It wasn’t a work of art, but for Aaron Mitchell and the St. Thomas More Collegiate Knights, Wednesday’s 71-53 win over the Wellington Wildcats was suitable for framing.
While considered a battle of two closely ranked teams on opening day of the B.C. 3-A senior boys basketball championships, the challenge for the No. 8-seeded Burnaby squad was as much a hurdle of mind-over-matter as it was a grueling physical duel with No. 9-seed Wellington.
The pressures that come with an opening round provincial game and a senior-laden lineup with high expectations, of being aligned in the same pool as No. 1-ranked Rick Hansen, and perhaps feeling under appreciated by the pollsters despite having ran a very battle-tested gauntlet over the past four months – none of it mattered.
You want distractions? There could have been a handful, but the Knights batted them away, using an all-hands-on-deck approach to stay the course and advance to Thursday’s quarterfinals (6:45 p.m.).
“It’s a win. At this point of the year, the one statement is we’ve finished in the top-eight for four straight years at the provincials and that’s something to be proud of,” remarked Mitchell. “But these guys aren’t satisfied, right? Anytime you get a win and advance is a good thing.”
Things started off well, as STM led 10-0 before Wellington replied. Up 17-8 after one quarter, the Knights fell into foul trouble and had to pull a couple of starters – including Lower Mainland all-star Cam Morris – and hope for some fresh energy.
The subs did just that, but the Nanaimo rival also countered and began to close the gap. Six points separated the two early before Grade 11 guard Cedric Ducharme drained a slick trey, followed by a greasy bucket from Grade 12 Nathan Hallam.
“We had two, three starters in foul trouble and that’s always tough but we pulled through,” noted Morris, who took a brief seat after drawing two in the first quarter. “Our main goal was to get stops on defence and transition to offence. Our main focus is on defence first.”
In the first half Mitchell used nine players and was thankful to have a deep bench.
“In the second quarter we were telling our bench guys to keep it ugly, keep it ugly and hold the lead. The main job was to play hard, get loose balls and limit our turnovers. Our starters weren’t good today and they know it,” he said, noting Liam Feenan and Richard Galicia were the exceptions.
The cushion remained in the seven-to-nine point neighbourhood until the opening minute of the second half, when Wellington’s Brooks Branchi sank a three-pointer, followed by a layup from Gordon Lam to make it 31-25.
And like an ice bucket challenge, the Wildcats’ brief surge drew a forceful response, as the Knights went on a 15-2 run to firm up that foundation and protect the lead.
At one point STM held a 62-34 advantage early in the fourth frame, thanks to back-to-back treys by Morris, who finished with a game-high 21 points and six rebounds. Feenan chipped in 12 points and seven boards, while E.J. Escobedo notched nine points and two steals. In all, 10 players contributed points in the decision.
For Wellington, Alex Staniforth tallied 19 points.
The win put STM into Thursday’s quarterfinals (6:45 p.m. at the Langley Events Centre), a likely rematch against the Fraser Valley champion Rick Hansen Hurricanes, providing the Clearbrook team does the expected and beats Carihi Wednesday night (past the NOW’s deadline). The two teams met at the McMath tournament in late January, resulting in an 87-62 win for the ‘Canes.
It would be a fitting piece of motivation come Thursday.
“In the backs of their minds they know they have an opportunity to play Hansen, who smacked us,” Mitchell said Wednesday. “They are a little ticked off with their seed, too, but not that we were overlooking (Wellington) but just other things going on. The good thing is we took care of business and our starters got some rest and it’s good to go for the next day.”
With a veteran-laden crew, the next few days is the final chapter for a core group who’ve hung out and pushed each other since Grade 8. What they achieve over these last days won’t define them, but it will be one last journey to share together.
“We’ve got a lot of chemistry, we’ve grown together as individuals, basically had the starting group since Grade 8 up to Grade 12,” noted Morris, who has committed to play and study at UBC next fall. “We know how each other plays and we play well together. … Hopefully we’re peaking now. Coming first is what drives us.”
Mitchell and the coaching staff has prepared them for just that opportunity. All that’s left is leaving it all on the floor and let the chips fall.
“They’re hungry. They are not thinking about anything other than tomorrow but they are hungry. They want it, they know it’s their last year and they’ve got that fire inside to be ready each day.”
All games are scheduled for the Langley Events Centre, with the final slated for 6 p.m. Saturday. For up-to-date results visit www.bchighschoolbasketballchampionships.com.
