A fifth place finish was a buzzer-beater away from potentially being so much more for the McMath Wildcats at the 52nd annual Chancellor Tournament.
The St. Thomas More tourney has a reputation of being a showcase event for the top 3A schools in the province and this year was no exception. No. 1 ranked Byrne Creek Bulldogs edged the No. 6 Argyle Pipers 88-78 in overtime on Saturday night to take home top honours.
The No. 2 ranked Wildcats saw their title hopes end two days earlier with a gut-wrenching 57-56 loss to the Pipers.
The Steveston school looked as though it had pulled out a dramatic win when Victor Radocaj’s put back off a Bryce Mason miss produced a 56-54 lead with 1.5 seconds left. However, the Pipers called a timeout and then took advantage of a defensive lapse to drain an open three-pointer at the buzzer.
Adding to the pain was the Wildcats also leading by three with 50 seconds left when an errant pass resulted in the tying basket.
McMath did rebound from the heartbreak to defeat host STM Friday 69-56 then got past Vernon on Saturday afternoon, 69-63.
Jordin Kojima was named to the tournament’s second all-star team, while Mason earned honourable mention.
The McNair Marlins and Steveston-London Sharks were also part of the 16-team tournament.
The honourable mention Marlins had a tough draw right out of the gate — dropping an 83-66 decision to the No. 3 Charles Tupper Tigers of Vancouver. McNair rebounded with wins over Maple Ridge (66-41) and Centennial (53-51). A potential clash with No. 7 GW Graham on Friday turned into a forfeit win when inclement weather prevented the Chilliwack school from travelling to Burnaby. Grade 12 guard Nathan Schroeder was named an all-star honourable mention.
The Sharks, who won this tournament two years ago en route to a runner-up finish at provincials, rolled past Fleetwood Park 65-40 in their opening game. A 91-67 quarter-final loss to Byrne Creek knocked them out of contention. Their tournament concluded with a 78-61 setback to Vernon.
Meanwhile in Vancouver, the honourable mention Richmond Colts reached the final at Churchill’s Bulldog Classic where they fell 76-58 to Coquitlam’s Pinetree. Daniel Afanasiyevsky was named a first team all-star, while Murad Mohammed earned second team honours. Afanasiyevsky also won the tournament’s three-point shooting contest.
Richmond opened with a 78-67 win over Carson Graham, then got past David Thompson 78-58 in the semi-finals.
With the post-season about a month away these tournaments provide a clearer picture of the potential contenders at the Lower Mainland AAA Championships which will conclude Feb. 23 at the Richmond Olympic Oval.
Defending champion Byrne Creek along with McMath, Tupper, Richmond High, McNair and STM look to be the front-runners for the four B.C. berths that are expected to be up for grabs.
At the buzzer…
The RC Palmer Griffins, who continue to hold down honourable mention status at the 2A level, were edged 79-78 by eventual finalist West Van at the Notre Dame Juggler Classic. The Griffins did rebound to defeat league rival Burnett in consolation play.
