With all the games that the St. Thomas More Knights have played over the past two weeks, the coming exam period could feel like a
welcomed holiday for members of the senior boys basketball team.
Seven games in 14 days can take a toll, but the Knights gained some valuable knowledge during that run, which included a tourney title (their own Chancellor) and a climb into the No. 1 slot of B.C. Triple-A rankings.
But as coaches will do, it was the one blemish in a 6-1 record which delivered the biggest lesson.
“It was good for our guys, in a way, as it serves as a reminder that no one is going to give you a (win),” STM coach Aaron Mitchell said of Friday’s 71-47 loss to Vancouver College in the B.C. Catholic championships semifinal. “(VC) played hard and came out fast and we just didn’t match them.”
A four-point game after the first quarter, Vancouver College took control in the second quarter and led 39-23 at halftime. Cam Morris put up 19 points in the loss, while Liam Feenan chipped in 10.
He was pleased how a day later the squad responded with a gritty 47-37 win in the bronze match against Double-A-ranked St. Patrick’s, even if it wasn’t a work of art.
“It was kind of an ugly win, but I guess if you score 47 points and win that’s a pretty decent sign.”
Coming off the bench and providing clutch efforts were Paolo Labrador and Nathan Hallam, while Morris recorded a double-double, with 14 points and 12 rebounds. Contributing 10 points was Sajjun Shokar.. Setting a strong tone throughout the tourney, which also saw the Knights knock off Archbishop Carney 64-46 in the opener, were Feenan and Morris, both Grade 12s. The latter was named to the tourney’s first all-star team.
On the senior girls side, the Knights put up a valiant battle before finishing the Catholic championships in fourth place. A 57-35 loss to Little Flower Academy ended the three-game series, and came despite STM’s 47-27 dominance on the boards.
Emma Stewart-Barnett counted seven points, while Aurafel Domingo contributed six points and eight rebounds off the bench.
STM started the tourney with a 50-39 victory over Archbishop Carney, getting 12 points from first all-star selection Anabela Chiu, and eight points each from Shiloh Corrales-Nelson and Macella Mauro. They were edged 55-50 in the semifinal by eventual champion Immaculata. In that game, a strong second quarter gave the Knights a 24-17 halftime lead, but Immaculata pulled even heading into the final eight minutes, where they out-scored STM by five points.
Chiu counted 15 points, 13 rebounds and four assists, while Corrales-Nelson, voted to the second all-star team, tallied 10 points and 11 boards.
Chipping in with nine points and 11 rebounds was Julia Spagnuolo.
STM led all teams at the tourney when it came to rebounds, to the tune of 68 per cent.
