The host Fulton Maroons had to go through the back door to secure a berth in the B.C. High School 2A Boy’s Basketball Championships March 3-8 in Langley.
The Maroons took on the Sa-Hali Sabres of Kamloops in consolation play Saturday morning at the Okanagan finals at the Fulton Gym.
Dale Olson’s team needed two wins Saturday to clinch the third and final Okanagan berth to the provincial finals.
Fulton fell 80-76 to the George Elliot Coyotes of Lake Country in semifinal play Friday.
“We had a rough shooting night, only 32 per cent from the field, 11 of 29 from the (free throw) line and we had 20 turnovers. That about sums up why we lost,” said Olson. “Stats don’t lie. If we shoot 50 per cent from the line, we win.”
The Coyotes took on the Westsyde Whundas of Kamloops in Saturday night’s final, with both teams qualifying for the provincials, though the third place winner could challenge the second place team for seeding if they hadn’t already met in the Okanagan tournament.
The Whundas got 26 points from Nathan Strang and 20 from Scott Lemphers in a 72-47 semifinal romp over the South Okanagan Hornets of Oliver. Dilshan Gill had 12 points for the Hornets, who faced the Princess Margaret Mustangs of Penticton in the other consolation side semi Saturday. The two winners met Saturday night with the victor getting the third berth.
Elliot looked to run away with Friday’s game early, jumping out to a 17-5 lead. With the Coyotes up 25-14, the Maroons went on a 16-0 run to take a 30-25 advantage.
Fulton led 40-35 at the break.
Elliot took the lead in the third quarter with an 11-3 run to go up 55-52, and with the teams tied at 56, the Coyotes used an 11-4 spurt to go ahead 67-60.
Fulton twice pulled to within two points, the last being 76-74, but the Coyotes held on for the win.
Fynn McCarthy led the Lake Country school with 24 points while Charan Sidhu added 12.
Nathan Banga topped all scorers with 32 for the Maroons, including 13 in the opening quarter. Hunter Krieger added 16 and Caden Doyle supplied 14.
The Maroons opened the Valleys with a 62-45 win over the Mustangs.
Banga had 21, including a perfect 7-7 from the charity stripe. Doyle added 14 and Landon Currie had 11.
Seaton Sonics suffered two devastating losses by a total of three points.
Seaton dropped its opener, 78-76, to the Coyotes, who got 24 points from McCarthy and 21 from Nic Lafontaine. Trent Graham paced the Sonics with 25, Qaine Parker chipped in 20 and Gavin Higgins had 11.
The Sonics were eliminated Friday, falling 56-55 to the Mustangs on a three-point shot by Bryn Carter to win the game.
Graham had 19 for Seaton, and Parker added 13.
Armstrong’s Pleasant Valley Saints went 0-2. The Saints lost 83-26 to Westsyde. Jordan Reimer had eight points for PVSS while Brayden King and Kyle Taylor had six each.
Sa-Hali knocked out PVSS with a 77-37 decision. Reimer and Taylor Coleridge each had eight points for the Saints.
In CIS men’s basketball action Friday, the Calgary Dinos defeated the visiting Thompson Rivers University WolfPack of Kamloops 76-68 to sweep their best-of-three Canada West quarterfinal.
Former Maroon Mike Rouault had 10 points – including a three-point half-court buzzer beater at the end of the first quarter – and five rebounds in 19 minutes for TRU.
