The field got a lot less crowded last week as teams fought through the
senior boys Lower Mainland basketball minefield in search of a berth to next month’s B.C. high school senior boys basketball championships in Langley.
The 4-A Lower Mainland playoffs saw two Burnaby-New West league rivals advance to Round 4, as the Burnaby South Rebels topped the Burn-aby Mountain Lions 95-45 last Friday, while the New Westminster Hyacks defeated the Moscrop Panthers 80-61.
Along with Burnaby Mountain and Moscrop, the Burnaby North Vikings season also came to a close in a tightly contested 93-84 loss to Eric Hamber.
Coming off a tough 108-84 loss to No. 4-ranked Kitsilano, the Vikings left it on the floor Friday despite taking an early lead. Sungwoo Pai counted 21 points from the three-point line and Justen Chau nailed five of his own.
“The boys left everything they had on that court, and I couldn’t be more proud of them,” said Vikings coach Chris Dahan.
In Burnaby South’s win, the Rebels broke open an 18-14 game by taking a 21-point lead at the half. By the end of the night, Vince Sunga drained a team-high 23 points, while C.J. Campbell tallied a well-rounded 19 points, 12 assists, six rebounds and five steals.
Both South and New West face must-win challenges tonight (Wednesday) at the Richmond Oval. The Rebels play Hamber at 6:15 p.m., while New West faces Churchill at 8 p.m.
In 3-A action, the St. Thomas More Knights tip-off today (Wednesday) against Steveston-London at 2:45 p.m. in one Lower Mainland semifinal. In the other, crosstown rival Byrne Creek Bulldogs take on Lord Byng at 4:30 p.m.
