The St. Thomas More Knights saved their worst for last at the 47th annual Chancellor boys' basketball tournament.
After big wins over AAA No. 3-ranked Charles Tupper and eight-ranked Sutherland in championship play, STM sputtered in the offensive zone in the tournament final, falling 54-37 to unranked quad A Handsworth Royals in the championship game on Saturday.
"I just think we weren't mentally prepared," said tournament offensive MVP Reese Morris. "Maybe we thought it would be easier than it was. It obviously wasn't our best effort."
Morris opened the tournament with a game-high 31 points in STM's 67-33 win over Centennial.
The No. 9 AAA Knights then upset Sutherland 58-44 to move into the final four against Tupper.
In the semifinals, STM got off to a quick start and used the momentum to top the eastside Vancouver Tigers 74-58.
Morris once again led the Knights with 22 points and 15 rebounds.
But in the championship final, points from the floor were as rare as hen's teeth.
Both teams struggled from the opening tipoff, making numerous unsuccessful forays down the court before second team all-star J.J. DesLauriers broke the ice with a transition lay-up minutes into the contest.
Handsworth, which placed fourth overall at the season-opening Telus Classic, held a 13-10 first-quarter lead before turning up the heat in the second frame.
The Royals outscored the home team 19-9 in the second quarter and were never seriously challenged from that point on.
"We kind of took a few steps back tonight," said STM coach Aaron Mitchell. "But it's going to come with time and growth."
Morris and Grade 10 first team all-star guard Terrell Jana led the Knights with 10 points apiece. Andrew Flett chipped in with seven points.
Michell added that tournament's like the Chancellor teach valuable lessons for the post season.
"If you want to get to the provincials, you have to come prepared to play four tough games," he said. "We just didn't play well enough and didn't deserve to win."
Matt Anderson led all scorers with 13 points, including seven-of-eight from the charity stripe.
STM went to the foul line just four times, making good on only three of seven attempts. In contrast, Handsworth was 14-of-24 from the foul line.
Adam Karmali of Handsworth was named the Chancellor MVP.
Byrne Creek had an up-and-down Chancellor tournament.
The No. 6-ranked Bulldogs cruised to an 18-point win over Carson Graham in their opening game, but were beaten handily by Charles Tupper 82-56 in the quarter-finals.
Byrne Creek then fell 76-68 to Sutherland in the leadup to the fifth- and sixth-place final.
The results of the Chancellor will likely create a lot of up and downward movement in this week's AAA rankings.
