Skip to content

Overtime tourney triumph caps terrific spring for RYBL team

U12s make it a hat trick of titles with win in Langley
basketball
RYBL's U12 rep team celebrates its tournament win at the B.C. Spring Shootout in Langley last weekend, highlighted by a 52-47 overtime win against the B.C. Bounce in the title game.

Richmond Youth Basketball League’s U12 rep boys team concluded a superb spring season by winning a “hat trick” of tournaments — capped by a thrilling overtime victory last weekend.

RYBL edged B.C. Bounce from Abbotsford 52-47 in the title game at the B.C. Spring Shootout in Langley. Earlier tournament wins came at the Vancouver Tip-Off (April 20-22) and the Spring Showcase (May 11-13). The boys finished the campaign with an 11-1 overall record.

The RYBL Spring Program is strictly practices and tournaments compared to the winter season which sees teams compete in Basketball B.C.’s  Metro League. Over the past two months, the team has received a steady diet of some of the top clubs in B.C., including 3D, DRIVE and Athelite academies.

Coached by Chris Kennedy, Shawn Hill and Ben Mayan, RYBL was smaller than most of its opponents, but relied on quickness, a relentless press and three-point shooting that could extend defences. The boys even encountered some teams playing zone defence, which is rare for this age, but their excellent perimeter shooting made it ineffective.

The RBYL roster features players from throughout the city which bodes well for all schools in Richmond in the years ahead.

The line-up included: Eli Ball, Carter Chow, David Dilague, Ian Forlw, Matt Hikida, Braeden Hodgens, Riley Oughtred, Zack Kennedy and Callan Wevers.

Dilague and Kennedy will be continuing their season when they join a number of boys from RYBL’s U13 program to play for the Vancouver Coastal team at the B.C. Summer Games in Cowichan in July.

The U13s also enjoyed a solid spring, going 13-3 overall and finished second in each of the same tournaments. That team will see players attend six different secondary schools this fall.

RYBL is the largest non-profit basketball club program in B.C., run by volunteer coaches and administration. The boys rep teams will back back up and running in the fall for ages U12-to-U14.

For more information RYBL and its variety of programs for boys and girls visit rybl.ca.