The top-10-ranked Moscrop Panthers made short work of the Burnaby/New Westminster district boys' volleyball final.
The Panthers swept Burnaby South in straight sets in the championship final at Moscrop, winning 25-18, 25-15, 25-23 on Thursday.
Behind a chorus of thundering kills by Grade 10 power J.J. Cross, Moscrop appeared to take the fight out of the South Rebels from the get-go.
In the opening set, Moscrop led 21-11 behind a clutch of kills from team captain Brandon Chin and Jonathan Kum.
South gave a better account of itself in the final set, but still had few answers for Cross, who had blasted seven winners in the game.
"It's been a while since Moscrop has won a senior championship," said Chin after the game. "I think it's a pretty big deal for the team."
Moscrop will take its No. 1 BurWest ranking into the AAA Lower Mainland championships at McMath Secondary in Richmond, which begins today (Wednesday).
"I think the guys have really worked hard for this one. We wanted to come out hard in our last home game," Chin added.
The finals of the boys' provincial playdowns continue into Thursday at McMath.
NORTH WINS IN FOUR
Strong opening sets powered the Burnaby North Vikings to the Burnaby/ New Westminster district girls' volleyball banner.
The regular-season champion Vikings defeated the Burnaby South Rebels 3-1 in the championship final at North on Thursday. But there were a few anxious moments.
After an opening 25-16 win, South, behind strong net play by Petra Markova and all-star Keana Li, took the second set 28-26 in a tightly played game.
But like the opening set, North got back in rhythm, finishing off the Rebels with 25-10 and 25-14 victories.
"We always try to get the momentum," said Cecelia Su, one of four Grade 11 starters on the Vikings' squad. "In the third set, we really collected ourselves, and in the fourth, we came out with a killer attitude. We wanted that intensity.
"Our advantage is teams underestimate us. We do well in rallies. We really put an effort out," Su added.
The Lower Mainland championships begin today (Wednesday) and continue into Friday and Saturday at Handsworth.
