Terry Fox Ravens basketball coach Rich Chambers says he has no idea what to expect when his charges open play at the BC School Sports AAAA boys provincial championships that begin Wednesday at the Langley Events Centre.
The Ravens enter the tournament as the top-ranked side from Fraser North, that includes teams from the Tri-Cities, Burnaby and New Westminster, and is seeded sixth overall.
Chambers said after an inconsistent regular season in which Fox won five of seven league games and went 20-12 overall, the team came through with some clutch performances in the post-season including a 77-54 win over the Heritage Woods Kodiaks in the zone final on Feb. 23.
The Ravens also beat rival Centennial Centaurs in the zone semi-final, 72-64.
But Chambers said those victories followed what he characterized as his team’s worst performance of the season, despite defeating the Burnaby Mountain Lions, 84-64.
“We were fortunate,” said Chambers, adding the roller coaster efforts are largely a consequence of a starting lineup constructed mostly of juniors and sophomores.
But, said the veteran coach, that’s created opportunities for different players to step up every game.
Leading the way has been the only senior in Fox’s starting five, Haven San Pedro.
Chambers said the ability of the 5’10” forward to make key shots will have to come to the fore if the Ravens are to taste success at provincials.
Grade 11 centre Maksym Cichecki has also been an important contributor along with a pair of sophomores, guard Marvin Ryes and forward Jayson Ikani.
“We need a lot of guys to play well,” Chambers said. “They have to do their part.”
The Ravens' first game at provincials will be against 11th-ranked Semiahmoo, 1:15 p.m. Wednesday at the LEC’s arena bowl.
Heritage Woods and Centennial also qualified for provincials.
While both sides finished league play with six wins and a loss, they each stumbled against the Ravens in the district playoffs.
The Kodiaks earned its berth with prior post-season wins over the Burnaby Central Wildcats and Burnaby South Rebels before dropping the final to Fox.
Heritage Woods is ranked ninth at the provincial tournament and will open against No. 8 Mt. Boucherie at 6:15 p.m. Wednesday in the arena bowl.
Centennial claimed the zone’s third berth with a late basket to defeat the Rebels 45-44 in their winner-goes-to-Langley finale Feb. 23.
The 14th-ranked Centaurs will play third-seed Vancouver College in its opening game, Wednesday at 11:45 a.m. in the arena bowl.
The Fighting Irish is the tournament’s top-ranked team that’s not on Vancouver Island as defending champion Spectrum and Dover Bay hold the top two positions.
Riverside Rapids finish fourth at senior girls' provincials
Port Coquitlam’s Riverside Rapids finished fourth at the BC School Sports AAAA senior girls provincials that concluded Saturday at the LEC.
The Rapids lost its consolation final to the Argyle Pipers, 76-63.
Argyle had been the top-ranked team heading into the tournament but was upset 67-58 in Friday’s semi-final against Brookswood, from Langley.
It its loss to the Pipers, a big fourth quarter by Annabelle Neufeld wasn’t enough to overcome Riverside’s dismal second quarter in which the Rapids were outscored 22-7 and trailed 41-24 at halftime.
Neufeld scored all 14 of her points in the final frame, second only to Riverside’s leading scorer in the game, Jorja Hart, who finished with a total of 25.
The Dr. Charles Best Blue Devils defeated South Delta, 63-59, to claim 11th place at the tournament, while the Heritage Woods Kodiaks claimed 15th place with a 56-50 win over Mount Baker in its final game.
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