THE Handsworth Royals senior boys basketball team couldn't keep up the hot shooting that pushed them to a Howe Sound title when they took on the best in B.C. at the AAA provincial championships held last week in Langley.
The Royals opened the tournament with a 74-65 loss to Abbotsford's W.J. Mouat Hawks, the fifth-ranked team heading into the tournament who would go on to match that ranking by finishing in fifth place at provincials. Luka Petkovic led the way for the Royals with 24 points, seven rebounds and three assists but Handsworth couldn't contain Mouat's Tristan Etienne who finished the game with 21 points and 18 rebounds.
Already on the consolation side, the Royals lost twice more, falling 73-54 to the Enver Creek Cougars and 65-59 to the Belmont Bulldogs.
Handsworth finally hit the win column in their last game of the tournament, scoring a 9879 win over the North Peace Oscars. Petkovic again led the way with 26 points, nine steals and five assists while Mo Karimirad fired in 21 points.
The Royals didn't go home completely empty handed as Karimirad won the tournament's three-point shooting competition.
Langley's Walnut Grove topped White Rock Christian Academy 59-53 in the final to win their first AAA championship in team history.
