The Samuel Robertson Technical Secondary Titans senior boys’ basketball team came out on top at their own tournament last weekend, topping Langley’s Credo Christian by one point in the final in a game that was won and lost at the free throw line.
The Titans stormed out to an early 15-7 lead in front of a packed house on Saturday, thanks to the hard work of captains Carson Currie and Elias Eskandar.
However, Credo was able to narrow the gap after going to the free-throw line nine times in the first quarter. A late three-pointer by Jesse Erhardsen gave the Titans an 18-13 lead going into the second quarter.
Foul trouble continued in the second quarter for SRT, putting Credo on the line six more times, allowing them to draw within one going into the half, 24-23
Credo Christian set the tempo in the second half as the Titans defence was forced to back off, allowing Credo to go on a run. Led by forward, Josh Van Delft, Credo hit four consecutive baskets, followed up by a three-pointer, to stretch their lead to seven, with the score 27-34. The Titans rallied however, and managed to draw within two points at the end of the third quarter, 41-39.
The two teams pushed back and forth in the fourth quarter, always within a few points.
Down by four points with six minutes left, SRT’s big man, Shae Figeroux, dropped back-to-back baskets to tie things up.
However, the Titans’ foul trouble once again caught up with them as point guard Currie took his fifth foul and was forced to take a seat on the bench for the final three minutes of the game.
Despite Currie sitting out, SRT pulled ahead by four points, but Credo responded with two outside baskets to tie it up, 53-53 with 21 seconds left on the clock. Playing for the final shot, Titan guards, Erhardsen and John Park worked the ball around the outside, and with four seconds left, fed the ball to into Figeroux, who made a strong move to the basket getting fouled as the clock expired. Figeroux stepped to the line and nonchalantly drained the first free throw giving the Titans a 54-53 victory, and the tournament championship.
Erhardsen finished with 12 points for the Titans, including three three-pointers.