A familiar foe continued its dominance at Steveston-London secondary schools' 2012 Bob Carkner Memorial Classic Basketball Tournament,.
The Hugh Boyd Trojans roared back from a 17-point halftime deficit to trim the host Sharks 76-75 on Saturday night and capture the eight-team boys draw. The result came just a week after Steveston-London edged their rivals (59-56) in league play and the hosts looked to be well on their way to another win.
However, the two-time defending Trojans, who also dominated this tournament when it was known as the Purple and Gold event at Steveston, fought their way back in the second half to keep the championship trophy for another year.
Boyd's road to the title began with a 7259 triumph over NorKam and was followed by a hard-fought 58-54 victory against city rival Cambie Crusaders. The Sharks made short work of John Oliver (70-35) in their opening game and also cruised past Valleyview 77-54 in the semi-finals.
The multi-talented Tiernan Docherty, who was also the starting quarterback for Boyd's football team, was named the tournament's MVP. Teammates Daniel Chernov and Connor Grams were selected to the All-Tournament Team, along with the Steveston-London trio of Kingston Chung, Carlos Prada and Ivan Mena. The Crusaders, who went on to place third with a 71-51 win over Valleyview, were represented on the all-star team by Daniel Espinosa and Jimmy Dhillon. Leslie Tang also was recognized for helping the Richmond Colts place fourth with consolation wins over John Oliver (75-42) and NorKam (75-66).
The girls draw also went to form even with the top ranked Riverside Rapids having most of their starting players participating at the Top 10 Shootout at Centennial secondary. Still, the Port Coquitlam school showcased its impressive depth, completing an unbeaten run with a 59-50 victory over league rival Terry Fox Ravens in the championship game.
The host Sharks settled for third place after out battling Burnaby South 64-58. Steveston-London dropped a 71-58 decision to the Ravens in the semi-finals after opening with a 10-point win over John Oliver.
Sharks standout Anmol Mattu was joined on the All-Tournament Team by Ailya Prasad. Other local all-stars included Jerizza Belltran (Hugh Boyd) and Hilary Shaap (McMath).
