The Moscrop Panthers senior boys volleyball team emerged from the Burnaby-New West league championships unscathed.
Their next assignment will be a tougher test.
Moscrop knocked off the Burnaby Central Wildcats 3-0 last Thursday to take the senior boys league playoff crown, backing up a perfect 6-0 run in the regular season.
The Wildcats did well to overtake a couple or rivals en route to the final, after entered the playoffs as one of three likely challengers with 4-2 records.
Along with second-place Burnaby South, Moscrop enjoyed a bye to the semifinals, where they dispatched Burnaby North.
To get to the finals, Burnaby Central topped New West 3-1 in the opening round then took down Burnaby South to square up the championship berth.
In their previous meeting, the Panthers defeated Burnaby Central 3-1.
Burnaby North secured the third-place berth to the Lower Mainlands by beating Burnaby South 3-1.
Earning all-star honours were Moscrop’s Markus Wong and Lijia Zhang, Burnaby Central’s Milos Koljancic and Herman Zhang, Burnaby North’s Justen Chau and Burnaby South’s Shan Lumase.
Wildcats win girls crown
From third place to champions, the Burnaby Central Wildcats were diligent in making their move up the charts at last week’s Burnaby-New West senior girls volleyball playoffs.
It didn’t come easy, as Central went the distance in the final against the regular season champion Moscrop Panthers, who pushed it to a fifth-and-deciding set before the Wildcats prevailed 3-2 last Thursday.
The Panthers, who entered the playoffs undefeated in league play but missing a key starter, sat sixth in provincial AAAA rankings at the beginning of the month.
Burnaby Central, meanwhile, built its case by winning four of its final five league games, with their last loss a 3-0 defeat at the hands of Moscrop.
With the top-two regular season teams earning byes, the Wildcats got an extra game to garner momentum, starting the playoffs with a 3-0 victory over New West.
In the semifinals, they blanked Burnaby North by the same score, while the Panthers were equally as effective against Burnaby Mountain.
The Wildcats’ Alisha Cooper and Crystal Mendez led the all-star list, that included Moscrop’s Stephanie Sung and Mari Wong, Burnaby North’s Letizia Bonacquisti, and Burnaby Mountain’s Jenessa Quan.
Burnaby Central now hosts the Lower Mainlands, which began yesterday (past the NOW’s deadline).
