It was the best of times, it was the second-best of times.
The Douglas College Royals finished an incredible season with a run to the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association’s men’s basketball championship final, falling to the Seneca College Sting 86-73 two weeks ago in Laval, Que.
A big reason for that was the play of Burnaby’s Reese Morris, a fourth-year forward who played some inspired hoops over the tournament’s three days.
Leading by three after one quarter and a single point at halftime, the New West-based Royals saw Seneca make its move with a strong third quarter, where the Toronto team outscored Douglas 30-22 to grab a seven-point advantage.
In the final quarter, the B.C. champions, who last appeared in the national final 10 years ago, put it all on the line and pulled within two points, 71-69, before the Sting regained momentum for its first national title.
The Royals got 20 points and seven rebounds from Morris, while Kameron Johnson counted 18 points. Both were named to the first all-star team.
Contributing eight points and 13 boards was second all-star team selection Noah DeRappard-Yuswack.
In the semifinal, Douglas dropped Montmerency 93-87, thanks to a huge third quarter where they outscored the Quebec champion 31-15.
In that frame, first-year guard Josiah Mastandrea of Port Coquitlam entered the game and proceeded to spark the comeback, nailing four treys as the Royals took control. Morris chipped in 10 points in the second half and finished with 16 on the day, along with seven rebounds and three blocks.
Johnson led all shooters with 33 points.
Douglas had opened the tourney by clipping Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT) 80-76. That game turned on a big second quarter by the Royals, where they out-scored SAIT 21-12.
Morris, who transferred to Douglas two years ago from Capilano University and was a big part of Douglas’ first provincial win in 10 years, counted 17 points in the win, while Grant Campbell tallied 19.
