West Vancouver's Max Fraser and the rest of the Highlanders are one of eight teams who were vying for three BC tourney berths out of the brutally-tough Vancouver Sea-to-Sky Quad-A zone as play was set to begin on Wednesday evening. (Photo by Blair Shier property of Blair.photo 2024. All Rights Reserved)
Feature High School Boys Basketball

B.C. Boys Top 10 basketball rankings 02.21.24 edition: A bumper-crop season for Vancouver Sea-to-Sky Quads keeps the drama at high-alert levels in the run-up to March Madness!

LANGLEY — The Handsworth Royals 76-62 win over the West Vancouver Highlanders in last Thursday’s North Shore Quad-A final vaulted the North Vancouverites up the chart to No. 7 this week.

Yet all of Vancouver Sea-to-Sky’s trap doors and tipping points continue to unfold in dramatic fashion as four the province’s Top 10 teams continue their quest for one of the zone’s three berths to the provincial tournament set to run March 6-9 at the Langley Events Centre.

No. 3 St. George’s meets No. 10 Vancouver College, and No. 7 Handsworth clashes once more with No. 8 West Vancouver later today in Vancouver Sea-to-Sky semifinals, with each of the winners claiming the first two spots.

The two losers will continue to battle for that elusive third-and-final VSS berth. Also still alive are Sir Winston Churchill, Killarney, David Thompson and Carson Graham.

The two teams which survive that back-to-door journey will meet in Saturday’s third-place game, 1:45 p.m. at Carson Graham.The winner of that game will then face Fraser North No. 3 this coming Wednesday, Feb. 28 (time, location TBA) in a sudden-elimination contest with the winner advancing to the B.C. championships.

The zone final between tonight’s two semifinal winners tips off following the third-place game, Saturday at 7 p.m.

Here’s a look at all four tiers of Top 10 rankings for games played over the last week through Feb. 14-20: 

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 St. George’s Saints (Vancouver) (VSS) (4) 

4 Tamanawis Wildcats (Surrey) (SF) (6)

5 Semiahmoo Thunderbirds (Surrey) (SF) (8)

6 Elgin Park Orcas (Surrey) (SF) (5) 

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

8 West Vancouver Highlanders (VSS) (3) 

9 Lord Tweedsmuir Panthers (Surrey) (SF) (7) 

10-tie Kelowna Owls (TOK) (9)

10-tie Vancouver College Fighting Irish (VSS) (10)

Honourable mention — Burnaby South Rebels (FN) (HM), Holy Cross Crusaders (Surrey) (SF) (NR), 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-1) 

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

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

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

5 North Delta Huskies (SF) (5) 

6 St. Thomas More Knights (Burnaby) (FN) (7) 

7 Brookswood Bobcats (Langley) (EV) (6) 

8 A.R. MacNeill Ravens (Richmond) (SF) (10)

9 Rick Hansen Hurricanes (Abbotsford) (EV) (HM)

10 MEI Eagles (Abbotsford) (EV) (8) 

Honourable mention — Carihi Tyees (Campbell River) (VI) (HM), Grandview Heights Grizzlies (Surrey) (SF) (NR), South Delta Sun Devils (SF) (HM), South Kamloops Titans (TOK) (9) Wellington Wildcats (Nanaimo) (HM)

Dropped out — Mark Isfeld Ice (Courtenay) (VI) (HM), Windsor Wolves (North 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)

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

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

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

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

8 Summerland Rockets (T-OK) (8) 

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

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 Gidalang Kuuyas Naay Breakers (Daajiing Giids) (NW) (5) 

6 King David Lions (Vancouver (VSS) (6)

7 Similkameen Sparks (Keremeos (TOK) (7) 

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

9 Aberdeen Hall Gryphons (Kelowna) (TOK) (9)

10 Osoyoos Rattlers (TOK) (10-tie)

Honourable mention — Bulkley Valley Christian Royals (Smithers) (NW) (HM), Gabriele Roy Phoenix (Surrey) (SF) (10-tie), Golden Eagles (KOO) (HM), Gudangaay Tlaats’Gaa Nay Thunder (Masset) (HM), Immaculata Mustangs (Kelowna) (TOK) (HM)

Dropped out  Deer Lake Falcons (Burnaby) (FN) (HM)

(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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