Byrne Creek has been ready for the final stretch drive for some time.
Fresh off claiming their third straight Burnaby-New West senior boys basketball league playoff title, the Bulldogs kicked off the 3-A Lower Mainland tournament on Wednesday with a decisive win.
By topping Steveston-London 94-52, Byrne Creek locked up a spot in the zone semifinal and are one step closer to claiming a berth to the provincials.
“The key was how we responded,” the Bulldogs head coach Bal Dhillon said. “(Steveston) play a very tough, tough zone, and it was just finding a way to navigate that. ... We found a way to make it work.”
Never trailing in the contest, the No. 1-ranked Bulldogs recorded its second win over the Sharks this year, getting 20-point performances from Majok Deng and Martin Djunga.
They now face previously ranked Richmond Feb. 21 (2:45 p.m.) at the Richmond Olympic Oval.
The St. Thomas More Knights put up a valiant fight before succumbing 89-81 to Sir Charles Tupper. To keep their B.C. tourney hopes alive they need to beat Windermere on Friday (2:45 p.m. at Lord Byng).
On the 4-A circuit, the Burnaby South Rebels launched the Lower Mainlands right with an 80-54 decision over Killarney, expanding a six-point lead to 18 with a strong second quarter. Noah Pastrana tallied 21 points, while Vince Sunga scored 17. Putting in 12 apiece were Jusuf Sehic and Sasha Vujisic, with Sehic picking up a game-high 10 boards.
The Rebels, ranked fifth in the latest provincial poll, now face St. George’s on Feb. 21 (6:15 p.m.) at the Richmond Oval.
The other Burnaby team to advance to a Lower Mainland semifinal was the St. Thomas More Knights senior girls team, which defeated Seycove 54-43 on Wednesday.
STM, which is hosting the 2-A tournament, played St. Thomas Aquinas on Thursday (after the NOW’s deadline) with the winner advancing to Saturday’s 5 p.m. final.
