Journey’s Don’t Stop Believing was playing over the loudspeaker in the aftermath of the Abbotsford Collegiate Panthers’ 51-44 victory over the Chilliwack Storm on Wednesday afternoon.
The venerable arena-rock anthem was an appropriate soundtrack, as the host Panthers had trailed most of the way before rallying to win their opener at the 52nd annual Snowball Classic.
A loss would have instantly relegated Abby Collegiate to the consolation side of the draw; the win means they get to play the tournament headliners, the St. Andrew’s Saints of Barrington, Rhode Island, in the quarter-finals in front of what is sure to be an enthusiastic capacity crowd on Thursday (8:15 p.m. tip-off).
“Huge, just huge,” Panthers senior boys basketball coach Prentice Lenz enthused, describing what the victory meant to his squad.
“It wasn’t a high-scoring game, so it came down to who wanted it more in the end. It really was a great win for the boys.”
In the early going, the Storm proved persistent on the offensive glass, and numerous second-shot opportunities helped them build a 39-34 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
But the Panthers cleaned up their rebounding issues and clawed their way back in the final frame. Matt Brar’s back-to-back three-pointers keyed the comeback – his second trey gave Abby Collegiate a 44-42 lead with 2:30 left.
The Panthers also got a key defensive play from Se Huan Yoo – he took a charge on Chilliwack’s Gary McCrea, which sent the Storm’s leading scorer (18 points for the game) to the bench with his fifth and disqualifying foul.
The Panthers showcased a balanced attack – Yoo and Anoka Athaya scored 10 points each, while player of the game Devin Brar (nine points) and Matt Brar (eight points) also chipped in offensively.
Abby Collegiate will surely be an underdog against St. Andrew’s on Thursday, but they’re relishing the chance to play an elite American program.
“To play a team like them, it’s going to be an opportunity,” Devin Brar said. “And we’ll make the most of it.”
Lenz said his team battled nerves against Chilliwack, but with nothing to lose against St. Andrews, he thinks it will be a different story.
“This game, in front of the home crowd, there was lots of tension and lots of stress,” he said. “I think tomorrow night, they’ll play really loose. I think they’ll really enjoy the opportunity.”
The Panthers-Storm clash was the lone Snowball game on Wednesday. The tourney gets going in earnest on Thursday, beginning with the MEI Eagles vs. the St. George’s Saints at 9:45 a.m. A complete draw is below.
