The White Rock Christian Academy Warriors won once and lost twice last weekend in Vancouver, en route to a fifth-place tie at the Vancouver College Emerald Tournament.
The WRCA senior boys, who are unranked in provincial triple-A standings, opened the tournament with a 76-69 loss to the No. 10-ranked Charles Tupper Tigers, before bouncing back with an 83-53 victory over the Port Moody Blues. WRCA’s Kristophe Baerg led all scorers with 29 points, and Jake Newman chipped in with 16.
The Warriors’ final game was a 70-65 loss to the fifth-ranked Pitt Meadows Marauders.
And though the 1-2 record didn’t put them on the podium, WRCA was close to winning both games they lost.
Against Charles Tupper, the game was tied 66-66 with three minutes to go, but White Rock ran into foul trouble, with three starters – Baerg, Will Ondrik and Jon Pelling – all fouling out, after which Tupper scored 10 to win it.
Shaylen Buis led the Warriors in the losing effort, with 16 points, and Alex Filipovic added 14.
White Rock had a chance to knock off the higher-seeded Marauders, too, and were ahead with only a few minutes to go. However, a handful of missed shots and a few turnovers allowed Pitt Meadows to claw back and take the lead.
Still, despite the loss, WRCA head coach John Dykstra called the contest “the best we’ve probably played all season.”
Newman and Ondrik lead WRCA with 16 points apiece, and Buis added 14.
Cheer team wins big
White Rock Christian Academy’s cheerleading team pulled off an impressive win earlier this month in Chilliwack, taking top spot at the Pacific All-Star Cheer Championships.
WRCA, coached by Natasha Goetzke, won the High School Division B competition, which was held at Heritage Park.
