A powerplay off the bench is usually something called for in hockey. But when it came crunch time and fouls threw a wrench into their best-laid plans, Burnaby’s Byrne Creek senior boys basketball team got a boost from the sidelines.
The Bulldogs got timely contributions late in the game from the troika of Daniel Cion, Aaron Cruz and Tyrell Whitebear en route to a 73-63 victory over McMath in the Lower Mainland 3-A championship final.
It earned Byrne Creek its second consecutive Mainland banner, a feat that head coach Bal Dhillon adroitly credited to a complete team effort.
“You know a team that good (as McMath) is going to make a run and you’ve got to continue to execute what we think is a good plan,” said Dhillon. “There were some adjustments made in the fourth, but it wasn’t the coaches, it was the players playing well.”
With starters Majok Deng and Bithow Wan sidelined due to fouls in the fourth quarter and McMath creeping within eight points and three minutes remaining, Cion, Cruz and Whitebear presented a strong presence to withstand the Richmond school’s rally.
Whitebear made a couple of key stops, Cion recorded three big blocks and Cruz delivered a momentum-killing trey – just as they usually do according to their coach.
“It was just nice that they got to do it on a bigger stage, because they have done it this season, they’ve done it all season,” said Dhillon.
It all came after Byrne appeared to have the game in hand, taking a 16-point lead thanks to a nine-point run from tourney MVP Martin Djunga in a two-minute span.
McMath, however, fired back and came within eight points. With six-foot-eight Deng and six-foot-two Wan fouling out, Dhillon called in his subs, who delivered a timely tour de force.
Djunga cashed in a game-high 29 points while Deng chipped in 11. Contributing 10 points each were Cruz and Wan.
Both Deng and Wan were named to the first all-star team for their performances during the tournament.
“Every game is going to present a different challenge and you have to find a way to adapt,” Dhillon said of the fourth quarter fouls to his starters. “Our guys knew that, they know how much faith I have in them and we have a lot of belief in one another.”
There’s only one bigger stage, and the team will spend the current week preparing for just that – the provincial championships.
The draw for the B.C.s will be done this weekend.
