 Davite Ciancio of the Dr. Knox Falcons dribbles into the Penticton Lakers' end of the court during its round-robin game at the annual Dr. Knox Invitational Grade 9 tournament on the weekend. The Falcons went on to win the event with three straight victories. |
Already with four tournament victories against the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island opponents, the provincially No. 1-ranked Falcons played host to the 21st annual Grade 9 Knox Invitational, winning all three games in convincing fashion and claiming yet another tournament title.
A 101-31 defeat of the KLO Cougars in Saturday's final capped a perfect weekend for the Falcons. Parker Simson scored 20 points for the winners and Matt Doricic was named the Falcons' top defensive player in the title match.
Knox earned a berth in the championship showdown by defeating the Rutland Voodoos 100-28, with tournament all-star, Matt Lafontaine and Nav Sandhu leading a balanced attack with 18 points apiece. Tristan Bouchard was an anchor on defence with four steals.
In their opener, the Falcons breezed by the Penticton Lakers to the tune of 80-23. They got a 31-point effort from Lafontaine, considered one of the top Grade 9 players in the province. Jae Steinhauer-Rudrum, another tournament all-star, added 13 points, while the Falcons put away a team-record 10 baskets from three-point range.
Meanwhile, the Voodoos registered a pair of wins on the weekend, defeating the South Kamloops Titans 52-42 and the Princess Margaret Mustangs of Penticton 60-51. Rutland's Jackson Sheppard and Eric Wright were selected to the tournament all-star team.
