John Garvie capped a tournament MVP performance by draining 32 points as the Vernon Panthers stuffed the host Kwantlan Timberwolves 79-67 to claim the Winter Tip-off Senior Boys Basketball Classic title Friday in Surrey.
Game MVP Shelby Hartwig earned a double-double (13 points, 10 rebounds) while Andy Hladik and Chris Inscho each flushed a dozen points.
Mitchell Pepper was named a first team all-star.
Said head coach Glenn Garvie: “We had someone else stepping up in every one of our games – total team effort all around. Everybody received lots of playing time due to a total team effort.”
Vernon stopped Delta’s Seaquam Seahawks 80-60 in the semifinals, led by 26 points from Garvie. Ty Thomas collected 20 points and Hladik had 14.
In their tourney opener Thursday, the Cats downed Delta’s Delview Raiders 60-57.
Game MVP Hartwig fired 18 points and 12 rebounds, Pepper provided 14 points and Inscho notched 11. VSS trailed until the fourth quarter.
Vernon then grounded Seaquam 66-58 on a 19-point, nine-rebound effort by Inscho. Pepper potted 18 points and Hartwig delivered 10 points and 10 rebounds.
At the Fred Fedorak Christmas Classic senior boys tourney in Penticton, Tye Oddy finished with tournament MVP honours as the Kalamalka Lakers pummelled the Similkameen Sparks of Keremeos 78-20 in Friday’s final.
Oddy pocketed 20 points and eight assists in the championship tilt, while Nick Stanhope earned 17 points and 11 boards.
Lucas Ross and Alwien Dippenaar each supplied 17 points as Kal outgunned the host Pen-Hi Lakers 77-64 in their opening game. Oddy dished out eight assists and Stanhope grabbed 16 rebounds.
Jaimie Pruckle recorded 17 points at the Lakers bounced the George Elliot Coyotes of Lake Country 67-43.
Oddy passed for nine assists and added 10 points, and Dippenaar pulled down 14 rebounds as the Lakers dug deep to pull off a critical win.
Meanwhile, the Charles Bloom Timberwolves opened the North Zone senior A boys league with an 88-22 shellacking of the Eagle River Talons of Sicamous Wednesday in Lumby.
“We have had a very tough early-season schedule with games against two top-10 A teams and two very competitive AAA and AA teams,” said head coach Nathan Lee. “It has been by design. The boys are working very hard and we are improving every day. There is some potential here and we are starting to believe in ourselves.”
