Abbotsford senior boys basketball teams walked away from the B.C. high school basketball provincials with no hardware, but a trio of top ten finishes.
The Abbotsford Panthers were the highest ranked local team heading into the Langley-based event, as the Eastern Valley Athletic Association champions came in ranked fifth in the 4A.
Abbotsford opened with a 90-58 win over Terry Fox on Wednesday, but then fell 101-87 to Vancouver College in Thursday’s quarter-final round. The Panthers also lost 77-56 to Oak Bay in the consolation bracket on Friday and dropped a 101-66 decision to Claremont on Saturday to finish eighth overall.
The Yale Lions entered the 4A tournament ranked 10th in B.C., and ended the tournament in the exact same spot.
Yale kicked off the tournament with a 78-57 loss to Handsworth on Wednesday, but then bounced back with a 72-61 win over Prince George on Thursday. Yale then beat Holy Cross 86-79 on Friday, but dropped the ninth place game 74-69 to Tamanawis.
Burnaby South defeated Kelowna 70-58 in the 4A final on Saturday.
Over in the 2A tournament, the Abbotsford Christian Knights also finished eighth and dropped three spots from their original fifth seed ranking just like the Panthers.
The Knights opened with a 90-66 win over Surrey Christian on Wednesday, but then fell 69-61 to Brentwood College in the quarter-final round on Thursday. ACS then lost 97-71 to St. Thomas Aquinas on Friday, and closed off the event with an 85-68 loss to Mulgrave in the seventh place game on Saturday.
The Charles Hays Rainmakers from Prince Rupert defeated Vancouver’s King George 67-45 in the 2A final.
Abbotsford’s MEI Eagles went winless on the first two days of the 3A tournament, losing 81-37 to Vernon on Wednesday and 81-73 to Steveston-London on Thursday, but the club bounced back with a 82-75 win over Richmond on Friday. The Eagles then lost 69-64 to John Barsby to place 14th overall. MEI entered the tournament ranked 15th in the province.
Chilliwack’s G.W. Graham Grizzlies beat Prince George’s Duchess Park 79-67 in Saturday’s 3A provincial final.
For more information on all the tournaments, visit bchighschoolbasketballchampionships.com.
