A treacherous path through the Fraser Valley to the B.C. "AAA" Boys Basketball Championships got the best of the Delta Pacers on Monday night.
In search of just their second provincial berth in 20-years, the Pacers saw their season come to an end in a 76-63 loss to the Gleneagle Talons.
Seeded 15th, Delta knew it would need a couple of mild upsets to earn one of the eight B.C. berths that were up for grabs. A 64-53 opening round win over 18th seed North Surrey was followed by 72-45 loss to the number one ranked Walnut Grove Gators.
The 10th seeded Talons would be the first of two potential hurdles in sudden death consolation play. Delta got off to a promising 9-4 start before the Coquitlam school's perimeter game began to heat up. Gleneagle opened up a 22-point third quarter before a solid fourth quarter cut the margin to nine. The Pacers would get no closer. "We didn't close on them quick enough or get a hand in their face and they started making some shots," said head coach Matt McKay. "They shot the ball well and we didn't do a good enough job on the glass in the first half. That was the difference in the end."
With as many as 17 Valley teams capable of earning a B.C. berth, the Pacers needed to be firing on all cylinders. Guard MacKenzie Falk, the team's top three-pointer shooter, was battling the flu Monday and saw limited playing time. Meanwhile, 6foot-5 senior Will Schwan, a starter a year ago, missed the entire season with concussion symptoms.
"Will is a strong and athletic kid who definitely would have helped us," added McKay.
The Pacers will be returning all but three players next season, including four starters, when they play in the newly created "AAAA" tier for large schools. The current enrollment levels at DSS will keep them there for the next two years.
