The Elphinstone Cougars’ efforts to advance to the quarterfinals of the BC basketball 2A provincials were stymied last Wednesday when they lost to the team that would eventually take third place.
But the Cougars did receive another title – Most Sportsmanlike Team.
Elphinstone’s senior boys team lost to the Abbotsford Christian Knights 64-61 in the 8:30 a.m. game. The outcome was an upset, with the Knights seeded 13th compared to the fourth-seeded Cougars.
By the end of the first half, the Cougars were leading the game 29-27 but that lead was worn down by the third quarter, resulting in the loss and their chance at a spot in the quarterfinals.
Cougar MVP Gus Goerzen led his team with 17 points and five three-pointers.
Despite their elimination loss, the team still got the chance to play other teams.
“The beauty of the provincial tournament is that all the teams play four games and all the teams get to experience the tournament and keep playing for placement and more importantly get to experience what being a part of a provincial tournament is like,” former coach Lyle Isaak said in an email.
On Saturday, Elphinstone lost 56-50 to Vancouver’s Britannia Secondary School. They beat Vancouver Island’s Brentwood College 84-66 on Friday and on Thursday beat Vancouver’s King George Secondary School 70-66.
Prince Rupert’s Charles Hays Rainmakers took the provincial 2A title with a decisive 78-51 over the Lake Country’s George Elliot Coyotes on March 9 at the Langley Events Centre.
On Feb. 22, the Cougars won the Howe Sound AA Championships to earn a spot at provincials.
