Rainmakers take AA Top Dog status into high profile Vancouver area tournament

It's another week at the top for the Charles Hays Senior Boys Rainmakers, with the most recent BC High School Basketball rankings placing the makers at the top of the AA Listings.

The results which were posted to Howard Tsumura's Varsity Letters blog on Wednesday keep the first place streak alive for the Charles Hays squad which has been at the top of the pack since the 2018-19 season began.

AA Rankings as of January 23, 2019

1 --  Charles Hays Rainmakers (Prince Rupert) (LW-1) 
2 --  King George Dragons (Vancouver) (2) 
3 --  Collingwood Cavaliers (West Vancouver) (3) 
4 --  Langley Christian Lightning (4) 
5 --  Britannia Bruins (Vancouver) (5)
6 --  Elphinstone Cougars (Gibsons) (6) 
7 --  D.P. Todd Trojans (Prince George) (7) 
8 -- Westsyde Whundas (Kamloops) (9) 
9 -- St. Thomas Aquinas Fighting Saints (North Vancouver) (HM) 
10-tie -- St. Michaels University School Blue Jags (Victoria) (HM) 
10-tie -- St. Patrick’s Celtics (Vancouver) (10-tie)


HONOURABLE MENTION

Brentwood College (Mill Bay) (8), 
George Elliot Coyotes (Lake Country) (HM), 
Lambrick Park Lions (Victoria) (HM), 
Seycove Seyhawks (North Vancouver) (HM), 
Southridge Storm (Surrey) (10-tie)


The Charles Hays placement atop the rankings for another week comes following a successful weekend of basketball in Terrace last Friday and Saturday, where the Rainmakers topped Caledonia by scores of 71-37 and 85-73.

Mel and Ryan Bishop's squad will be taking their success to a larger stage starting tonight, as they take part in the Vancouver College Emerald Tournament, with the Rainmakers set for a tip off at 7:15 against Surrey's Lord Tweedsmuir.

The tournament features an impressive listing of participants many of them from AAAA and AAA Ball. The high profile event draws teams from the Lower Mainland and beyond joining hosts Vancouver College on the court  over the next three days, among those participating this year are:

Belmont
Handsworth
Heritage Woods
Semiahoo
SMUS
Terry Fox
Pinetree
Oak Bay
Kitsilano

The Rainmakers tuned up for Emerald with an exhibition match with Kitsilano on Wednesday evening.

Saturday -- CHSS Rainmakers 70 vs Terry Fox 74
2nd Place Finish for Rainmakers

Friday -- CHSS Rainmakers 88 vs Kitsilano 69
Thursday -- CHSS Rainmakers 89 vs Lord Tweedsmuir 60

Video broadcasts of games from Vancouver College can be accessed here.

As they work their way through the next three days, the Rainmakers will be looking to be one of two teams left at centre court on Saturday evening when the Championship game takes place at 5PM


🏀🏀🏀🏀🏀🏀🏀🏀🏀🏀🏀🏀🏀🏀🏀🏀🏀🏀🏀🏀🏀🏀🏀🏀

The Junior Boys Rainmakers are back home after their own travels, having taken part in the North Shore Invitational last weekend, where after an early stumble, Kevin Sawka's team rebounded to claim the top spot of the consolation round.

Like the Seniors, the Juniors are starting to catch some attention down south, earning an Honourable Mention in the most recent province-wide Junior Basketball Rankings.

This weekend the Junior Boys host their own tournament, the Coastal Clash, the annual gathering of Northwest basketball that brings teams from Haida Gwaii, Terrace, Kitimat, Hazelton and Smithers to the Charles Hays Gymnasium.

The tourney gets underway on Friday afternoon, with the games through the day Saturday leading up to the Championship showdown.

You can follow notes on the Rainmakers from two twitter feeds.

Charles Hays Rainmakers
Charles Hays Secondary School

For more notes on High School basketball across the Northwest see our archive page here.


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