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Burnaby South bounces back to B.C.s

The Burnaby South Rebels avenged last year's loss to Kitsilano and then knocked off St. George's Saints to claim the third and final provincial berth at the Lower Mainland 4A high school boys' basketball championships
BS basketball
Burnaby South starters Djordje Obradovic, in yellow left, and Taylor Smith, right, helped the Rebels defeat St. George's and earn a berth back to the B.C. quad A boys' basketball championships

Big contributions from two all-stars gave Burnaby South a berth into the upcoming B.C. quad A high school boys’ basketball championships.

First team all-star Jermaine Haley scored 22 first-half points and second-teamer Mark Bogajev added 17 in the third quarter to help the Rebels outmatch St. George’s Saints 86-53 in the consolation final at the Lower Mainland championships at Richmond Olympic Oval on Friday.

The win propelled the Rebels back to the B.C.s, where they finished 10th last season, where they set an all-time provincial record with South Kamloops for total points scored in a single game.

This year, the expectations are higher than that, said 6-4 senior forward Djordje Obradovic, who did a great job holding Saints 6-7 second team all-star Mark Jacobs to just a dozen points.

“Our last two games were do or die. We put our hearts into it and got the win,” said Obradovic, who had nine points, six rebounds and one blocked shot against St. George’s. “I feel great. … I’ve been there before, and hopefully we can make our dreams come true and come first.”

To do that, South must abandon the tendency to sometimes play as individuals, which cost the Rebels against eventual Mainland champion Vancouver College on Wednesday and a spot in the championship final.

But South bounced back from that minor setback, avenging last year’s loss to Kitsilano in the 2013 Mainland final, beating the Blue Demons 94-82 on Thursday.

Haley led all scorers with 33 points in that game, the 6-6 Grade 11 guard also garnered a total of 28 points in the third-place final, while nabbing seven rebounds, four steals and making three blocks. Nick Trninic had a team-high 10 rebounds in the win Friday. Bogajev finished with 20 points, including five of his six three-pointers in a super-charged third quarter. He also had 16 in the win over Kits.

Hailey got South out on the right foot in the win against the Saints, scoring 14 first-quarter points, including a pair of treys.

South maintained an advantage over St. George’s in all four quarters, outrebounding the Vancouver independent with 40 boards, while also committing 17 steals.

But it was South’s outside shooting that really nailed the coffin shut, making good on 16 three-point attempts in the game, including three off the bench by super-sub Tyus Batiste. The Grade 11 guard also scored 13 in the win over Kitsilano.

“When we play as a team we can make our dreams come true,” said Obradovic. “We take our shots … and today was one of those days. We got the job done and we’re going to the provincials.”

No. 7-ranked College upset second-ranked Winston Churchill 89-85 in the championship Mainland final.

College, Churchill and South all qualified for the B.C.s, which will be held at the Langley Events Centre from March 12 to 15.