The unbeaten Steveston-London Sharks will be looking for their first-ever city title when they host this week’s Richmond Senior Boys Basketball Championships.
The Sharks will be heavy favourites when the eight team event tips-off on Tuesday afternoon. At stake is more than just Richmond bragging rights as teams look to secure favourable seeding for the upcoming Lower Mainland AAA and AA Championships at the Richmond Olympic Oval. The final goes on Friday at 7:30 p.m.
Here is a brief look at the Tuesday quarter-final match-ups:
2 p.m.
Steveston-London Sharks (10-0) vs. MacNeill Ravens (4-6)
No city team has had answer all season for Sharks’ 6-foot-9 post standout Fardaws Aimaq and this is an especially tough match-up for the height challenged Ravens. MacNeill does take momentum into post-season after a big upset win over McNair last week.
4 p.m.
RC Palmer Griffins (7-3) vs. Cambie Crusaders (6-4)
This should be the match-up of the day between the league’s fourth and fifth seeds. The Griffins got off to a hot start and went on to win the regular season match-up. Cambie might be the darkhorse of the championships, having beat second place McMath and losing by just nine to Steveston-London last week. Good bet these two AA teams meet again at the Mainlands, with a B.C. berth potentially on the line.
5:45 p.m.
McMath Wildcats (8-2) vs. McRoberts Strikers (4-6)
The Wildcats will get a big boost for the post-season as junior standout Bryce Mason joins them on a full-time basis after his team was eliminated last week. The Strikers have good size and depth but must take care of the basketball and find more consistency to keep this game close.
7:30 p.m.
McNair Marlins (7-3) vs. Richmond Colts (5-5)
A late season surge by the Marlins to finish in the top three included 75-60 win over the Colts on Wednesday. In order for the defending city champions to have a shot, they must do a better job of handling the Marlins’ effective full court pressure that produced plenty of turnovers and easy baskets.
