Lower Mainland AAAA Finals Preview - St. Georges vs Van College
The Lower Mainland AAAA Semi Finals at the Richmond Oval last night did not disappoint the full house that attended both games.
In the first semifinal, the Burnaby South Rebels took on the St George’s Saints. This was a battle of attrition, as both teams could not take a significant lead over the other. With the Rebels leading the majority of the game, including a 40-34 lead at halftime, Saints guards Jerric Palma and William Lin woke up and started draining threes, with Lin hitting five in that stretch. St George’s took the lead late in the fourth and never gave it up, winning 85-82.
In the second semifinal of the day, the Vancouver College Fighting Irish faced the Kitsilano Blue Demons. In this heated matchup, it was a story of discipline with the Irish looking composed throughout the game, regardless of the score.
The Irish went up 49-30 at halftime and looked as if they’d be a lock for the Lower Mainland finals against rival St George’s. However, the Blue Demons stormed back in fourth quarter, fuelled by guard Tyrone Asenoguan beating the third quarter buzzer with a three to put them within 14 points. Kitsilano picked up the paced, scoring in transition and hitting clutch shots, giving them a chance to send it to overtime.
After a VC turnover in the last 10 seconds, with 4.1 seconds remaining and down by 3, the ball was inbounded to Asenoguan and he hurled up a three with time expiring however it fell short. VC won 81-78.
This sets up the Lower Mainland AAAA Final to be a showdown of legendary programs, as Vancouver College takes on St George’s Friday night at the Richmond Oval, tipping off at 8pm.
This is the third time these two private schools are matching up this season, with the Saints taking the victory at home 81-78, and the Irish winning at their place 90-84. This matchup will also feature stars by the likes of Jerric Palma (St George’s) and Jack Cruz-Dumont (Vancouver College).
The rubber match is bound to be an exciting finish to the Lower Mainland season as both the schools have an amazing fan base and are sure to fill the Oval Friday night.
Written By: Chris Evans