A championship is in Kelowna’s sights, while the Rockets and Warriors are getting closer to the end of their regular seasons this weekend.
Kelowna Owls
The Kelowna Secondary School Owls are in the final four of the AAAA BC School Sports Boys Basketball Provincial Championships.
Sitting in as the fifth-seed, the Owls advanced to the final four after beating Elgin Park Secondary off of a buzzer-beater three-pointer from Owen McParland to win 72-69.
KSS Owls Owen McParland hits an absurd buzzer beater to lift his squad to the @BC4ABoysBBall provincial semifinal.
— Bowen Assman (@B0B0Assman) March 10, 2023
A 72-69 epic at the LEC. Next up is top ranked Semiahmoo @BCHoopScoop @BCSchoolSports @bcboysbball @BasketballBC pic.twitter.com/VjIcl2ywTO
With the win, the Owls will now face the topped-ranked Semiahmoo Thunderbirds in the first semi-final on Friday night at 7 p.m. at the Langley Events Centre.
If they win, they’ll advance to the provincial finals at 8 p.m. on Saturday night.
Kelowna Rockets
It’s a massive weekend ahead of the Kelowna Rockets as they are looking to clinch the final playoff spot in the WHL’s Western Conference.
Going into the weekend, the Rockets destiny is in their own hands as they are 12 points ahead of the ninth place Victoria Royals for the final playoff spot. The Rockets have a record of 23-34-3-0 (49 points) after losing three games in a row.
On Friday night, they welcome the Vancouver Giants to town, who are seventh in the west and have already clinched their playoff spot as they have a 24-28-5-2 record (55 points). Kelowna is 3-2-1 after Vancouver this season with three matchups to go in the season-series.
Friday’s puck drop at Prospera Place is at 7:05 p.m.
And then the Rockets will head south of the border to take on the Spokane Chiefs on Saturday night. The Chiefs are 14 points behind Kelowna as of Friday morning but have more games to play down the stretch compared to Kelowna and Victoria.
After Kelowna won the first match up of the season 10-3, Spokane as won the last two by the scores of 2-1 and 7-4.
Saturday night’s puck drop is at 7:05 p.m. at Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena.
The three-game weekend comes to an end on Sunday afternoon as they Rockets take on the Tri-City Americans for the final time this season. Tri-City, who sits sixth in the Western Conference, has a record of 28-25-5-2 but Kelowna has bested them this season, leading the season-series 2-1.
Sunday’s puck drop is at 4;05 p.m. at the Toyota Center in Kennewick, Washington.
The Rockets will continue to be without goaltender Talyn Boyko, forward Marcus Pacheco, and defenceman Ismail Abougouche who are all out with injuries. They will also be without forward Logan Peskett for the rest of the season as he recently underwent successful shoulder surgery. Affiliate players Landon Cowper and Kayden Longley remain with the team.
West Kelowna Warriors
On Friday night, the West Kelowna Warriors begin a five-game homestand that will almost bring their regular season to an end.
The Warriors, who have already clinched a playoff spot, welcome the Prince George Spruce Kings on Friday night. West Kelowna is third in the BCHL’s Interior Conference with a record of 26-17-5-0 while Prince George sits in fifth - 24-19-4-1. The Warriors have won three of four games against the Spruce Kings this season, outscoring them 15-11.
Friday night’s puck drop at Royal LePage Place is at 7 p.m. as the Warriors host Feed the Valley night. Fans coming to the game are to bring a non-perishable food item to donate.
On Saturday night, the lights will be on the Royal LePage Place once again as the Warriors host the Coquitlam Express, who sit fifth in the Coastal Conference - 24-16-4-3. Puck drop is also at 7 p.m.
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@cunninghamjordy
jordy.cunningham@kelownacapnews.com
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