Kitsilano and St. George’s made charge to play for third place and a shot at the final Lower Mainland berth to provincials at the senior boys AAAA Lower Mainland tournament Wednesday at the Richmond Olympic Oval. Winning the elimination game wold also meant winning two more games to keep the season alive.
Against Kits, the Saints got the slimmest of margins with a come-from-behind three-point jack from Jaden Dewar. His trey lifted St. George’s by one point over Kitsilano and left 5.3 seconds on the clock.
After a timeout, Kits inbounded the ball to Charles Song who skipped a nifty pass through the key into the hands of a Blue Demon under the hoop. The shot got off in time, but the rim got in the way of the ball. St. George’s advanced with the 81-80 win.
St. George’s pressed all game, but Kitsilano built several 10-point leads through the second half until the final three minutes when the Saints came on strong and finished with the clutch jumper.
Head coach Bill Disbrow said his team started a little sleepy but eventually pulled it together.
“I was a little disappointed with the way we came out but I also was proud of the way they — not just the absolute finish — but the way they fought back. They wouldn’t quit,” said Disbrow.
On Thursday at 8 p.m., rivals Vancouver College and St. George’s will play another knock-out game after the Fighting Irish lost to Churchill in their semi-final on Febb. 25.
