Another twist to the Richmond Senior Boys Basketball playoff format has resulted in a heavyweight battle right out of the gate.
When the eight-team tournament tips off Tuesday at Richmond Secondary, it will feature two separate brackets to finalize seeding for the upcoming Lower Mainland AA and AAA Championships at the Richmond Olympic Oval.
The decision a year ago to allow league games to determine Mainland berths was met with plenty of controversy.
Coaches didn’t like such a heavy emphasis on early season games. The new structure certainly is a sharp contrast even though it no longer makes the city playoffs a true top eight team tournament. MacNeill and Burnett are a pair of 3A schools that would have qualified in previous years.
“In the long run this is the thing that was brought in years ago. I am okay with it. It’s not a terrible one but it does reward some teams that probably don’t deserve to be in the playoffs,” said Steveston-London head coach Mike Stoneburgh.
The teams will at least be re-seeded after Tuesday's games, settng the stage for the winner of Richmond/McNair to likely face Palmer in the semi-finals. The championship game goes at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday.
Here’s a look at Tuesday’s opening day match-ups:
AAA Bracket
2:15 p.m. McMath Wildcats (10-0) vs. Steveston-London Sharks (6-4)
No city team has been within 19 points of the No. 6 provincially ranked Wildcats all season. They will be trying to finish off a dominant Richmond campaign this week, similar to what their opponent accomplished two years ago. McMath has plenty of big game experience, led by seniors Bryce Mason and Jordin Kojima. Grade 10 6-foot-9 standout Victor Radocaj is a nightmare match-up for any city team.
After a 0-3 start, the Sharks scrambled to make the playoffs, needing a 75-60 road win over MacNeill last week to grab the fourth and final spot. It means they are also headed to the Oval regardless where they finish this week. Steveston-London’s strong play of late has been led by senior Johnny Fang.
7:30 p.m. Richmond Colts (9-1) vs. McNair Marlins (8-2)
The new format has created this first round collision between a pair of schools that currently have honourable mention status in the provincial rankings. Back in December, the Colts staved off a big Marlins’ comeback for a highly-entertaining 89-86 win. Expect a similar thriller Tuesday with so much on the line. Both teams will be looking for a favourable seeding for a Mainland tourney that will feature at least five provincially ranked teams.
The Colts have been led all season by talented seniors Daniel Afanasiyevskyy and Murad Mohammed. McNair point guard Nathan Schroeder is looking to return to the provincials for the second time in his three-year career as a starter. Tejvir Gill is another key offensive weapon for the Marlins.
AA Bracket
4 p.m. Cambie (4-6) vs. McRoberts (2-8)
After an impressive run the past few years, it’s been somewhat of a rebuilding season for the Crusaders with 11 players slated to return. Brian Meier’s squad should be making another appearance at the AA Mainland but they need to be careful. The Strikers gave them all they could handle in an 81-77 win back in December.
5:45 p.m. RC Palmer (7-3) vs. Boyd (1-9)
The Griffins have been a model of consistency all season under veteran coach Rob Brown. They dropped a recent 72-71 league decision to the Marlins after beating them 77-75 days earlier at the Britannia Invitational. Palmer has been led by seniors Andrew Reddy and Sorosh Sidiqi. They will be looking to build momentum for a highly competitive AA Mainland tourney that will offer just three B.C. berths. As for the Trojans, their time is coming thanks to a talented junior team that went unbeaten in city play.
At the buzzer…
The McMath Wildcats are expected to add another city title at the Richmond Senior Girls playoff tournament which they will host starting on Monday. McNair (6-1) and Boyd (5-2) should battle it out for the other spot in Wednesday’s final, slated for 7 p.m.
The junior boys playoffs take place at McNeill where Boyd (8-0) will be looking to hold off Steveston-London (7-1) and the host Ravens (6-2). Richmond High (5-3) will also be in contention. The final goes Wednesday at 5 p.m.
The junior girls playoffs wrapped up last Thursday with Burnett trimming
McMath 35-33 in the championship game. Palmer defeated McNeill 37-33 to finish third.
