Being the 12th best AA senior boys basketball team in the province is just fine with Russ Reid.
The Princess Margaret Mustangs climbed three spots in the rankings after going 1-3 in Kamloops during the provincial championship last week.
The Mustangs opened with an 87-47 loss to St. Michael’s University from Victoria. The Mustangs then rebounded to defeat Abby Christian 81-65 before losing to Archbishop Carney 89-64. In their final game for 11th place, the Mustangs lost to the defending champion South Okanagan Hornets 75-58.
“Our best game was against Abby Christian, who in December beat us by 25,” said Reid. “We shot 50 per cent from the floor and held their big players off the glass. They had a starting line up of six-foot-seven, six-foot-five, six-foot-three and a front guards at six-feet or taller.”
In their final three games, Reid said the Mustangs played with energy, controlled emotion and strong passion.
As has been the case all season, different players stepped up for the Mustangs.
“Brayden Hearne and Mauro Patterson were the most consistent offensive players,” he said. “I think Harman Randhawa, Justin Cantelon and Enoila Obefami had strong performances at both ends.”
Reid found the championship to be strong with a numbers of teams having a chance to win.
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Considering the youth on the team and some inexperience, he said making the provincials was a huge accomplishment.
“Next year our goals will be different,” added Reid, who will have eight returning players joined by a strong group of juniors. “We like our chances but realize it will take a significant amount of work in the off-season and commitment during the season for the opportunity to compete at the provincials next year.”
The Hornets chance to repeat as champions ended on the first day. Despite the efforts of Greet Gill, who finished with 46 points, 17 rebounds, five blocks and six steals, they lost to Duchess Park 83-78.
“Gill’s effort was somewhat in vane as his teammates could not match his intensity in a game they should have won,” said Hornets coach Maurizio Basso.
Mission is the provincial champion, while St. Thomas More (Burnaby) and G.W. Graham (Chilliwack) were second and third respectively.