The Pitt Meadows Marauders Air Force are off to provincials after demolishing No. 8 Fraser Valley seed Yale Secondary at home Monday night by a score of 91-49.
Playing in their last home game of the season, the Marauders gave the 400-strong crowd at Pitt Meadows Secondary School something to cheer about as they advanced to the semifinal of the Fraser Valley championships.
With the win, the Marauders can finish no worse than fourth at the Fraser Valleys, ensuring them of a berth in the Telus AAA B.C. Boys’ High School Basketball Championships next month.
“Our guys did what they had to do in the second half,” said Marauders head coach Rich Goulet. “I wasn’t happy with all the fouls we took... but I was very happy with the win.”
The Marauders took the lead early in the game Monday, but still struggled to find their groove in the first half. With time winding down in the second quarter, the Yale Lions pulled within two points, but a late flurry of baskets put the Marauders ahead 38-30 at the half.
Pitt Meadows dominated the second half, shutting out Yale for the first six minutes of the third quarter. Pitt went on to outscore Yale 26-7 in the third, putting the game out of reach for the Lions.
The Marauders shooters continued to hit their mark in the fourth quarter, scoring 27 points to Yale’s 12.
Trevor Severinski led the Pitt offence with a double-double, scoring 20 points and grabbing 16 rebounds.
Sebastian Marshall had his best game of the season, notching a double-double of his own. Marshall also had 20 points, while grabbing 10 rebounds.
Matt Blackaby had 15 points, while Ryan Hopson had 10 points. Mitsu Iwai notched 11 assists and six points.
“We need that kind of play this time of year,” said Goulet of Marshall and Hopson’s performance. “The top teams in the province, they can always match up against your top two or three players. But when you have four or five playing like that, you’re going to be hard to beat.”
The Marauders, the No. 2-ranked team in the province for much of this season, will now face Surrey’s Tamanawis Secondary School Friday night at 6 p.m. at the Langley Events Centre in the Fraser Valley semifinals.
Tamanawis, the No. 5 seed in the Fraser Valley, beat Pitt Meadows in the first game of the preseason this year, and Goulet is looking forward to avenging the loss.
“A lot has changed since then,” said Goulet.