Byrne Creek come back once again to beat North Delta in Semi Final
Byrne Creek may want to change their nickname to the ‘Comeback Kids’ because their last tw
o games have showed their ability to play amazing when it matter most.
For the second straight game, Byrne Creek was down at half. And for the second straight game, they came back — they even came back from a double-digit third quarter hole to take this one 76-64 to earn their place in the final tomorrow against South Kamloops.
“I think seniors help us” said Byrne Creek head coach Balraj Dhillon on what makes his team able to comeback from seemingly any hole. “We’re senior heavy, they’ve been on this floor before, they know what it is. You got to get it done and you got to find a way.”
The first quarter was low scoring and tense, with both teams seemingly unwilling to let the other team score. The Bulldogs led late until a Roopinder Gill three at the buzzer gave the Huskies the lead. In the second, North Delta started raining down three’s — they shot over 41% from distance in the first half alone. Their lead was five after half, and once again Byrne Creek trailed at the break.
Titgol Jok went coast to coast to start the half for the Bulldogs, but after that Jaskirat Thind and Aruin Atker hit back to back three to extend the lead to 10 for the Huskies. But after that, Byrne Creek went on an incredible 20-6 run to take the lead after the third quarter and never really looked back.
The turnaround came when the Bulldogs switched to a fast break offence, using their speed and size advantage to constantly get to the hoop, make buckets, and draw fouls. On the other side, North Delta’s distance shooting dried up at the worst possible moment — they only shot 26.1% from behind the arc in the second half.
Martin Djunga had 33 points and 11 rebounds in this one, and 20 points alone in the second half. Dhillon had nothing but good things to say about his game afterwards.
“He’s improved so much since last year in every aspect of his game” Dhillon said on Djunga. “I’m very proud of him.”
Byrne Creek play South Kamloops tomorrow at 6:00pm. Stay tuned for our preview of what should be an exciting final.