The energy was high at Saanich’s Mount Douglas Secondary on Thursday (Feb. 24) for the start of the 4A Island high school boys basketball championships.
“We were extremely excited when the ministry of education allowed for school tournaments,” said Chris Ball, athletic director at the school.
The school has a history of hosting and the Mount Douglas Rams kicked off the first game against Georges P. Vanier Secondary in the quarterfinals at 2 p.m. Thursday. At the final buzzer, Vanier came out on top 66-62.
The semifinals are set to occur at 6 p.m. between the Belmont Bulldogs and Oak Bay Bays while Vanier faces off against the Claremont Spartans at 8 p.m. They’re preceded by consolation round games at 2 p.m. between the Rams and Cowichan Thunderbirds and at 4 p.m between the Nanaimo Islanders and Dover Bay Dolphins.
The final will go at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday.
The top two teams from the tournament qualify for the B.C. championship, March 9 through 12 at the Langley Events Centre.
“These are all kids – especially the (Grade) 12s, who lost their Grade 11 year and they were this close to losing their high school basketball experience, which is just a travesty because some of them have worked most of their lives for it,” said Ball. “We feel super fortunate we were able to do it.”
ALSO READ: Saanich’s Mount Doug Rams crowned B.C. champs at AAA volleyball provincials
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