It was a double win for the Richmond Colts to cap off a highly competitive season in the Richmond Junior Boys Basketball League.
The Colts captured the city championship with an exciting 70-67 victory over the host Cambie Crusaders on Thursday night. They not only earned Richmond bragging rights but the opportunity to host next week’s Vancouver and District Championships as well.
Richmond High will open play Wednesday against the winner of a wild card game between Alpha and Argyle. Cambie and city third place finisher Steveston-London are also part of the tournament which concludes with the final on Friday at 5:30 p.m.
The Richmond League featured loads of parity this season and that spilled over into the playoffs.
Five teams had a legitimate shot at winning the championship and it was the fifth place Colts (7-3) who delivered some clutch performances.
They pulled out a thrilling 71-70 final quarter-final victory over the Burnett Breakers on Monday in a battle of 4/5 seeds. They then came through with a 53-42 victory against the top seed Steveston-London Sharks (9-1). The Colts were also the only team to beat the Sharks in regular season play, back on Jan. 23.
The championship game went back-and-forth with neither team leading by more than 10 points the entire contest. The Colts took control in the fourth quarter and held off a late Cambie charge to secure the title.
The Crusaders’ road the final included a 52-40 opening round win over the McRoberts and a 55-49 semi-final triumph against MacNeill Ravens.
The Sharks earned the final V&D berth with a 46-42 win over the Ravens in the third place game.
The McMath Wildcats are Richmond Junior Girls champions after a narrow 42-39 victory over the Hugh Boyd Trojans.
Both teams will move on to the Lower Mainland Invitational Championships which start Thursday, while Richmond Christian will host the V&D playoffs, starting on Wednesday against Moscrop. MacNeill and McNair are also participating.
