The second day of the Vancouver Invitational saw the conclusion of pool play and the semifinals.
Division 1
In Division 1, Ontario continued their undefeated run by dispatching Quebec 51-42 in their final pool game. They booked a trip to the final with a convincing 52-35 win over the hosts from BC in the semis.
Alberta got their first win of the tournament against BC. After trailing at the end of the first quarter, Zak Madell and the Roughnecks upped the defensive pressure and won 48-32.
The Roughnecks couldn’t keep the momentum going in their semifinal against Quebec. The game was close for most of the way but, Quebec wore down Alberta as the game went on, and used a strong fourth quarter to propel them to a 55-49 win and set up a rematch with Ontario for gold.
The Quebec-Alberta semifinal was the closest match of the tournament so far. It was very physical and several players hit the floor.
Team BC is still looking for their first win, but this up-and-coming side has played their bench in every game and is making strides as the tournament goes on. They’ll have one last shot at a win tomorrow against Alberta for 3rd place.
Division 2
The Seattle Slam remain undefeated and have the largest point differential of any team in the tournament at +. Their lack of hi-pointer hasn’t slowed them down as player/coach Jeremy Hannaford has his team executing at a high level.
Seattle will be joined in the final by the Portland Pounders who they beat earlier today 47-25.Portland have relied on a number of newer players at this tournament and they’ve responded well. The Pounders beat BC-B 47-25 in their opening game of the day and then finished strong with a 40-32 win over the Alberta Bighorns in the semifinals.
The Alberta Bighorns were a much-improved squad on Day 2. The arrival of Ken Hicks and the leadership he brings made a huge difference. He helped the team to their first victory as they rallied past BC-B 49-31.
BC-B will have a rematch with Alberta B on Sunday at 9:30am as they search for a win. Their rookies are getting valuable experience as the team tested out a number of line-ups and combinations.
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