Duncan Christian School Chargers completed their drive for five.
The host Chargers captured their fifth straight Island High School Boys 1A Basketball title, beating St. Andrew’s of Victoria 67-48 in Saturday’s tournament final.
The Chargers opened with a win over Gold River.
In the championship contest, the locals trailed 19-8 after one quarter and 33-27 at the half but came up big after the break to seal the victory.
“We knew that they would come out ready to play and boy did they ever,” said DCS coach Jim Brandsma of St. Andrew’s. “Their team was a bit bigger than the last time we played them.”
Adam Kapteyn led the Chargers in the final with 25 points, including 11 in the fourth quarter.
Jesse Van Wingerden added 19 for the winners, with tourney MVP Mike Brandsma adding 12.
Coach Brandsma said the home crowd was a factor heading into the final quarter.
“The feeling of momentum shifting was palpable and the fans were most definitely giving us a huge help,” he said. “The fourth quarter was nothing short of amazing as we went on a 21-4 run to close out the game.
“We went into this weekend confident in our game and confident of what we could accomplish. When you are seeded as one of the top teams, there is more to lose and you have to work hard every game.”
Kapteyn and Van Wingerden were both named to the tourney’s first all-star team, along with Peter Jenkins and Liam Keane of St. Andrew’s and Kobe Amos of Gold River.
Gold River beat Nanaimo Christian School 55-34 to claim third spot. Ben Sijpheer and Michal Loots of NCS were named to the second all-star team, along with Jonas Joseph (Chemainus), Alex Louie (Ucluelet) and Josh Woodruff (Gold River).
The Chargers advance to the B.C. championships, March 9-12 in Langley.