Langley (BCSS) – 1A Tournament – This time, there would be no heartbreak for the Unity Christian Flames.
One year ago, the Chilliwack school fell short in the championship game. But on Saturday afternoon, the team found itself back in the title game at the 2024 BC School Sports 1A Boys Basketball Provincial Championships at Langley Events Centre.
A big key in the victory was the Flames using their significant size advantage – the team has four players between the heights of six-six and six-eight – and the fact they rolled with 10 players, compared to a tenacious Breakers squad which only had seven players hit the floor.
With so much height inside, the Flames dominated the glass with a 79-62 rebounding advantage. That number included 38 offensive rebounds, a number that blew Bron away when he heard the post-game stats.
Offensively, both Most Valuable Player Jay Smiens and Second Team All-Star Ryder Vanderkooi finished with 22 points apiece with Vanderkooi also hauling in 19 rebounds while Smiens had 10. Both players also finished with a pair of blocked shots.
2A Tournament
The message was received on the very first day.
Facing the 14-seed Khalsa School Lions on day one of the BC School Sports 2A Boys Basketball Provincial Championships, the No. 3 Collingwood Cavaliers were pushed to the limit before scoring eight of the final nine points to secure a 77-69 win.
3A Tournament
Following a devastating defeat in last year’s championship final, coach Darren Seaman and his Dover Bay Dolphins knew a return to the title game was a realistic possibility.
And on Saturday afternoon, the Nanaimo school captured what eluded them 12 months ago, defeating Abbotsford’s M.E.I. Eagles 75-61 in the gold-medal contest at the 2024 BC School Sports 3A Boys Basketball Provincial Championships at Langley Events Centre.
4A Tournament
The Spectrum Thunder made history Saturday at Langley Events Centre.
The second-seeded squad from Victoria beat the No. 4 Tamanawis Wildcats of Surrey 92-72 in the final of the 2024 BC School Sports 4A Boys Basketball Provincial Championships. It is the first senior boys basketball provincial title in Spectrum’s history.
A capacity crowd filled the LEC Arena Bowl for the last contest of the event’s 78th edition.
