They know who the first obstacle is.
Tomorrow, all the preparation will be put to the final test as both the Burnaby South Rebels and St. Thomas More Knights kick off their respective B.C. senior boys basketball championship tournaments in Langley.
The Rebels, ranked No. 1 in 4-A competition, launch the last tourney with a bright-and-early 8:30 a.m. match-up (Wednesday) against No. 16 seed Mount Baker from Cranbrook. At 33-3 on the year -- with their last loss nearly six weeks ago to California's Rolling Hills team at the Snowball Classic tourney in Abbotsford -- Burnaby South enters the tourney as the juggernaut everyone is looking to take down.
And while Mount Baker is deemed the longest of longshots as the lone Kootenay 4-A team in the province, Rebels coach Mike Bell knows you can't enter the tourney underestimating your opponent.
“It’s going to be nice. We should have some good competition, there’s some great upsets (in the zones) and things are moving around. The seeds are all over the place so you’re going to have good games on the first and second nights," Bell said after his squad's 76-69 victory nine days ago at the Fraser North zone final.
A win would pit Burnaby South against the winner of Oak Bay/Tamanawis, who are seeded No. 8 and 9, respectively, on Thursday for a 4:45 p.m. quarter-final tilt.
The winner would advance to the 8:45 p.m. semifinal on Friday. The championship game goes Saturday at 8:15 p.m.
The Rebels are aiming to capture their second B.C. title in three years.
For St. Thomas More, the gravy that is a provincial berth doesn't mean they don't have their sights set high for this week. The Knights captured the 3-A North zone's berth to the B.C.s by upending league rival Byrne Creek 58-55 nearly two weeks ago.
Seeded seventh overall, STM begins its journey Wednesday against No. 10 seed Steveston-London at 7:45 p.m. A victory would catapult the Knights into the quarter-finals against the survivor of No. 2 Vernon and No. 15 MEI.
“It’s just a reset for us. The team’s goal to make the B.C.s may have seemed a long shot just a month ago, but it’s the reality. I’m not sure if anyone wants to play us,” noted STM coach Aaron Mitchell.
The Knights last won the B.C. crown in 2014.
The 3-A final is slated for 6 p.m. on Saturday.
All games are played at the Langley Events Centre.
