It was one-step forward, one step back for the New Westminster senior boys basketball team.
The Hyacks launched the Lower Mainland senior basketball tournament by clearing a crucial hurdle on Tuesday, defeating Eric Hamber 90-55 in a must-win contest.
But on Wednesday, No. 6-ranked Killarney handed them a 95-67 loss, forcing New West into a must-win tilt on Friday.
In the win, the Hyacks got 15 points each from Luca Cuk and Francis Federipe, and prevailed on the strength of a balanced team performance.
“It was a good opening win – we played real well,” remarked New West coach Arno Richter. "We shot the ball real well and worked our half-court defence."
They had played Killarney before, losing by a similar margin earlier in the season.
"(Killarney) pushes the ball every single moment, they are a hard team to play against," Richter said prior to this week's match. "Our motto is 'the first team to 60 wins,' and that's how we're going to approach it."
Playing in next week's semifinals are Kitsilano and St. George's and Killarney and Vancouver College.
With the loss, the Hyacks need to beat league rival Moscrop tomorrow (Friday), 4 p.m. at Kitsilano, and maintain a winning record the rest of the tournament to finish third. They are among five Burnaby-New West teams still vying for a shot at at provincial berth -- with the top three teams getting automatic berths. Burnaby North takes on Eric Hamber, while Burnaby South plays Burnaby Mountain, with the winners pairing off to earn a spot in the third-place game. The fourth place finisher can advance to the B.C.s in a one-game wildcard playoff.
The Lower Mainlands conclude on Feb. 24.
