The Famous Flex Senior Boys Air Show basketball tournament at Pitt Meadows Secondary looked a bit different this year due to the lingering effects of the massive snowstorm that brought the city to a halt for three days.
According to PMSS senior boys coach Bruno Chu, the tournament was supposed to be longer and include a lot more teams, but multiple teams ended up withdrawing and the first two days of the tournament were cancelled due to the weather.
Originally, we had 12 teams total competing,” said Chu. “In the end, we did manage to get seven games in on Saturday.”
“The snow definitely put a dent in the tournament as we lost the first two days of games, two teams pulled out altogether, and our home team lost the opportunity to play in front of their fans during the school day on Thursday and Friday.”
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He also explained that the weather forced many of the visiting teams to go through quite the hassle as well, with participating teams including Cowichan, Dr. Charles Best, Seaquam, W.J. Mouat, Claremont, Centennial, South Delta, Maple Ridge Secondary, and Kitsilano.
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In order to accommodate the visiting teams, both the Pitt Meadows and Maple Ridge teams only played one game in the tournament.
The Maple Ridge Ramblers went up against the Dr. Charles Best Blue Devils, with the nail-biting match ending in a 71-66 victory for MRSS.
The Pitt Meadows Marauders faced off against South Delta, with the home team getting a strong start, said Chu. However, the momentum of the game took a turn for the worse in the second half.
“Fatigue got the most of the Marauders late in the third quarter when South Delta regained the lead, which they held onto until the end,” explained Chu.
Ultimately, the Marauders fell to South Delta with a final score of 82-69.
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Despite the loss, Chu said that the Pitt Meadows team had plenty to be proud of.
“It was a milestone game for senior player Jacob Ogmundson who scored his 1000th career point in the game,” he said. “Standout performances by Justin Best, Kade Birth, and Keaton MacDonald also helped the home team keep pace.”
“I am very proud of how hard we competed as a team and our effort level was tremendous. We went toe-to-toe with a top team in the province and we had the lead for most of the game.”
Chu said that the team will now be focused on improving their game and overcoming fatigue so they can rack up wins the rest of this season.
