The second annual Bill Kushnir Memorial Basketball Tournament produced a marquee championship game and some more encouraging signs for the host team.
A match-up of 4A tier heavyweights on Saturday afternoon saw the No. 2 Tamanawis Wildcats ride the MVP performance of Sukh Bains to a 77-65 victory over the No. 1 Churchill Bulldogs. The host Delta Pacers closed out the 11-team tournament with a 64-55 win against McMath to finish seventh after getting a taste of elite competition.
The Pacers advanced to the quarter-finals with an easy 84-54 win over Vernon, then fell 80-59 to Churchill. They actually led 16-15 after one quarter before UBC-bound guard Gary Minhas and the Bulldogs' superior depth took over.
Consolation play Friday served up another stern test for Delta against No. 8 Claremont and this time it was without leading scorer Bowen Bakken who tweaked his ankle the previous night.
Even with a limited bench due to more injuries, the Pacers hung tough with the Victoria school. The teams were tied at 60-60 after three quarters before the Spartans finally took control in a 81-67 victory.
"They learned to play through some adversity which is a good thing at this time of the year," said Pacers head coach Tim Whitehead. "I'm not happy that we lost but it was important what they learned for when the games count in a couple weeks. In reality, those are the games that matter most.
"We made a few mental mistakes down the stretch. There are things we can learn from and things we can fix. The only way you can do that is to go through games like this."
The Pacers now turn their attention to league play over the next two weeks, starting tonight at Seaquam.
