It’s turn the page time, and that means playoffs.
The Burnaby South Rebels are glad to turn the calendar, and while they have faced a few speed bumps over the past few weeks, it’s all systems go when it comes to the new season.
The senior boys team wrapped up the Burnaby-New West league on Wednesday with a solid 94-64 victory over Burnaby North, with senior guard Yaphet Soloman counting 17 points and three rebounds on Seniors Night.
“Last night the kids decided to come together and play for each other,” Rebels coach Mike Bell said. “We pushed the ball really well. We’re a real deep team, and it’s when we come out of that team concept that we start to struggle.”
It wasn’t an easy win, as the visiting Vikings trailed by just two points at halftime. Noah Pastrana netted nine points for Burnaby South in the first half.
Finishing league play at 7-1 as well as rebounding from Monday’s hard-fought 77-68 setback to Byrne Creek – which decided the top two placings for next week’s playoffs – reflected a resilience that will be valuable over the next month.
“We’re refocusing and looking ahead. We have to put the season behind us; we finished with a good win and now we take it one game at a time. The playoffs are all about winning that next game,” said Bell.
In a 10-day stretch, ending with the Byrne loss, Burnaby South tasted defeat three times. At the Snowball Classic tourney in Abbotsford, a pair of back-to-back defeats provided some important information that will be critical going forward, Bell said.
They lost 79-71 in the semifinal to Toronto’s St. Michael’s, who would go on to win the title, and wrapped up with a 70-47 loss at the hands of 2-A No. 1-ranked Brentwood.
If anything, it also showed the importance of rejuvenating and having everyone on the same page.
“The last two weeks we only had about five healthy guys at practice, between sickness and injuries,” said Bell.
Would the past two weeks serve as motivation going forward, where the end goal is a berth to the 4-A B.C. championship tournament in Langley come March?
“I want to say yes. Kids are refocusing on what’s ahead. We had a little bit of a falling out, and (Wednesday’s win) was a good showing. We showed what we can do.
“Our grade 12s have kept us together, just remembering last season and how we got to that point. They know what we need to do to get where we want to be.”
Those seniors, led by Vince Sunga and six-foot-eight Jusuf Sehic, have the painful memories of missing the B.C.s to help fuel them. Being ranked, as they were much of last year, means little if the play on the court doesn’t produce results.
Bell has a good feeling about this group, and how they can convert all those experiences into something positive.
“I think we have great potential. We’ve got the shooters, we have good height. When we work hard and stay focused, we’ve got a lot of potential,” he said.
“The regular season is over, and we basically look at that as exhibition. It’s all new now. This is the fun part of the year, where you see the best out of the kids. They bring their game to a new level.”
The playoffs start Monday with quarterfinals at New West Secondary. In the 4:30 p.m. opener, New West plays No. 6-seed Burnaby Central, followed at 6:15 p.m. by Alpha and Burnaby North.
On Tuesday, Byrne Creek will play the winner of North/Alpha at 4:30 p.m., while Burnaby South plays either New West or Burnaby Central. The league final is slated for Thursday, 3:30 p.m. at Byrne Creek.
