The quarter-finals of the double-A senior boys Island basketball championship all went according to the rankings Thursday at St. Michaels University School.
The top four seeds all easily advanced as the host SMUS Blue Jags clobbered Kwalikum 71-41. North No. 1 Shawnigan Lake peppered South No. 4 Pacific Christian 90-41; South champion Lambrick Park dumped North No. 4 Highland 92-35. In the late game, North No. 2 Brentwood College ditched South No. 3 Parkland 71-57.
How good are the four? Lambrick Park is ranked No. 2 in the province with SMUS at No. 4, Shawnigan No. 6 and Brentwood is an honourable mention.
Obviously, it gets a little tougher tonight in semifinal play. The top three teams earn tickets to the provincial championship.
鈥淎 little tougher? Yes,鈥� said Shawnigan coach Vito Pasquale, whose Stags now face the Blue Jags today at 5:45 p.m. 鈥淪MUS, in their own gym? In the semis? Against [coach] Ian Hyde-Lay? It will be a dog-fight. It鈥檒l be an interesting matchup and both squads will be well prepared for each other, so it will come down to who performs well on the court.鈥�
On Thursday, Sheldon Crisp had 27 points for Shawnigan, while Litha Ncanisa and Mostyn Findlay added 23 and 19, respectively.
SMUS had four players in double-digits: Ryan Hindson with 17; Lucas de Vries with 16; Ben Keep with 12; and Jamison Schulz-Franco with 10.
Lambrick Park plays Brentwood in the other semi at 7:30 p.m.
At the senior boys鈥� triple-A Island championship at Nanaimo District, the host team cruised by Victoria High 83-46; Mount Douglas defeated Ballenas 80-64; sa国际传媒 No. 1-ranked Mark Isfeld crushed Carihi 69-36; and Wellington defeated Reynolds 82-63.
In quadruple-A senior boys action, Belmont defeated G.P. Vanier 84-70 in quarter-final play and will now meet Cowichan tonight at 6 in a semifinal. In the late game, Dover Bay beat Claremont 92-51. They will meet Oak Bay tonight at 8.
Duncan Christian will play host to the single-A senior boys Islands starting today with Nanaimo Christian, St. Andrews, Ucluelet, Gold River and Chemainius rounding out that field.
The single-A senior girls Islands also begins today with just four teams competing at Glenlyon Norfolk School, including Duncan Christian, St. Andrews and Maaqtusiis.
