The McNair Marlins made a major statement in Abbotsford on the weekend, capturing the Robert Bateman Timberwolves Classic.
The 16-team tournament featured a number of the top “AAA” ranked senior boys basketball teams in the province, including No. 3 Rick Hansen, No. 4 Steveston-London, No. 5 Lord Byng. No. 8 Byrne Creek and three honourable mentions — Bodwell, Bateman and Caledonia. The Marlins recently dropped out of the provincial rankings due to their inconsistent play but showed exactly what they are capable of, led by their three returning starters.
McNair opened the event with a 71-66 win over Valleyview of Kamloops, then served notice with a thrilling 69-65 win over Lord Byng.
That paved the way for an all-Richmond semi-final match-up Saturday at noon thanks to the McMath Wildcats coming through with a dominating 81-50 victory over Caledonia. The Steveston school had opened play with a big 85-81 win over Byrne Creek.
The Marlins’ full-court pressure game was firing on all-cylinders and they rolled to a 93-74 victory, setting the stage for the championship game hours later against No. 3 Rick Hansen.
The Abbotsford school advanced by taking care of Steveston-London 88-70 on Saturday morning. The Sharks’ road to the semis included wins over Pitt Meadows (80-57) and Bodwell (77-75).
The final was a nail-biter from start to finish. The teams were tied at 15-15 after one quarter and the Marlins took a 32-27 lead into the second half. The margin was down to one point after the third quarter.
McNair was a nursing 66-65 lead in the final minute when Talvinder Jagde drained a clutch three-pointer as the shot clock was about to expire, sealing a 69-65 win.
Grade 11 point guard Nathan Schroeder was named the tournament’s MVP. Jovan Dhillon joined Jagde on the all-star team. Remarkably, these two also suited up for U18 Richmond United’s Metro League game in Surrey on Saturday afternoon.
