The Steveston-London Sharks are champions of the 50th annual Chancellor Tournament at St. Thomas More and they did it in convincing fashion.
The Sharks capped a dominating run in Burnaby Saturday night with a 91-68 victory over Chilliwack’s GW Graham. It was the first win at the prestigious tournament by a Richmond school since McMath pulled off the feat 11 years ago and ranks as one of the biggest triumphs by a senior boys basketball team at Steveston-London in the school’s brief history.
Ranked No. 3 in the province back at the start of the season, the Sharks got off to a shaky start, including a lopsided loss to No. 4 Southridge at the Tsumura Invitational. Since then, they have been gathering steam and were challenged by their head coach to take it to another level at the Chancellor.
“I said to them that they needed to go out and make a statement,” explained Mike Stoneburgh. “Nothing was ever going to be handed to them. They had make it happen themselves.
“That’s the thing about this weekend. They have now kind of separated themselves. They have the size and they have the athleticism. When we play to the level we are capable of, we are a tough team to beat.”
Led by 6-foot-9 Grade 11 post standout Fardaws Aimaq and dominant senior Nigel Boyd, the Sharks were the class of the 16 team event from start to finish.
They opened with an easy 72-30 win over Maple Ridge, then promptly took care of a couple of honour mention AAA schools — Byrne Creek (86-68) and South Kamloops (85-61), in the semi-finals.
They led the Byrne Creek game by as much as 35 before taking their foot of the gas pedal, while South Kamloops had upset No. 3 ranked McMath in the opening round.
The championship game produced more Steveston-London dominance against the Grizzlies who entered the tournament ranked No. 4 among AA schools. The end result should have the No. 8 Sharks on the move when the new AAA rankings are released Thursday.
Aimaq was named the tournament’s most valuable player and offensive player of the game in the final. He averaged over 20 points, 14 rebounds and nearly three blocked shots per game. Boyd earned first team all-star status and also hovered around 20 points per contest, while Ahmed Mohamud’s solid tournament was recognized with a second team all-star selection.
The Sharks punished their opponents with a balanced attack that is capable of producing inside and outside the paint. That’s why they were also considered among the provincial favourites back in November.
“I like that fact that we don’t have to rely on three point shooting and I have guards that can get to the hoop if their shots are not falling,” continued Stoneburgh. “Not being one dimensional definitely makes us a tougher opponent.”
The Sharks roster also features Pierce Strutt, Taros Johal, Stefan Lim, Derek Jeary, Matt Levenstein, Jerome Fernandez, Isaiah Hunter, Daniel Chen, Kevin Bao, Zach Cantwell, Robleh Ismail and Ryan Curtis.
Steveston-London now turns to its own annual Bob Carkner Memorial Tournament, starting Thursday.
The hosts open play at 2 p.m. against John Oliver. Other participating teams on the boys side of the draw include Hugh Boyd, Byrne Creek, Lord Byng, Charles Best, Windermere and Valleyview.
Lord Byng is currently ranked No. 5 among AAA schools, setting up a potential final with the Sharks on Saturday at 7:15 p.m.
“It would be a great way to finish off the tournament in front of our own crowd,” added Stoneburgh. “We lost to (John Oliver) in the semis a year ago so I know our seniors will be pumped for that opening game too.”
The girls side features the hosts Sharks taking on league rival Cambie at 3:30 Thursday. Other teams include Burnaby South, John Oliver, Killarney, Yukon and Richmond. The girls final goes at 5:30 pm Saturday.
