Rainmakers top McMath 77-61 and claim Third Place at Provincials with 3 and 1 record

When it comes to an event such as the AAA provincials, Third place games probably are the hardest of games for coaches to find ways to motivate their players.

A team that has battled hard through their own zones and the into the hype and hoopla of the big event, obviously would be disappointed at a lost opportunity for a Tournament final.

And we imagine for some the will to summon up the focus to complete the week of basketball would be a challenge.

For Mel and Ryan Bishop however, whatever the message was, the Charles Hays Rainmakers heard it, and despite a sluggish start to the tournament finale for both the Rainmakers and R. A. McMath, the two squads put up a good finish to their tournament time in Langley.

McMath jumped out to a quick lead in the early going of the first quarter before the Rainmakers could regain a bit of balance, finally reversing the Wildcat's momentum at the six minute mark of the first quarter.

Charles Hays finally took the lead, building on some steady offensive play from Rosendo Masocol, who tossed a last second three pointer to propel the Rainmakers to a 20-12 lead after the first ten minutes.

Charles Hays continue to build on that lead for the early portion of the second quarter as Masocol and Justin McChesney took over much of the offensive push for the Rainmakers, pacing the Charles Hays squad to a twelve point lead with just over one minute to go in the second frame.

However, McMath came on determined to cut into that gap, clawing back five points in the final sixty seconds, trailing the Rainmakers 34-25 at half time.

The third quarter saw more scoring from McChesney and Masocol, as they worked their way into the McMath end of the court, finding space today where none was available in Friday's game.

Charles Hays distributed the ball well early on in the third, as well as finding success with rebounding both in the offensive and defensive zones. However despite that control, there was to be a bit more of a roar to be heard from the Wildcats before the third would end.

McMath in an impressive push, chipped away at the Rainmaker lead, closing to within 7 points at 47-40 Charles Hays at three quarter time.

To better explain the dominance of the Rainmakers top scorers on the day to this point, a review of the scoring totals for three quarters would show that of those 47 Rainmaker points, 31 one on the board came either off the hand of either McChesney or Masocol heading into the final frame.

The Rainmakers closed out their tournament with a strong fourth quarter, but not before McMath would pull to within five in the first minute of the final ten minutes.

From that point however the Rainmakers settled things down, Justin McChesney put up a timely three pointer, while some solid foul shooting from Brett Thompson and a flurry of points from Perry Terrell, led the Rainmakers on to the final 77--61 victory over the Wildcats,  securing a third place finish for their 2015 Tournament appearance.

Indicative of the impact that he had not only in Saturday's game but throughout the tournament, Justin McChesney was recognized as the player of the game. An acknowledgement of his presence on the court that was found well beyond the amount of points that he puts on the scoreboard.

Charles Hays Rainmakers are recognized for their
Third Place Finish at Provincials on Saturday

Charles Hays Rainmakers receive their medals
after a third place finish at the AAA Provincials on Saturday

Saturday provided an impressive send off for the graduating seniors who have been to Langley in successive years and leave their high school basketball years behind with many high points over their time as Rainmakers.

For those that will return to the Rainmaker program next year, the planning for another visit to the south will get underway soon, as the two Bishops look for ways to make yet another run for a title for 2016.

But that's a project for later, for this week, the Rainmakers can look back on another exciting trip to the Provincials, where they once again had their hometown watching with much interest at their travels, sharing in the highs and the disappointments along the way.

Still, once they look back at the year in full, the Charles Hays squad can celebrate a year that delivered some high quality basketball and gained their program yet more notice and praise from their basketball peers of the rest of the province.

From their opening game of the year, to the tournament wrap up, those who know basketball in British Columbia were talking about the Rainmakers, a discussion we imagine that many will be having once again this time next year.

Check our Tournament Archive through the remainder of the weekend, as the final stats sheets are delivered from the AAA Provincials and the last of the media reviews from tournament week make their way out.

The accumulated listings of tourney reviews and articles will make for a fairly good snapshot of how the 2015 Provincial championships played out.

For more on the Rainmakers season form start to finish see our Rainmaker archive page here.

Update: at the Completion of the AAA Senior Boys Tournament,  two Two Rainmakers received special acknowledgement for their achievements. With Rosendo Masocol named to the 2nd Team All Star roster, while Justin McChesney was named as the Most Outstanding Defensive Player for the tournament.