The Richmond Senior Boys Basketball League is headed for a wild finish with several teams showing they are more than capable of coming away with top honours when the city championships tip-off Feb. 10.
A year ago, the fifth place RC Palmer Griffins peaked at the right time to win their eight consecutive title. This season, the rebuilding Griffins (2-5) still have some work to do to be part of the eight team post season tournament.
They are currently on the outside looking in with the Richmond Christian Eagles (3-4) holding down the final spot.
The McMath Wildcats have lived up the hype as the pre-season favourite, improving to 7-0 Monday with an 81-69 win over the Cambie Crusaders. The Wildcats have been a fixture in the B.C. AAA rankings since week one and are looking to return to the provincials for the second straight year.
The loss Monday was a minor hiccup for the much-improved Crusaders (4-2) who recorded a pair of key wins last week including a 93-56 triumph over the MacNeill Ravens (3-4).
The Wildcats hold down first place thanks to their narrow league opener win over the McNair Marlins back in early December. Since then, the Marlins (5-1) have been on a huge roll, winning 21 consecutive games to establish themselves among the top 10 ranked AAA teams. They have also won five consecutive tournaments, including the Killarney Cougar Classic last weekend.
The McRoberts Strikers (6-2) also have a tourney win under their belts, defeating MacNeill in the final of their own invitational on Saturday. The Strikers and Marlins clash on Thursday night at McRoberts with second place very likely on the line.
The Richmond Colts (4-3) gave McMath all it could handle in a 79-76 loss back on Jan. 19 and are capable of winning their first city title since the days of legendary coach Bill Disbrow. However, the Steveston-London Sharks (4-4) reminded them how tough the road will be with a thrilling 70-69 win on Monday night.
