After dropping their first game, the Kelowna Owls ran the table at the B.C. 4A boys basketball championship in Langley to finish with a more-than-respectable 3-1 record.
Despite being one of just five teams at provincials to win three games or more, KSS settled for ninth place overall. Under last year’s format, the Owls would have placed sixth.
Still, head coach Harry Parmar had nothing but praise for his team’s play at the 2014 B.C. high school finals.
“The kids didn’t realize how close they were, maybe just a few plays away from being right there at the end,” said Parmar, in his seventh season as Owls’ coach. “I mean, to go to B.C.’s and win three games, that’s very good right there. I told the boys that last year they would have been sixth.
“Our older guys played well and our younger guys got some experience they can take with them.”
The Owls, ranked No. 10 heading into the tournament, suffered their only defeat in the opening game on Wednesday, 92-81, to No. 7 ranked Sardis.
After that, KSS kicked its game into high gear, routing Prince George 101-39, then dousing Cowichan 79-67 in the consolation side semifinals.
Then in the 9th/10th place game on Saturday afternoon, Kelowna took down Claremont in dramatic fashion, winning 74-72 in overtime.
KSS senior Buzz Truss was a force all tournament, scoring 106 points in four games, including 32 in the opener against Sardis.
Parmar said Truss, who missed much of last season with a broken leg, showed the quality of player he is on the biggest stage of all.
“He was really, really good,” Parmar said of Truss, who plans to play at UBC Okanagan next season. “He went out the way he should have, playing the best basketball of his high school career.”
Truss is one of four Owls who are graduating from the program. The others are Cooper Simson, Eli Cato and Liam Duncan.
In the B.C. final Saturday night, Sir Winston Churchill defeated Holy Cross 67-64.
