Reigning champion Spectrum of Saanich and Nanaimo’s Dover Bay are the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds at Quad A and have dominated all year
The Spectrum Thunder and the Dover Bay Dolphins are trying this week to go where two Vancouver Island teams haven’t been together since 1978.
That was the last time the top tier of B.C. high school boys basketball had an all-Island provincial final, with the Nanaimo District Islanders ousting the Oak Bay Bays 71-62 for the Triple A crown.
The Thunder and Dolphins were in those top two posts in the Quad A pre-season provincial rankings back in November, and they’ve been in upper echelon of the poll all season long.
Spectrum is 3-1 against Dover Bay this season. Both teams lost once to Oak Bay, who hovered around the top of the rankings all year, too, but didn’t advance to the LEC because Vancouver Island has just two berths.
Steve Nash’s St. Michaels University Blue Devils squad that won it all in 1992 remain the most celebrated Vancouver Island crew to capture the top banner. Spectrum is the most recent, having won the crown last year, with the then No. 2 seeded Thunder outlasting the No. 4 Tamanawis Wildcats of Surrey 92-72 in the final game.
Dover Bay won Triple A last year and was bumped up a level over the summer due to a population increase at the school.
The provincials date back to 1946, and Quad assumed the top tier history when it was introduced in 2014. Spectrum is trying to become just the seventh team ever to win in back-to-back years, and the first since the Kitsilano Blue Demons in 2001-02.
“As for pressure, there is a bit I’d say but that’s natural,”explained Spectrum coach Tyler Verde, who has 12 players from last season. “We definitely have a target on our backs and we know everyone is going to give their best to beat us. We haven’t hidden anything. All our games are online. But we will be ready. We are viewing it as a business trip — we want to do our jobs and win.”
The second-to-last provincial rankings were released Feb. 19, and had Oak Bay at No. 1, followed by Spectrum, Dover Bay and then the Kelowna Owls to round out the top four places.
Spectrum beat Oak Bay 86-67 in the Vancouver Island final on Feb. 22. Since the Bays and Dolphins hadn’t met in that tournament, Dover Bay could challenge Oak Bay on Feb. 27 for the final Vancouver Island spot into the provincials. The Dolphins won that game 90-80.
West Kelowna’s Mount Boucherie Bears, meanwhile, upset Kelowna’s 75-72 on Feb. 22 to grab the Okanagan’s lone berth to the LEC.
Mount Boucherie are the tournament’s No. 8 seeds, and would face Spectrum in Thursday’s quarterfinal round if they beat the No. 9 Heritage Woods Kodiaks (Port Moody) in their opener Wednesday and Spectrum beats the No. 16 Mount Baker Wild (Cranbrook) in their first game.
Oak Bay and Kelowna have been two of the most consistent teams at the provincials in the past decade. Oak Bay has finished in the top eight spots in the last nine B.C. tournaments, including placing third the past two years. Kelowna has been top eight in nine of the past 10 events, highlighted by winning it all in 2016 and then runner-up finishes in 2017, 2019 and 2020.
There was no tournament in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Burnaby South won it all in 2020 and 2022. Surrey’s Semiahmoo Totems triumphed in2023 led by several Grade 11s, but lost players to prep schools that summer.
The St. Thomas More Knights (Burnaby) are the No. 1 seeds at Triple A this week, while the Pacific Academy Breakers (Surrey) and the St. John’s Eagles (Vancouver) have the top positions at Double A and Single A.
The tournaments are played in four different gyms at the LEC and get going with 8:30 a.m. games on Wednesday. The first games on the first day include Dover Bay versus the No. 15 Prince George Polars in the main arena.
Championship Saturday at the LEC starts with the Single A finale at 12:30 p.m., followed by Double A at 2:45 p.m., Triple A at 5:15 p.m., and then Quad A at 7:45 p.m.
All of those games are in the main arena.
The girls tournaments were last week at the LEC and had a repeat winner at Quad A, as the No. 2 Seaquam Seahawks (North Delta) edged the No. 4 Brookswood Bobcats (Langley) by 68-67 count in the final to win the title for the second straight year.
@SteveEwen