Unranked New Westminster gave it a good shot at the Lower Mainland quad A high school boys’ basketball championships.
The Hyacks threw a third-quarter scare into the St. George’s Saints before succumbing 100-72 at the Richmond Olympic Oval on Wednesday.
Darwin Colita led the Hyacks with 16 points, while fellow senior Peter Szinku chipped in with 15.
Trailing 53-41 at halftime, New West went on a 13-2 run to start the third quarter capped by a Szinku layin that shaved the deficit to a single point.
But that was a close as the Hyacks got.
“They hit a bunch of threes and we didn’t get the stops, and their big guy was outrebounding us,” said Szinku after the game.
The loss eliminated New Westminster from further provincial qualifying.
“We couldn’t find the one (point),” said Hyacks coach Peter Sommerfeldt. “We had our successes. We played hard right to the buzzer.”
In semifinal action, Burnaby South lost to No. 7-ranked Vancouver College 86-70, despite a game-high 25 points from wing Martin Bogajev.
“It was like we didn’t come out. I don’t think we came out hard enough, and they came out really hard,” said Bogajev. “They played good and we played bad.”
In Lower Mainland AAA boys’ play, St. Thomas More qualified for the B.C.’s and a shot at the Mainland title, following an 85-70 victory over McNair.
Byrne Creek also stayed alive, defeating Lord Byng 77-71. Stanley Ho and Bodi Geoffrey paced the Bulldogs with 15 points apiece. Junior guard Malik Holmes drained four straight free throws down the stretch that quelled a late Lord Byng rally.
“It was a two-point game at one stretch and (Malik) hit those four free throws and we didn’t look back,” said Byrne Creek head coach Bal Dhillon.
Medal games will be played at the Richmond Oval on Friday.
