The G.W. Graham Grizzlies senior boys basketball team went 3-1 at the St. Thomas More Collegiate Chancellors tournament, faring well against some of the top teams in B.C.
The Grizzlies were one of just two AA teams (along with host St. Thomas More) in a field otherwise loaded with 16 elite AAA programs.
GWG opened last Wednesday with a 107-81 thumping of Coqutilam's Heritage Woods Kodiaks.
Game two for the Grizzlies was a 77-71 loss to Surrey's Lord Tweedsmuir Panthers, a team that would eventually end up losing in the final.
The Grizzlies rebounded with a convincing 19 point win in game three, swatting aside Surrey's Fleetwood secondary school Dragons 83-64.
In their final match, GWG took on Burnaby's Byrne Creek Bulldogs, ranked 10th provincially among AAA programs.
Eleven players saw the floor for the Grizzlies, who trailed by seven with five mintues remaining. The GWG offence exploded in crunch time, erasing the deficit and finishing with an 84-73 win.
“The coaching staff was really proud of the boys' performance,” said GWG coach Jake Mouritzen. “We are right there with the best teams in the province and we know we will be ready to make a run in March.”
Lucas Mannes was named to the tournament's second all-star team.
GWG plays in the Abbotsford Collegiate SnowBall tournament this weekend, facing mighty Yale secondary school on Thursday afternoon. A win over the Lions would set the Grizzlies up to play the top-ranked team in B.C. (Kelowna secondary school) on Thursday night.