The Byrne Creek Bulldogs caught fire early and controlled the championship game throughout against the Rick Hansen Hurricanes during Saturday’s Timberwolves Classic tournament final at Robert Bateman Secondary.
The Burnaby-based team jumped out to a 33-11 lead after the first quarter, and the Hurricanes couldn’t battle back. The Bulldogs took the title game 106-75 to deny Hansen the title.
Despite the loss, Hurricanes players Gurlal Mann and Gurkaran Mangat were named to the all-tournament team.
Byrne Creek’s Martin Djunga was named the event’s most valuable players, while Bulldogs players Sufi Ahmed and Bithow Wan were also recognized as all-tournament players.
The Hurricanes opened with a 104-95 win over Richmond’s Matthew McNair on Thursday, took down Pitt Meadows 83-65 on Friday and then edged South Kamloops 77-76 on Saturday afternoon to advance to the tournament final.
The win over South Kamloops saw Hansen’s Harjot Dhaliwal knock down a clutch three-point shot with 3.3 seconds to go to earn the win.
It’s the second straight year that the Hurricanes have lost in the final at the event, after dropping the 2017 final to McNair. Hansen did win the tournament back in 2016.
The MEI Eagles also had a strong showing at the event, with Isaiah Reimer named to the all-tournament team.
The Eagles defeated Wellington Secondary 87-81 on Thursday, but then lost to the Bulldogs 98-84 on Friday.
MEI ended the tournament on a high note by defeating Chilliwack’s GW Graham 87-67 on Saturday afternoon.
The host Timberwolves fell 87-84 in overtime to Richmond’s Steveston-London on Thursday, but then bounced back with a 68-66 win over Caledonia on Friday. The Wolves then fell 94-55 to Charles Tupper to conclude their run.
For complete details from the tournament, visit batemanbasketball.com.