The Pitt Meadows Marauders Air Force finished third at the prestigious Western Canada Basketball Tournament in Kelowna last weekend, their only loss coming to the No. 1-ranked hometown Kelowna Owls.
The Marauders opened the tournament with a 69-49 win over Regina’s Balfour secondary.
Balfour was able to keep the game close throughout much of the first half, but Pitt pulled away in the third quarter to ensure the 20-point win.
Trevor Severinski had a dominating performance to lead the Marauders with 36 points and 22 rebounds. Matt Blackaby had 17 points.
The Marauders second game of the tournament saw them tip-off against the host Owls Friday night in front of 2,500 screaming fans.
“It was the most people I’ve seen attend a regular season game in my memory over the last 45 years,” said Marauders coach Rich Goulet. “It was an awesome sight and great scenario for our boys.”
Pitt was down 39-24 at the half, and found themselves behind by 20 points in the third quarter before they launched their comeback attempt.
With three minutes to go, Pitt managed to narrow the game to one point, and missed a tying free throw. With 17 seconds left, the Marauders had a three-point opportunity to tie the game, but missed the shot, eventually losing the game 66-61
Pitt outscored the Owls 36-27 in the second half to give the hometown team, who hasn’t lost to a single B.C. team this year, the biggest scare of the season.
Severinski led the way for the Marauders with 26 points and nine rebounds, while Blackaby had 14 points. Mitsu Iwai had nine points.
Pitt won their third game of the tournament to take third-place overall with a 58-45 win over White Rock Christian Academy, who are ranked in the top 15 AAA teams in the province.
The Marauders fell behind 14-2 after the first five minutes of play, but Pitt responded and outscored their opponents to finish the first quarter up 19-14.
The Marauders kept the lead going for the remainder of the game lead and kept that going to a 58-45 win over White Rock Christian Academy.
Trevor Seversinski once again led with 17 points and 11 rebounds, while Iwai had 17 points. Blackaby contributed 11 points.
Severinski and Iwai were both named to the tournament’s first all-star team, while Iwai was named Pitt’s most inspirational player. Blackaby was named to the tournament’s second all-star team.
A 79-65 win over the Centennial Centaurs of Coquitlam last Tuesday improved the Marauders to 7-0 in league play, leading the AAA Fraser Valley North division.
Blackaby had a team-high 24 points, while Severinski had 23 points. Ryan Hopson had 10 points.