Burnaby South dump KSS in Western Canada final

Photo: Wayne Moore

Jayden Lalonde hits for two of his 13 points in the Owls' 82-58 loss Saturday.

Roughly 10 minutes decided the outcome of the 47th Interior Savings Western Canada Basketball Tournament at KSS.

The Burnaby South Rebels silenced the loud capacity crowd at the KSS gym Saturday night with a dominating performance over the first half of the first, and third quarters en route to an 82-58 victory in the title game.

The Rebels swarmed the Owls off the opening tip off behind a 16-0 run to grab a 22-5 lead before the game was barely five minutes old.

Up 12 at the half, Burnaby South, the top ranked team in the province, put to rest any hope of a hometown comeback with a 17-7 run to open the third, and widen the gap to 22.

To their credit, head coach Harry Parmar said his team didn't quit despite the early hole.

"We fought until the end which is always good. They never gave up, but we just couldn't execute," said Owls Parmar.

"We turned the ball over too much, but at the same time, that's a really good team. You have to give them some credit for what we couldn't do."

The Owls were able to cut the deficit to 12 at the half and 13 after three.

They did get it down to eight early in the fourth, but untimely turnovers led to easy Burnaby points down the stretch.

And, when they needed a big bucket, they couldn't find it. The Owls, who hit 34 three-pointers during 100-point performances in the opening two games, managed to hit just nine of 31 in the final.

The Rebels were deadly from the outside, but when they weren't free, Burnaby South was able to work their big men inside.

Tournament MVP Justin Sunga poured in a game-high 18, including three-of-five beyond the arc while 6'10" Sasha Vujisic had 16 and six boards. They also dominated the glass inside, out-rebounding KSS 36-23.

"This is our third time playing them," said Rebels head coach Mike Bell.

"They won last time, and the boys really wanted to play in this atmosphere and respond."

Bell did give props to the KSS crowd, saying it's the best atmosphere anywhere in the province.

In fact, he said Kelowna would be unstoppable if a provincial tournament was ever held in the city.

The game started on a sour note that could have got out of hand.

The Owls traditionally darken the gym and play a video prior to the team running onto the court prior to the start of the game.

The Burnaby players lined up along the centre-court line, blocking the Owls as they attempted to make their customary lap around the gym.

Several collisions resulted, many players hit the deck, but nothing further transpired.

"It did turn ugly. I've got a kid with a loose tooth right now," said Bell.

"They wanted to go out there and watch the video and feel the atmosphere. I wish they would have moved out of the way, but it didn't happen.

"We moved on and everyone's upset. Too much shenanigans, we just need to come here and play basketball."

The Owls were led by Jayden Lalonde and Malcolm Greggor who hit for 13 and 11 respectively.