The Burnaby South Rebels got off to a great start, but most importantly, didn't let another team's impressive charge knock them off course.
By staying plugged into the system and working a well-balanced attack, the Rebels knocked out the No. 1-ranked Oak Bay Bays of the B.C. senior boys 4-A basketball quarterfinals with a dramatic 78-68 win Thursday at the Langley Events Centre.
Limiting the Bays to five points in the first half, Burnaby carried over some of the good vibes it created in its tourney-opening 80-60 win over Lord Tweedsmuir.
They held an impressive 36-22 advantage at halftime. But the Bays, who had only lost once this year to a B.C. rival -- 2-A's No. 1-rated Brentwood College -- put on a different gameface to start the third. In the third frame the Island champs out-scored Burnaby 29-12 and took a 51-48 lead to the final 10 minutes.
That rally included a 23-point run, which could have broke the spirits of many teams. The Rebels were not one of those. They countered, reclaimed the advantage before the quarter was two-minutes old on Jiordano Khan's long trey, at 55-51, and didn't waiver the rest of the way.
Jusuf Sehic counted a team-high 17 points and 17 rebounds, while Noah Pastrana was good for 14 points, 11 boards and three steals.
Pastrana had led the Rebels in the Tweedsmuir win, tallying 20 points, including six treys.
Burnaby South now faces another Island team, Belmont, in Friday's semifinal, 7 p.m. at the Langley Events Centre.
