The Highroad Academy Knights join the list of local basketball programs that are improving rapidly.
Highroad qualified for last weekend’s senior boy’s 1A provincial championships at the Langley Events Centre.
The Knights went 3-1 in the tournament. While they fell short of their ultimate goal of playing in the final, provincials was a good experience for the locals and a big step forward for Highroad hoops.
The Knights entered the tourney as the No. 3 seed and bombed No. 14 seed McBride secondary school (Prince George) 88-55 in their opener.
Four Highroad players hit double digits in scoring led by Grade 11 star Aidan Morris and his game-high 30 points.
Morris hit four three pointers and shot 12 of 21 from the field.
Elijah Grimard, who is only in Grade 10, was productive at both ends of the court, collecting 14 points, 11 rebounds and six steals.
Highroad took down No. 6 seed Similkameen secondary school (Keremeos) in their second game, winning 70-62 behind 20 points from Morris, 15 from Easton Abel and 14 from Dawson Hartskamp.
Highroad’s championship dreams ended in their third game against the No. 2 seed Kelowna Christian Knights. KCS won the semi-final 58-51 and went on to win the provincial title, while Highroad was bumped into third-versus-fourth place game against Oak Bay’s Glenlyon Norfolk Griffins, the tournament’s top seed.
Grimard went off for 27 points in a 74-69 triumph, shooting 10 of 25 from the field with four three pointers.
Morris added 19 points and Mike Luteyn hit double digits with 10.
Morris was named a first team tournament all-star with Grimard netting a second team selection.
“We had a record of 25-7 this season, won the Fraser Valleys and Agassiz Tournament, finished fourth out of 12 teams at the Chilliwack Storm Classic (almost all AAA and AAAA teams) and finished second at a prestigious 1A tournament at St. John’s School in Vancouver,” said coach Steve Basaraba. “All that and we graduate just one of my key players, Mike Luteyn. Highroad is definitely worth keeping an eye on next year.”