The host Kelowna Owls couldn't hold off the tenacity of the Sir Winston Churchill Bulldogs on Friday and suffered their second straight loss at the 40th annual Interior Savings Western Canada Basketball Tournament.
Trailing by just a point going into the fourth quarter of their consolation-side matchup at Kelowna Secondary School, the Owls were outscored by nine points in the final frame to fall 77-67 to Alberta's No. 3-ranked team from Calgary.
Point guard Adonis Monfort-Palomino scored a game-high 25 points, including 18 from three-point range, to lead the Bulldogs. Teammate Derian Valdes, a 6-foot-2 forward, contributed 18 points, 12 of which came from beyond the arc. Scott Lamb was also in double figures, finishing with 14 points.
The Owls, playing without recently injured Buzz Truss, their top scorer prior breaking his ankle two weeks ago, once again couldn't put away enough of their opportunities to claim a win.
Malcolm Hlady's 21 points was tops for the Black and Gold, who opened the tournament on Thursday by dropping a 61-55 decision to the John Taylor Collegiate Pipers of Winnipeg. He was good on four of 10 three-point shots.
Point guard Joe Burma had another strong outing for the Owls and added 15 points, while Cooper Simson, the team's top marksman on Thursday, chipped in with 14 against Churchill.
The Owls, ranked No. 7 in the province coming into the tournament, will now play for seventh place today against Alberta's No. 4 St. Francis Xavier Rams of Edmonton beginning at 2:30 p.m. at KSS.
Meanwhile, Sir Winston Churchill will take on the Kelvin Clippers of Winnipeg for fourth place. Tip-off is 4:15 p.m.
The Clippers, who dropped an 82-62 decision to B.C.'s No. 5 Kitsilano Clippers on Thursday, bounced back to defeat St. Francis 89-77 in overtime on Friday.
Ahead by eight points in the first quarter and by three going into the final frame, the Clippers couldn't hold on in the fourth quarter, but pulled away with an 18-6 OT period.
Five players - Marco Valera (20), Liam Haime (19), Dian Gjuric (17), Justin Miranda (10) and Ivan Paskvalin (10) - reached double figures for the winners, who are ranked eighth in Manitoba.
The Rams got a 17-point effort from Nikko Guce, while Alex Kozicki netted 12 to go along with 10 from Revin Zabala.
EXTRA POINTS: Kelowna Owls' Raphael Jackson joined the illustrious company of WCT stars by winning the tournament's slam dunk title. With his sweet under-the-hoop left-handed reverse dunk, he shone above the pool of outstanding performers.