The Fraser Valley zone tournament for senior boys 3A basketball gets underway on Wednesday evening at Rick Hansen Secondary in Abbotsford and Guildford Park in Surrey.
The top team out of the Fraser Valley East was the Maple Ridge Ramblers with a record of 4-3. They finished fourth, and will be paired up with the Brookswood Bobcats of Langley who finished fifth in the west.
Ridge coach Ken Dockendorf, who also organizes the tournament, noted his team beat the Bobcats earlier in the season.
“They’re a tough matchup. They’re a very physical, biggish team,” said Dockendorf.
That game goes at 6:30 p.m. at Guildford Park.
In the 8:15 p.m. game at Guildford Park, Thomas Haney, who finished eighth in the East with a winless record, will be looking for an upset as they take on the host and the west’s top team.
At Hansen, Westview will tackle Delta, in a matchup of the East’s seventh-place team (1-6) vs second in the West. That game goest at 4:45 p.m.
After that game, the Pitt Meadows Marauders, who finished fifth in league play with a record of 3-4, will face North Delta, fourth in the west, at 6:30 p.m.
The action will continue Thursday and Friday, until eight teams have been eliminated, explained Dockendorf.
The eight survivors will play out the Fraser Valley Tournament over March 1-3 at Guildford Park, with four teams moving on to the B.C. Tournament on March 8-11 at the Langley Events Centre.
“It will be a grind,” said Dockendorf of the Fraser Valleys, noting the Abbotsford teams are strong, led by the Rick Hansen Hurricanes who are the top-ranked team in B.C.
That said, there virtually always upsets in high school basketball tournaments.
“You need a little luck, and to stay away from injuries.”