Rights Reserved)
Feature High School Boys Basketball

FINAL EDITION: B.C. Boys Quad A Day 2 — We’ve got reports from all four Elite 8 games!

LANGLEY — Welcome back loyal Varsity Letters readers. We’ve now gone final on our B.C. Quad A reports from Thursday. Here’s reports on all four Elite 8 contests.

Glenlyon Norfolk's Chris Graham is finishing his senior season with a bang. On Thursday he led his Victoria-based Gryphons into the the B.C. Single A Final Four. (Photo by Paul Yates property of Vancouver Sports Pictures 2019. All Rights Reserved)
Although they have made two Final 8 national tourney appearances since, UBC Thunderbirds' head coach Kevin Hanson has his team at the event's traditional Halifax site for the first time since it lost in the semifinals back in 2011. It's a first-time trip for star guard Jadon Cohee. (Photo by Bob Frid property of UBC athletics 2019. All Rights Reserved)
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UBC hoops back in Halifax! On long journey to Final 8 nationals, here’s why you can stamp these underdog ‘Birds as ‘battle-tested’

VANCOUVER — Over the course of a 17-game in-conference win streak which defined its Canada West regular season schedule, it was sometimes difficult to wonder if the UBC Thunderbirds were getting the level of competition which would best serve them on the road towards qualifying for the ultimate challenge.