Snowstorm can’t stop hoops tourneys
Rick Inrig has helped run the Surrey RCMP Basketball Classic for nearly three decades and says he has never had a tournament quite like this one.
“The fact that this is the first time in 29 years of doing this where we’ve had these kinds of issues is a remarkable statement in itself,” Inrig said of the Wednesday snowstorm across the Lower Mainland that postponed the high school basketball tournament. “It’s a complicated thing. You’d think that you could just move everything back a day and it would work out, but you’ve got Grade 8 games and other games scheduled for today in some of those same gyms. You’ve got a lot of things to factor in ... I’m just glad that we’re back up and running.”
Inrig said the all-Surrey boys basketball tournament has had to eliminate only two consolation round games at the senior boys level. The event features 24 senior teams as well as a junior division.
Enver Creek secondary hosts the championship game on Saturday at 7:45 p.m.
Inrig, a former district administrator and basketball coach, founded the tournament with RCMP Cpl. Norm Massie. Police liaison officers were just beginning in the schools in Surrey at the time, and the thought was a tournament would help with making connections. It started out as an eight-team event and has worked its way up. “I think this tournament has helped changed the face of basketball in Surrey,” Inrig said.
Among the other tournaments this week is the aptly named Abbotsford Snowball Classic, a 12-team boys event that is celebrating its 60th year. It features five of the top 10 teams in the Quad A boys basketball rankings with the No. 1 Centennial Centaurs of Coquitlam, No. 2 Burnaby South Rebels, No. 3 Kelowna Owls, No. 6 St. George’s Saints of Vancouver and No. 8 Abbotsford Panthers.
The Snowball title game is set for Saturday at 8 p.m. at Abbotsford.
Centennial won the Jonathan Taylor Legal Beagle at Terry Fox in Port Coquitlam last weekend, beating Burnaby South 66-60 in the final.
Meanwhile, the Quad A honourable mention Holy Cross Crusaders of Surrey are hosting the B.C. Catholic championships. The final is set for Saturday at 8 p.m. at Holy Cross.
The top girls tournament this week is the Top-10 Shootout at Centennial. It’s now a nine-team tournament with its final on Saturday at 5:45 p.m. at Centennial.
Notable teams include the Quad A No. 1 ranked Semiahmoo Totems of Surrey, No. 4 Riverside Rapids of Port Coquitlam, No. 5 Terry Fox Ravens, the No. 8 Brookswood Bobcats of Langley and No. 9 Lord Tweedsmuir.