After day one of the tournament, all three Abbotsford senior boys teams are officially out of the provincial basketball title hunt.
The W.J. Mouat Hawks became the event’s first upset victim, falling 70-60 to Belmont on Wednesday.
Seeded fourth in the 4A tournament, Mouat’s offence couldn’t get going against the 13th-ranked Bulldogs and the Hawks defence stop Belmont’s push in the second half. The Hawks led 31-29 at halftime, but things fell apart in the fourth quarter when they trailed by as many as 15 points.
Dhivaan Bhogal led Mouat with 17 points and 13 rebounds.
The Hawks move over to the consolation bracket, and the best they can hope to finish now is ninth.
🀠4A Boys | UPSET! #13 Belmont defeats #4 W.J. Mouat 70-60!#VancouverBasketball@BCHoopScoop @theBCSportsHub @bcboysbball @WJMouat @BelmontSD62 pic.twitter.com/ytDpqF273K
— Vancouver Basketball (@VancouverBball) March 7, 2018
The 3A conference will see crown a new champion as the Rick Hansen Hurricanes also lost in round one.
Despite catching fire early, the Hurricanes came up cold late in the game to lose 88-65 to the Duchess Park Condors from Prince George.
Hansen, ranked tenth heading into the event, led 44-36 at halftime, but the Condors turned it on in the second half to earn the win.
Gurkaran Mangat and Gurlal Mann scored 16 points apiece in a losing cause.
The Hurricanes head to the consolation bracket, and will finish as high as ninth if they win out.
Tough loss to Duchess Park today…not the outcome we wanted, but the next 3 games are a great opportunity for a young team to demonstrate the character and mental toughness we have been working on all season. @BCHoopScoop @bcboysbball @htsumura
— Hansen Basketball (@hansen_bball) March 8, 2018
In other 3A action, an outstanding performance from MEI‘s Isaiah Reimer wasn’t enough for the Eagles, as they lost 97-92 to R.A. McMath.
The Eagles, ranked 12th overall, were up 23-4 mid-way through the first quarter, but the Wildcats took over in the second quarter to lead 54-49 at halftime. The teams traded leads in the second half, with McMath eventually putting the Eagles away in the fourth.
Ethan Bucknam of the Eagles also had a strong game, scoring 17 points and grabbing 15 rebounds.
MEI heads to the consolation bracket, with the top prize being a ninth place finish.
The tournament continues at the Langley Events Centre until Saturday.
