The White Rock Christian Warriors moved up to third in the provincial senior boys AAA rankings, after finishing second at the prestigious Telus Basketball Classic Saturday night at UBC’s War Memorial Gym.
The Warriors, who were ranked No. 4 heading into the season, lost in the finals Saturday, 80-71 to the top-ranked Kitsilano Blue Demons, who were led by the physical presence of six-foot-eight inch senior Luka Zaharijevic and a a 27-point effort from point guard Justin Sze.
WRCA point guard Tyus Allen was the team’s leading scorer, with 20 points, while Vartan Tanelian and Peter Spangehl had 15 and 14, respectively, in a losing cause.
The Warriors advanced to the Telus Classic final with a 90-81 semifinal victory Friday night over Vancouver College.
Earlier in the tournament, which began Wednesday at a number of schools throughout the Lower Mainland, WRCA also earned victories over Sardis Secondary and Archbishop Carney.
A day before the tourney began, the Warriors earned a win over the Semiahmoo Totems in Fraser Valley Southwest league action.