Photo Credit/Cover Design: Lorne White/KelownaNow

After a rare year’s absence, the Kelowna Owls will return to the B.C. School Sports provincial senior quad-A boys basketball championship at the Langley Events Centre.

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Photo Credit: Lorne White/KelownaNowParker Johnstone of the KSS Owls earned MVP honours at the Okanagan Valley tournament on the weekend.Perennial Okanagan representatives at Provincials prior to their upset loss to the Rutland Voodoos in the Okanagan Valley final in 2018, the Owls regained their status as the Valley’s best with a 97-91 come-from-behind victory over the Salmon Arm Golds on the weekend at Rutland Secondary School.

Following a script that resulted in a huge upset of their own early in January when they defeated the then-No. 1-ranked Lord Tweedsmuir Panthers of Surrey, the Owls relied heavily on their three-point shooting to defeat the Golds, looking for their first Valley title since 2004.

Photo Credit: Lorne White/KelownaNowA Valley tournament all-star, Hunter Simson contributed 23 points in the final.As he did in the surprising win over Tweedsmuir, Malcolm Greggor connected on nine baskets from outside the arc and finished with the identical 29 points to lead the Owls. The sharp-shooting Grade 11 all-star was good on four of six three-point shots in the defining fourth quarter and was 9-for-14 overall from beyond.

Valley MVP, senior Parker Johnstone, added 24 points and six rebounds, to help sooth the sting of last year’s loss to Rutland, while Hunter Simson, another Grade 11 Okanagan all-star, contributed 23 points and six boards.

Photo Credit: Lorne White/KelownaNowThe Owls' Kieran Chalmers goes on the defence against Salmon Arm in the Valley's title game.Despite playing their usual up-tempo game, with the hope of tiring out the Golds, the Owls found themselves down 21-17 at the quarter and trailed 44-38 by the half.

While the Golds extended their lead to 52-40 in the third quarter, KSS fought back to cut the lead to five (65-60) after 30 minutes.

Photo Credit: Lorne White/KelownaNowBraden White of the Owls shows deception early on in the Okanagan final against the Golds.Sparked by Greggor’s range-finder and their constant full-court pressure, the Black and Gold overtook Salmon Arm early in the fourth quarter and clutched control when they went up 85-77.

With three players from each team fouling out, depth in the lineups was tested, with the Owls prevailing. One of the momentum changers came midway through the fourth quarter as senior Justin Monteleone was able to draw a charging foul when the Golds were on a 2-on-1 fast break. It saved the Owls two points at a crucial moment and put Salmon Arm into further foul trouble.

Photo Credit: Lorne White/KelownaNowJonathan Haughton of the Owls weighs his option against Daniel Wyss of Salmon Arm.The Owls go into what is considered an up-for-grabs provincial championship tournament with a 20-14 record, although it is a bit misleading considering the team’s tough competition in tournaments this season. The Owls were 9-1 in the Okanagan, with their only loss (93-76) coming at the hands of Salmon Arm in league play.

The provincial draw will be released March 3 and the Owls are expected to be in the No. 6 to 8 range in the 16-team seeding.

Photo Credit: Lorne White/KelownaNowBrandon Porter led the scoring for the third-place Rutland Voodoos.Meanwhile, the 2018-champion Rutland Voodoos finished third in the Valley by winning two of three games, their only loss being an 88-72 decision to the Owls in semifinal play.

The Voodoos looked as though they might be able to repeat as Valley champs when they scored 30 points in the third quarter to take a 59-51 lead, but the three-point shooting of KSS again came to fore in the final frame as the Owls knocked down five of them on the way to earning a berth in the final against Salmon Arm.

Photo Credit: Lorne White/KelownaNowJosh Clancy of the Mt. Boucherie Bears makes his move to the hoop against Rutland's Nate Ringness-Law.Johnstone, Simson and Greggor again led KSS in scoring while Brandon Porter, Prabhtej Deol and Isaac Young were the tops marksmen is a losing cause.

The Voodoos’ closed out the season by defeating the Mt. Boucherie Bears 97-61 in a game that saw nine Rutland players contributing to their point total.

Photo Credit: ContributedThe Kelowna Owls earned a berth in the B.C. School Sports provincial quad-A boys basketball championship tournament in Langley with three straight wins at the Okanagan Valley championship tournament at Rutland Secondary School on the weekend. Members of the team are, from left, front: Liam Royston, Jonathon Haughton, Hunter Simson, Parker Johnstone, Ajay Gill and Malcolm Greggor. Back: Connor Dojohn, Jayden Lalonde, Braden White, Ethan Braam, Kieran Chalmers and Justin Monteleone.

Photo Gallery (98 photos) on KelownaNowSports Facebook page