Two close losses at the Fraser Valley tournament cost the Pitt Meadows Marauders a chance to advance to the B.C. Boys high school basketball AAAA championships.
Pitt lost to the Heritage Woods Kodiaks 70-69 in Thursday’s must-win game at Terry Fox. The Port Moody team advanced to the B.C. Tournament as the sixth seed out of the Fraser Valley.
Big post Graham Smith scored 38 points and had 19 rebounds in the game. Jordan Murley also scored 16.
“The team played very hard, but in the end were their own worst enemies, with 24 turnovers,” said Pitt coach Rich Goulet. “Our press break, which we practised immensely, came up short enough times to make the difference in the game, especially early.”
Earlier in the Fraser Valley tournament, the Marauders fell to the Centennial Centaurs of Coquitlam, 62-49.
Pitt suffered another close loss to Lord Tweedsmuir, 80-77. The Surrey team got rolling, and finished second in the valley.
Pitt will not compete at the AAAA level next year, as the team reloads.
“All our best players have graduated and we must now start anew and we will be doing that in AAA for the next two years,” said Goulet.
That will create an interesting local hoops scene, with Pitt joining the Maple Ridge Ramblers, SRT Titans and Westview Wildcats in AAA hoops.