Terry Fox Ravens have a lot of work to do between now and the beginning of the AAA boys' basketball provincial tournament next week.
After a less than stellar showing in the final two games of the Fraser Valley championships, coach Steve Hanson said the squad will have to re-focus and prepare for what will likely be the toughest game of the season.
The Ravens are expected to take on Oak Bay in the first game (March 14) of the B.C. tournament, a team that had no trouble against the Port Coquitlam squad in the regular season.
"They are another big team that shoots very well," Hanson said. "We are going to have to play very well to get past them."
The competition does not ease up after that. The AAA tournament is a gruelling contest and if Fox hopes to go far, they will have to get past top-seeded teams like Kelowna and Vancouver College.
Further hampering Hanson's efforts is the B.C. teachers' job action, which has limited much-needed practice time to help prepare for the game.
Hanson, who is studying to become a teacher, said the situation is delicate.
"So many coaches are supporting what the teachers are trying to do but at the same time they spend so much time with these teams," he said. "This is the time of year when you want to be playing and the schools are closed right now."
The Ravens had a solid start to the Fraser Valley playdowns last week, opening the tournament with a 70-50 win over Abbotsford Collegiate before defeating W.J. Mouat in a hard-fought 75-57 victory. But the Ravens ran into trouble last Friday night when the squad dropped an 82-64 decision against Walnut Grove, a team Terry Fox lost to twice in the regular season.
"I thought we were pretty motivated going into Friday's game but apparently we were not motivated enough," Hanson said.
The team lost the third-place game against Tamanawis 68-65 on Saturday. Port Moody and Heritage Woods secondaries also fielded teams in the Fraser Valley tournament. Port Moody lost 82-53 against Yale in the first game, followed by a loss against South Delta last week. Heritage Woods also struggled, dropping their first two games of the tournament.
