The Walnut Grove Gators blew open their quarter-final game against the Oak Bay Bays with a dominant third quarter.
The Gators outscored the Bays 28-8 over that 10-minute stretch, turning a two-point half-time deficit into a 60-42 lead.
Walnut Grove would go on to win 81-60, booking a ticket in the B.C. 4A senior boys provincial basketball championships semifinals at the Langley Events Centre.
The Gators were the fifth seed while Oak Bay was the fourth seed.
And the first half was back-and-forth with Walnut Grove holding a slight lead, 18-17 after one quarter, before Oak Bay led by a bucket at the break.
But the Gators superior shooting and a decisive advantage on the boards proved to be the difference.
Walnut Grove shot 51.6 per cent from the field and 43.8 per cent (7-for-16) from beyond the three-point line while the Bays struggled at 31.9 per cent and 23.3 per cent (7-for-30), respectively.
The Gators also had a decisive advantage in the paint, outscoring Oak Bay 46-26. A big part of that was Walnut Grove big man Jake Cowley, who shot 10-for-14 and finished with 25 points and 13 rebounds. He also came up with seven blocked shots.
Ty Rowell had 20 points, four assists and four rebounds while Santhosh Nandakumar had 16 points and six rebounds. Daniel Stead had a team-high five assists to go along with six rebounds.
Walnut Grove will face a stiff test in the semifinals tonight (Friday) as they go up against the No. 1 ranked Kelowna Owls. Game time is 7 p.m. in the arena bowl.
