The MacNeill Ravens’ goal all season was to get the Richmond Olympic Oval and on Wednesday they showed why with a new wrinkle that led to their biggest win in school history.
The Ravens clinched their first-ever berth into the B.C. AAA Boys Basketball Championships with a 64-59 victory over the Richmond Colts. The result also gets them into Friday’s Lower Mainland title game against Charles Tupper.
It was only 11 days ago the Colts rolled to a 32-point victory over MacNeill in the city final. The rematch was a much different affair that showcased the Ravens’ depth from start to finish.
The school’s talented junior team wrapped up its season a day earlier at the provincials in Langley. That made its entire roster eligible to play senior and the coaching staff wasted no time in putting Grade 10 Tanner Devlin and a pair of Grade 9s — Everett Swaim and Marco Esteban — into their rotation.
All three saw significant floor time with the objective of keeping fresh legs on the floor for high-energy defending against the thinner Colts’ line-up.
The city champions pulled within a basket (51-50) to start the fourth quarter and missed two chances to take the lead. A significant dry spell followed, allowing MacNeill to open up an eight-point lead and never look back.
“Going into the season we had it planned out that even if the juniors make it (to provincials) we still have them as long as we get to the Oval and that was the goal all along,” said head coach Steward Siy. “We were able to showcase the depth we have. That just shows the trust we have in them and how everything is working. We are really one team.”
It’s been a breakthrough season for the Ravens also that includes a perfect run in league play and being among the top 10 in the provincial rankings for the better part of three months. The achievements culminate plenty of hard work that has gone into the program for well over a decade.
“I’ve been at this for 11 years and (junior coach/assistant) Peter Thackwray has been here since the start,” smiled Siy. “Now we get to go to Langley and play four extra games. It’s going to be a lot of fun and a great experience, especially for our young guys.
“I should thank (the Richmond High) fans. They were telling us to warm up the bus (at the city final). Now that bus is going to Langley. That atmosphere really helped us prepare (for today). We learned our lesson.”
City MVP Usman Tung led the Ravens with 19 points, including four clutch baskets in the final quarter. Hudson Swaim added 14 and 16 rebounds.
Evan Brusse had 21 for the Colts who now must quickly regroup to face the Steveston-London Sharks on Thursday (6:15 p.m.) at the Oval in a do-or-die game for a BC berth. The Sharks kept their season alive with an easy 66-40 win over St. Thomas More.
The last-ever Lower Mainland AAA final will tip-off at 6:15 p.m. on Friday.
