Shawnigan Lake School’s junior boys basketball team missed a berth at the provincial championships by the narrowest of margins — a single shot.
With four provincial berths on the line in the double-elimination tournament late last month, host Shawnigan needed to reach either the championship final or consolation final to punch their ticket to the B.C. tournament. After knocking off St. Michaels University School 55-50 in their tournament opener, Shawnigan took their semifinal game right to the end before ultimately falling to Oak Bay 61-58.
Given a second chance in the consolation draw, Shawnigan again reached the semifinals, only to fall 64-58 to Belmont in another close game. SMUS opted to forgo the fifth-place match, so Shawnigan was credited with a 20-0 win, placing just outside the top four.
Shawnigan entered the tournament as the first Mid Island seed, while Brentwood College was the second Mid Island seed. Brentwood lost their opener against G.P. Vanier 47-33, then fell to Belmont 52-41 in the consolation bracket, ultimately tying Ladysmith for seventh place.
