The BC High School Boys 1A Tournament and the Girls AA Basketball championships were played at LEC recently concluded and the four day tournament produced some great basketball and excellent competition in both brackets.
It all ended in a thrilling conclusion Saturday night with championship games going down to the wire to decide this years Champions in the four groups that played in the tournament from both the Boys and girls teams in the Province.
The tournament ran from the 5th to the 8th of March featuring the Girls single A and AA brackets of the top teams in each competition as well as the Boys brackets.
The finals on Saturday were all moments in time that will forever be remembered by all the participants taking part in the 2014 Championship event.
The AA girls final saw rivals Brookswood Bobcats play the Oak Bay Breakers as the Bobcats who were bridesmaids twice; were finally able to capture the elusive title with a 69-64 overtime win.
The game featured several lead changes as the game went back and fourth in the opening half before Brookswood opened up a substantial lead against the Breakers who knocked off top seeded Holy Cross Crusaders.
The game saw lead changes three times in the opening half with Brookswood leading by 29-28 at the half in front of a packed gym with a near capacity crowd.
The second half was just as furious with the teams changing leads 5 times and it appeared to many that Oak Bay were on their way to victory leading by 8 points with five minutes remaining.
The Bobcats resilient spirit brought them back and forced O/T as the game was tied at 59.
The extra session saw the Bobcats come out on top outscoring their opponents 5-3 in what would prove to be a tense five minutes.
Brookswood came out on top 64-57 win with the girls finally able to celebrate the victory over a tough OakBay squad in the AA Girls championship.
The AAA Girls final was an all North Vancouver final as the Windsor Dukes took on St.Thomas Aquinas Fighting Saints.
Top ranked contender in the Province Windsor pulled off a 69-64 O/T which saw them jump out to quick lead on the Aquinas before closing the gap.
The game featured 8 lead changes in the opening half with Windsor up 30-24 at the intermission.
The second half featured several changes with the lead changing hands several times as they taking turns and was tied 6 times.
The score at the end of regulation was tied at 59 forcing O/T that saw the Dukes outscore the Fighting Saints 10-5 capturing the 2014 Championship by a score of 69-64.
The Boys Division featured the AA and the 1A championships which was the first year the 1A final had St. Patricks Celtics.
Their top player William Johnston was injured on Friday evening in the warm-up of their semi-final match going up for a slam dunk coming down on his right leg and ankle causing a compound fracture even before he had chance to play.
Despite the loss of their big man they pulled off a victory in the semi-finals advancing them to the championship game against the West Point Grey Academy Wolves.
The Celtics took the lead in the opening quarter 18-17 then faced a tougher second quarter against the Wolves who dominated out scoring the Celtics by a 21-4 taking a commanding lead 38 -22 at the half.
The 16 point difference proved to much on this night as they played even with the wolves in the second half with the teams combining for 73 points – 35 by the Wolves and 34 for the Celtics.
West PointGreyAcademy won the game by 18 points 73-55 to capture the 1A championship.
The AA saw Lambrick Park Lions meet St. Michaels University Blue Jags as the teams were tied at 32 at intermission.
The second half saw Lambrick dominate the Blue Jags outscoring them by a 6 point margin 38 to 32 for an eventual 70-64 win.
Overall the Girls and Boys teams played exceptional with hats off to the Coaches and Managers everyone involved in the game of Basketball in BC.
Next up the Senior AAA boys championships. THANKS TO BRUCE NOLTE FOR COVERING THE GAME.
