The St. Thomas More Chancellor tournament has been a fickle friend to the Byrne Creek Bulldogs boys' basketball team.
The AAA No. 10-ranked Bulldogs had another less than memorable appearance, finishing in seventh place overall following an 83-74 loss to AA No. 2 G.W. Graham from Chilliwack in the consolation final on Saturday.
"To play a high level of basketball, there has to be some structure, and this wasn't that," said Byrne Creek head coach Wayne Best after the game. "With the parity this season, the mentally strong teams will rise to the top."
After a title win at the Gleneagle Talons Classic that saw wins over ranked teams from Sir Charles Tupper and R.C. Palmer, and Carson Graham, the mercurial Bulldogs finished with a 2-2 record at the Chancellor, including a 74-70 overtime loss to AAA honourable mention Maple Ridge in the quarter-finals.
Best substituted liberally throughout the contest in the hopes of finding a winning combination against Graham's fullcourt pressure, but none proved ultimately successful.
"When you don't have the Bulldog heart, it compounds that (the problem)," Best added.
All-tournament honourable mention Kennedy George led the Bulldogs with 23 points, while 6-5 senior Jada Lado chipped in with 17 points.
Seven other Bulldogs contributed to the scoreline.
Second-team tournament all star Lucas Mannes was the difference in the matchup, gunning a game-high 28 points for the Grizzlies, including 13 of 16 free throws from the second quarter on.
Hamdy Farah put Byrne Creek into a 71-65 lead midway through the final quarter, but a string of turnovers quickly turned the tide in the Grizzlies' favour.
George scored 48 total points in the Bulldogs' first three games, including 17 in a 63-54 win over Enver Creek to advance into the consolation placement round on Saturday.
Byrne Creek opened with an 8055 victory over Centennial. Grade 11 forward David Majstorovic led the 'Dogs with 17 points in the game.
Byrne Creek won the Chancellor in 2009 after a third-place finish the year before.
In the last two years, the Bulldogs failed to make it to the final day of tournament play, losing on Day 2 to the eventual titlist Tamanawis last season and to eventual runner-up Fleetwood Park in 2009.
