David Thompson 93 -- 84 Kitsilano
Powered by a 30-point output from Harry Brar and a 25-point night by Henry Xia, on Wednesday afternoon the David Thompson Trojans knocked off the top-10 B.C. ranked Kitsilano Blue Demons to reach the AAAA city final.
“We beat Kitsilano for the first time in a decade and it happened to be one of the biggest games of the city calendar,” said head coach Jimmy Choi. “My kids played well. We were up by 20 the majority of the game. [Brar] mixed it up. We fast break a lot and he was getting a lot of fast break points.”
The Trojans led by 23 at half time by playing a run-and-gun game that emphasised fast transition, a full-court press and ceaseless attack. Choi said the shooting percentage was also high. Kitsilano got into foul trouble and played the final minutes with only four players.
“The win is good for the program. It’s great for the school,” said Choi.
“Nobody expects us to be anywhere. We’re not ranked, we’re not an honourable mention. But we’ve surprised a few teams this year.”
David Thompson defeated perennial contender Pitt Meadows and in December held the defending AAAA provincial champion Churchill Bulldogs to 67 points despite losing.
On Friday in the senior boys city championship, the Trojans will play the Bulldogs again, this time in an even bigger game they didn’t expect to dress for.
“Everything for us right now is gravy. Trying to make the big dance is going to be tough but you never know. I don’t get kids to transfer here like some schools — these are all neighbourhood kids we have. It’s good for us.”
In the second semi-final on Wednesday at Churchill secondary, the Bulldogs eliminated Windermere 104-85. The final is 7:30 p.m., Feb. 13 at Churchill.
Senior boys AA/AAA
Also on Wednesday at Churchill, Tupper beat Gladstone 88-49 to advance and Britannia defeated Lord Byng 68-55. Tupper and Britannia meet in the city final 5:45, Feb. 13 at Churchill secondary.
