By Bill Hanlon
The Sparwood Secondary School Senior Boys Basketball team travelled to Langley to complete in the British Columbia Single A Provincial Championships March 7 to 10.
After easily defeating Mt. Sentinal Secondary School at the East/West Kootenay Zone playoff, the Spartans ranked 13th going into the Provincials.
Our first game at Trinity Western University, host venue of the Provincial Championships, found us up against the fourth ranked Langley Christian. We were only down by five at the half and closed within a single point with only five minutes left in the game but it wasn’t enough to cause an upset and the Spartans lost 57-49. Adam Szawlowski was player of the game for the Spartans with 26 points with Ty Hanlon adding 15.
In our second game of the tourney we met 12th ranked Bulkley Valley Christian from Smithers and managed to stay close for the duration of the game but lost 72-58. Blake Peebles was player of the game for the Spartans with 14 points and strong defensive hustle, rebounds and leadership. Adam Szawlowski added 20 and Ty Hanlon netted 15.
In our third game we easily defeated Mountain Christian of Dawson Creek 69-50 with Ty Hanlon picking up player of the game with a strong showing from Adam Szawlowski with 21 points and Blake Peebles with 17.
Our fourth game against 11th ranked St. John’s Academy from the Lower Mainland, and our final game of the tourney, was to determine 12th and 14th place at the tournament. The Spartans were down 39-38 at the half but weren’t able to hold on and lost the game 88-68. Jay Marshall was player of the game with his intense hustle and defense. Adam Szawlowski had 28 points for the Spartans.
The Spartans ended the tournament with a 14th place finish but came away with the experience of high quality basketball and exposure to a faster paced game and formidable opponents. The coaches and players of the Spartans would like to thank the Sparwood and Elk Valley businesses that contributed to our fundraising program, which allowed us to travel to Langley and compete in such a quality event. Thank you for supporting youth sports in Sparwood.