Sr Boy's Rainmakers make it close, but come up just short of upset over AAAA Handsworth

The Charles Hays Senior Boys Rainmakers and Handsworth Royals
went to the buzzer Saturday night in a high octane No Regrets Tourney final
(From Shutter hoops by way of Quinn Keast Foundation twitter feed)

It was a fitting finale to some high flying basketball in the lower mainland on Saturday evening as the Charles Hays Senior Boys Rainmakers renewed acquaintances with the Handsworth Royals , the two teams having shared the same stage one year ago in the Final of the Quinn Keast No Regrets tourney.

The Rainmakers blazed a path towards the Final with some strong efforts through the three days of tournament play having topped Mounth Boucherie, Pitt Meadows  and Kitsilano on their way to the Saturday night showdown.

The Rainmakers let the Royals get away from them for portions of the first half, with the North Vancouver team putting up a number of runs on the scoreboard before taking to the half with a  34 to 23 lead.

The second half however saw the Charles Hays refocus on their game and battle back, cutting the lead to but eight points by three quarter time, setting the stage for a frantic final frame of back and forth basketball

Kai Leighton delivered the first Rainmaker lead towards the middle part of the quarter, which gave the North Vancouver squad some concerns, that the northerners were battling hard to take their title from last year.

The game saw the teams exchange the lead into the final seconds with the Royals holding off the Rainmaker push to secure the 64 - 61 final score.

A review of the tourney final can be explored from the No Regrets website here.

The No Regrets Tournament All Star selections
(From Shutter Hoops by way of Quinn Keast Foundation Twitter feed)

Kai Leighton was named to the First Team All Stars, while Tyler Jones gained Second All Star honours from their work over the weekend.

A number of photos from the tournament weekend can be found from Shutterhoops through the No Regrets Twitter Feed.

And while a chance to take the tourney title may have slipped away, there will be much to take away from the three days on the North Shore, the Rainmakers standard of play early in the season making for a strong challenge to the top tier AAAA competition provided by Handsworth.

As well the experience of the tournament and competition from some of the other top teams of the lower mainland will make for a good measuring stick for the team as they make plans for their own tournament coming along in Mid December at the Charles Hays Gymnasium.

For more notes on the Rainmakers and Charles Hays Sports programs see our archive page here.

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