St. Thomas More Knights finished at 3-1 and in fifth place at the annual varsity boys' Chancellor basketball tournament.
The No. 7-ranked Knights rebounded from quarter-final defeat to eventual runner-up and No. 5 Sir Charles Tupper and went on to post a workman-like 72-55 victory over the Delta Pacers in the final placement game on Saturday.
Junior forward and honourable mention all-star Cam Morris led the Knights with 17 points. Second team all-star J.J. DesLauriers added a dozen points for the host team.
Jas Singh, another tournament honourable mention had a game-high 20 points for the Pacers.
STM guards Terrell Jana and Edward Ju finished with 15 and 14 points, respectively.
"We're learning we have to just keep our foot on the pedal and take over a game when we have the chance," said Jana, who helped the Knights stave off an attempted Delta comeback with 10 second-half points.
STM started the opening quarter with a 22-5 advantage, but Delta closed the gap with a 23-point second quarter to make the rest of the game interesting.
The Pacers got the deficit down to single digits in both the second and third quarters, but STM had the depth off the bench to hold off the Delta school that lost a one-point squeaker to AAA No. 4 and eventual bronze medalist Fleetwood Park in the quarter-finals on Jan. 8.
Pitt Meadows won the Chancellor final 82-72 over Tupper.
Following the loss to Tupper in the quarters, STM overwhelmed No. 2 McMath 73-49 in the consolation semifinal of Friday.
DesLauriers led the way with 21 points, while Morris chipped in with 20, including six three-pointers.
In the loss to Tupper, Jason Zhang came off the bench and put up 14 fourth-quarter points, including four treys, for the Knights.
DesLauriers led STM in the tournament opener with 18 points in the Knights' 58-44 victory over Maple Ridge.
"The kids have to realize that last year was last year. But everyone remembers, and we have to understand that," STM head coach Aaron Mitchell said of STM's AAA provincial title last season.
Charles Tupper, which defeated the Knights in last year's Lower Mainland final but fell short in the provincial, obviously remembered that fact in its quarter-final matchup with STM at the Chancellor, added Mitchell.
"We're still growing a lot," said Mitchell.
Byrne Creek Bulldogs finish 11th overall
Byrne Creek wound up in 11th place at the Chancellor following a 73-47 win over St. Mary's. The Bulldogs were led by Body Geoffrey with 23 points.
The Bulldogs lost their Chancellor opener 63-58 to eventual fourth-place finisher Handsworth. Malik Holmes led Byrne Creek with 27 points.
Holmes also scored 22 points to put Byrne Creek into the final placement game against St. Mary's with a 63-48 win over Maple Ridge.
