It will take a few days for the Gleneagle Talons to get over the disappointment of Saturday night's overtime loss to Tamanawis in the Fraser Valley championship finals.
But head coach Tony Scott said he and most of his players are looking on the bright side.
They have locked up a high seed in next week's B.C. AAAA high school basketball championships and proven to themselves they can keep up with some of the league's best teams.
"[Getting to the finals] is still a major accomplishment for us," he said on Monday. "I like that aspect of it. It's just when you have the opportunity to grab it and have it as yours, that kind of hurts."
Gleneagle fell behind early in the first quarter, but was able to rally against the top-ranked Surrey club before the end of the first half. The Talons managed to keep some distance between themselves and Tamanawis on the scoreboard but things started to unravel late in the third.
"Some of it was physicality," he said. "We were worn down. I could just see them getting tired."
A series of three-point shots from Tamanawis' perimeter players brought the score to within three with seven seconds left in the fourth quarter.
That was when the Surrey club tied the game with a three-point shot, forcing overtime.
"You start questioning yourself," Scott said. "You start standing around watching."
The Talons were unable to capture the lead in extra time and ended up losing the game 86-79.
Tamanawis was ranked No. 1 in B.C. going into Saturday's matchup and Scott said he was proud of the way his team competed over the course of the Fraser Valley tournament.
On Friday, the Talons had a strong game against Walnut Grove, dropping the Langley club 64-40, a score that even surprised Scott.
"I wouldn't have anticipated that happening," he said.
Gleneagles' game plan going into Friday night's matchup involved shutting down point guard Jaden Cohee, one of the best players in the province.
The Talons' defenders were successful at keeping Cohee to the outside and limiting his point production, said Scott.
Meanwhile, two other Tri-City teams were unsuccessful in their efforts to make it to the B.C. championships.
Port Coquitlam's Terry Fox Ravens were defeated by Port Moody's Heritage Woods Kodiaks 75-68 on Thursday night. The win for Heritage Woods meant they had a chance to grab a wildcard berth in the provincial tournament, however they lost to Pitt Meadows Friday night, ending their season.
The 69th annual B.C. Boys High School Basketball Championships will get under way at the Langley Events Centre next week. For more information go to www.bcboysbasketball.com.
