From an underdog’s perspective, the second week of Lower Mainland senior boys basketball action is where bark gives way to bite.
For both the Burnaby North Vikings and the St. Thomas More Knights, it’s a chance to keep it going.
They are two of the four local teams still battling for a berth to next month’s provincial championships.
The Vikings are among the final eight at the Mainland 4-A tourney, while STM is in the same situation on the 3-A side.
Both would love nothing more than to meet up with fellow Burnaby rivals Burnaby South (4-A) and Byrne Creek (3-A), who play in their respective semifinals tonight (Wednesday).
After losing their opening playoff game (78-71 to Killarney), Burnaby North rebounded with a 79-59 win over Sir Winston Churchill last Friday, getting 28 points from Sungwu Pai and 24 by Justen Chau.
“We needed it; it was do or die,” remarked Vikings coach Chris Dahan. “Both teams were fighting for their lives, but we did well in the second half, passed the ball well and knocked down some big points.”
Now they face David Thompson tonight (8 p.m.) in another must-win test. A victory would draw them up against the loser of the Burnaby South-St. George’s semifinal (6:15 p.m.) in a must-win game Thursday.
“What we need to do (against Thompson) is to wear them down defensively and grab a majority of the 50-50 balls, as well as make sure we get our shots in,” said Dahan.
The Knights, meanwhile, staved off elimination in 3-A Lower Mainlands last Friday by besting Windermere 69-60, getting 18 points and nine rebounds from Sajjan Shokar.
It came without the services of starting guard Cedric Ducharme, who was knocked out of the lineup in last week’s 89-81 loss to Sir Charles Tupper on Feb. 14. That result, which saw them push it to the final minute trailing by three only to fall by eight, put the Knights on a must-win track.
“We have a very resilient group who’ve gone through a lot of things together,” noted STM coach Michael Cheung. “They’ve seen it all, and I’m really pleased how they bounced back (after the Tupper loss).”
Without Ducharme, a Grade 12 sparkplug, there will need to be an all-hands-on-deck approach, said Cheung.
“When you get to the post-season every player, every position counts,” he said.
STM faces Magee today (4:30 p.m.), after Byrne Creek faces Richmond at 2:45 p.m. in the semifinal. All games are at the Richmond Olympic Oval.
The championship finals are slated for Friday (6:15 p.m. for 3-A; 8 p.m. for 4-A) at the Richmond Olympic Oval.
