Santa Margarita's Mason Hawker (left) guards Byrne Creek's Justin Pimintuan during opening day action from the 2023 Tsumura Basketball Invitational this past December at the Langley Events Centre. (Photo by Wilson Wong protected image 2023. All Rights Reserved)
Feature High School Boys Basketball

B.C. Boys Top 10 basketball rankings 02.06.24 edition: Byrne Creek burns it up! Bulldogs take down St. Pat’s North Delta, Lord Byng to win Rick Hansen tourney and move into Triple-A No. 1!

LANGLEY — It was a relatively quiet week atop the upper reaches of the B.C. senior boys high school basketball world.

Quiet, that is, unless you happen to be the Triple-A Byrne Creek Bulldogs.

The Burnaby-based Bulldogs made about as definitive a late-season statement as is possible outside of league and zone playoffs, beating three straight ranked teams to not only finish first at the Rick Hansen Hurricanes Invitational, but move into the No. 1 spot in a Triple-A Top 10 which this season has been ruled by a pair of Vancouver teams in defending B.C. champion St Patrick’s Celtics and the Lord Byng Grey Ghosts. 

The Bulldogs beat then-No. 1 St. Pat’s 81-66 in the quarterfinals, went to overtime to defeat then-No. 7 North Delta in the semifinals, before edging then-No. 4 Lord Byng 79-76 in the title tilt.

Here’s a look at all four tiers of Top 10 rankings for games played over the last week through Feb. 6: 

BASKETBALL

TOP 10 RANKINGS

B.C. SENIOR BOYS

QUAD A

1 Spectrum Thunder (Saanich) (VI) (LW-1) 

2 Oak Bay Bays (Victoria) (VI) (2) 

3 Tamanawis Wildcats (Surrey) (SF) (4) 

4 West Vancouver Highlanders (VSS) (8) 

5 Vancouver College Fighting Irish (VSS) (6) 

6 Lord Tweedsmuir Panthers (Surrey) (SF) (3) 

7 Semiahmoo Thunderbirds (Surrey) (SF) (HM)

8 Kelowna Owls (TOK) (10) 

9 St. George’s Saints (Vancouver) (VSS) (5)

10 Handsworth Royals (North Vancouver) (VSS) (7)

Honourable mention — Burnaby South Rebels (FN) (9), Elgin Park Orcas (Surrey) (SF) (HM), Fleetwood Park Dragons (Surrey) (SF) (HM),, Sir Winston Churchill Bulldogs (Vancouver) (VSS) (HM), Sullivan Heights Stars (Surrey (SF) (HM)

Dropped out —None

TRIPLE A

1 Byrne Creek Bulldogs (Burnaby) (FN) (LW-2) 

2 Lord Byng Grey Ghosts (Vancouver) (VSS) (4) 

3 St. Patrick’s Celtics (Vancouver) (VSS) (1) 

4 Dover Bay Dolphins (Nanaimo) (VI) (3) 

5 St. Thomas More Knights (Burnaby) (FN) (5)

6 North Delta Huskies (SF) (7) 

7 MEI Eagles (Abbotsford) (EV) (9) 

8 Brookswood Bobcats (Langley) (EV) (6)

9 A.R. MacNeill Ravens (Richmond) (SF) (8) 

10 South Delta Sun Devils (SF) (10)

Honourable mention — Carihi Tyees (Campbell River) (VI) (HM), Delta Pacers (SF) (NR), Mark Isfeld Ice (Courtenay) (VI) (NR), Rick Hansen Hurricanes (Abbotsford) (EV) (HM), Windsor Wolves (North Vancouver) (VSS) (HM)

Dropped out —Magee Lions (Vancouver) (VSS) (HM), Sir Charles Tupper Tigers (Vancouver) (VSS) (HM)

DOUBLE A

1 King George Dragons (Vancouver) (VSS) (LW-1)

2 Pacific Academy Breakers (Surrey (SF) (2)

3 Lambrick Park Lions (Victoria) (VI) (3)

4 Mulgrave Titans (West Vancouver) (VSS) (4) 

5 Brentwood College (Mill Bay) (VI) (5)

6 St. Michaels University School Blue Jags (Victoria) (VI) (6)

7 Collingwood Cavaliers (West Vancouver) (VSS) (7)

8 Summerland Rockets (T-OK) (8) 

9 Westsyde Whundas (Kamloops) (TOK) (8)

10 Langley Christian Lightning (EV) (10) 

Honourable mention — Archbishop Carney Stars (PoCo) (FN) (HM), Britannia Bruins (Vancouver) (VSS) (HM), John Barsby Bulldogs (Nanaimo) (VI) (HM), Khalsa Lions (Surrey) (SF) (HM), Southridge Storm (Surrey) (SF) (HM)

Dropped out —None

SINGLE A

1 Unity Christian Flames (Chilliwack) (EV) (LW-1)

2 Credo Christian Kodiaks (Langley) (FN) (2)

3 Maple Ridge Christian Hornets (FN) (3) 

4 SJS Eagles (Vancouver) (VSS) (4) 

5 Similkameen Sparks (Keremeos (TOK) (5) 

6 Gidalang Kuuyas Naay Breakers (Daajiing Giids) (NW) (7) 

7 St. Ann’s Academy Crusaders (Kamloops) (TOK) (8) 

8 Bulkley Valley Christian Royals (Smithers) (NW) (9)

9 Ecole Gabriele Roy Phoenix (Surrey) (SF) (10-tie) 

10 Golden Eagles (KOO) (10-tie)

Honourable mention — Aberdeen Hall Gryphons (Kelowna) (TOK) (HM), Cedars Chrisitan Eagles (Prince George) (NC) (HM), Deer Lake Falcons (Burnaby) (FN) (HM), Fraser Academy Mustangs (Vancouver) (VSS) (HM), King David Lions (Vancouver) (VSS) (6), Osoyoos Rattlers (TOK) (NR)

Dropped out — Kelowna Christian Knights (TOK) (NR)

(All rankings courtesy B.C. School Sports)

KEY: EV — East Valley, FN — Fraser North, KOT — Kootenays, NC — North Central, NW — North West, SF — South Fraser, TOK — Thompson-Okanagan, VI — Vancouver Island, VSS — Vancouver Sea-to-Sky

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