Too many turnovers and poor second and third quarters proved to be too much for the Chatelech Eagles Wednesday night as the Elphinstone Cougars advanced to the North Shore final with a 64-52 win.
After a close first quarter in which Elphi led 15-14, the Cougars outscored the Eagles 17-11 in the second and 20-10 in the third to end the Eagles' season while the Cougars advanced to face the Seycove Seahawks for the right to represent the North Shore at the provincial championships.
Leading 32-25 heading into the third quarter, Elphi went on a 14-0 run, as Chat didn't score a basket until almost eight minutes into the third frame. The Eagles didn't have an answer for the Cougars' inside attack and the defensive pressure forced Chat into a number of turnovers. Chat fought back a bit in the fourth quarter, outscoring Elphi 17-12, but the lead was too much to overcome.
Dolf Vermeulen led the Cougars with 20 points, while Oliver Telfer chipped in with 12. Paul Desautels had 13 for Chat with Connor Weatherston adding 12.
Elphi met Seycove in North Vancouver last night (Thursday). If Elphi picked up the win, the two teams will square off again tonight (Friday) as the playoffs are a double knockout format and Seycove has yet to lose a game.
It's been a busy week for both Coast squads.
Chat started the playoffs last Friday (Feb. 5) with a must-win game against Rockridge, in which Chat won 56-51.
The Eagles then lost to Seycove Monday night 57-40, but in an exciting last-minute finish, made six straight foul shots down the stretch to win their quarterfinal game against St. Thomas Aquinas (STA) Tuesday night, 61-50.
Brendan Hussey led the way with 21 points, Paul Desautels had 19, and Avery Payne scored 13. Kurtis Fernandes and Justin Hickey provided crucial minutes on both ends of the floor in the win.
Elphi went 3-0 last weekend at the St. John's Secondary School Jam where they defeated Regent Christian Academy, Kitsilano Secondary and Howe Sound Secondary en route to their fourth, first-place tournament finish this year. Grade 11 swingman Mackie Gregory was named to the tournament all-star team, and Dolf captured MVP honours.
On Monday the Cougars opened the playoffs with a 66-44 win over STA.
The Cougars jumped out to a red-hot 20-3 lead in the opening minutes, but a poor defensive effort and dismal shooting percentage in the second quarter brought them to a slim 25-22 margin at half-time.
Both teams traded baskets throughout the third, and the Saints trailed by four heading into the final frame. Elphi then showed why they continue to be a championship-calibre team and outscored STA 20-2 in the fourth quarter.
Dolf had a spectacular all-around performance with 27 points and 15 rebounds, Oliver also notched a double-double with 14 points and 11 boards, point guard Evan Murphy controlled the offence, posting 12 points and six assists, and guard Shane Rennie achieved an impressive "quadruple-nickel," consisting of five points, five assists, five rebounds and five steals.
On Tuesday night, Elphi dropped a 68-54 decision to Seycove.
Elphi got off to a slow start and trailed big until the third quarter when they mounted a huge comeback to trail 53-50 with five minutes to go in the fourth, but Seycove held on in the final minutes.
See photos from the game in our photo galleries on the web at www.coastreporter.net.
- With files from Brian Jones
