In a game of quick breaks, the Burnaby South junior boys Rebels are doing their utmost to reflect stability.
In a program that is bursting with success stories, this group of kids is more than pulling its weight.
While they aren’t perfect, the Rebels know the only “perfect” worth celebrating is at the end of the season, when all the cards are counted.
Burnaby South rolled through another tournament last week, giving rise to a likely boost up the B.C. charts from their current No. 3 position.
They defeated the host Terry Fox Ravens 60-44, edged Sir Charles Tupper 65-61 in overtime, and topped Abbotsford 62-40 to improve to 20-1 on the season. All three opponents were in the top-10 rankings posted earlier this month, including Tupper’s No. 2 status.
“It’s always been our main goal, to play in a number of good tournaments,” remarked Rebels co-coach Rupinder Dahia, who works the sidelines alongside Tyus Batiste. “Not only playing good teams but playing our best.
“We don’t have the height that some of those top teams have, but we work hard and never give up.”
It certainly was true in last week’s toughest test, where Tupper erased a Burnaby South lead with an 18-5 scoring advantage in the second quarter. The Rebels trailed by 12 with seven minutes remaining before closing the gap, with the key basket coming in the final countdown.
With 15 seconds remaining, captain Matthew Pineda stole the ball and fed Justin Sunga who went in for the tying bucket. Pumped by a forceful comeback and the momentum already onside, Burnaby capped it by out-scoring the No. 2-ranked Tigers 10-6 in the extra session.
“We were pumped,” admitted Dahia of the comeback that led to overtime. “It’s one of those things where you let (the players) get hyped and excited and let them go.”
The Rebels roster, which includes nine Grade 9s and eight Grade 10s, took its only loss in a matchup against No. 1-rated Vancouver College. It came prior to the holiday break in the Rebels’ own Rod Thompson tourney final, by a 57-52 margin.
“We got a chance to make some adjustments,” Dahia said. “The first time we were a little too cautious and feeling a little intimidated. We knew they were Grade 9 champions (last year), and they have a size advantage.”
With that decision bookmarked, the squad had extra motivation when they met again, two weeks ago at the VC Emerald tournament final. There, Burnaby South did its best ‘bend, don’t break’ performance and left the gym with a 69-60 victory, out-scoring the Fighting Irish 20-12 over the final quarter.
They did an effective job marking Vancouver College’s six-foot-eight post, and limited the damage while maximizing their chances.
Jareb Pineda was voted to the first all-star squad, while Sunga earned the tourney MVP award.
The team will focus on completing league play and getting ready for playoffs. The target is to finish top-three in the Vancouver and District playoffs.
In Grade 8 basketball, Burnaby South waltzed through the Vancouver College Emerald tournament with a 77-38 victory in the final. Bobby Mabeny was voted the final game’s top player, while Zachary Chen picked up the tourney MVP award.
