Numbers, many have argued successfully, don’t lie.
But they also don’t tell the full story of a sport where 16 teenagers create a valuable learning experience with the guidance of a few good men.
The St. Thomas More Knights won their final game of the season, trumping Lord Byng 73-64 at the B.C. 3-A senior boys basketball championships on Saturday in Langley.
It was the team’s second straight win, and third in four days. The result was a fifth-place finish, capping a year where the squad had projected their goals and dreams on playing on that one day and finishing with a win.
Although short of the championship final – due to a dramatic 61-59 loss to Rick Hansen on Thursday – in the eyes of most the journey was a success.
“We won a lot of games and accomplished a lot of things, we just didn’t get a banner,” remarked STM coach Aaron Mitchell. “But a banner, that’s not what we’re about.”
In bouncing back from the heartbreaking setback to No. 1-seeded and eventual B.C. champion Hansen and rolling off twin wins – they topped Steveston-London 87-58 on Friday – the Knights displayed the character and resilience which have been building blocks of the program for the past decade.
With 10 players in their final high school year, the squad lived up to the ideals set out at the start, which was to play for each other.
A loss like Thursday’s decision – where the Knights peaked early in the fourth quarter with a 13-point lead that disintegrated in a whirlwind 17-0 storm – could have been the crashing end of a season.
Yet, as painful as it was, there were still two more games to play; games which in every sense carried as much weight for where the journey would end.
That was apparent on Day 3 as they trailed by eight at halftime, when Mitchell addressed his players for one of the last times in a game situation.
“Let’s just say the halftime talk was spirited,” said Mitchell. “It was less about the score than it was about reminding them what we’re there for – to compete for each other.
“It doesn’t matter the result, win or loss, but just compete. 'Play for the guy beside you.'”
Respond, they did. Star post Cam Morris, guard E.J. Escobedo and forward Liam Feenan continued to lead by example, and everyone was involved in getting the win.
Morris, who will take his game to UBC next fall, was named to the first all-star team.
Grade 11s Cedric Alvarez and Sajjun Shokar were major contributors who showed their eagerness to carry the leadership torch going forward, said Mitchell.
“As I told them and as we could feel, STM is a family and its so much more about wins and losses,” he noted.
The graduating group who'll leave a big hole to fill include guards Richard Galicia, Paolo Labrador, Aiken Recalde, Ryan Yuen, Escobedo and Morris, and forwards Matteo Bonamin, Nathan Hallam, Josh Harder and Feenan.
The pain of one loss may require time to fade, but it won’t overwhelm the experience and bonds built over a season – and for most, many years toiling and playing together.
“Every team at the start of the provincials has that goal, to win it,” said Mitchell. “It’s the same when the year begins. Slowly, the cream rises to the top, but you need health, luck and a couple of bounces. That’s sports.”
