The Terry Fox Ravens defeated the St. Patrick Celtics 59-55 to win the 54th annual junior boys basketball invitational tournament Tuesday, Feb. 27, at the Langley Events Centre.
The four-day competition among 32 teams serves as the provincial championship.
The Ravens hit eight three-pointers to power its victory after scoring none in its semifinal win over top-ranked Oak Bay the night before.
“We finally hit some shots,” said Ravens coach Rich Chambers of his squad that was ranked fifth heading into the tournament and finished the season with 33 wins against just three losses.
“I knew we couldn’t beat these guys unless we made some shots and the kids made some shots.”
Grade 9 forward Jayson Imani scored 27 points — 11 of them in the fourth quarter — to lead Terry Fox. He was named the player of the game and the tournament’s most valuable player.
Korbin Longuist had 14 points, 12 of them from beyond the three-point line.
The Ravens trailed 22-18 at halftime but came out of the dressing room running and gunning with an 18-4 run to go up 40-22 on the Celtics, the tournament’s third seed.
St. Patrick fought back in the fourth quarter and the teams exchanged the lead four times.
But a late run by Fox that gave them a six point cushion proved too much for the Celtics to overcome.
The championship is the first for the Ravens’ junior program since 2002.
