Sparks fly: Cinderella Similkameen squad captures 1A title

The Similkameen Sparks are the 2026 BC School Sports 1A Boys Basketball Provincial Tournament champions. Garrett James photo

Third in their zone, but first in the province — that’s the story of the Similkameen Sparks.

The No. 10 seed completed a remarkable Cinderella run on Saturday afternoon, winning their fourth straight upset to defeat the top-seeded and defending champion St. John’s School Eagles 75–63 on Ken Winslade Court inside the Arena Bowl at Langley Events Centre.

The teams were meeting in the gold medal game of the BC School Sports 1A Boys Basketball Provincial Championship.

Similkameen — tied with Sparwood and Glenlyon Norfolk for the most 1A tournament appearances — captured the fourth provincial title in program history. It also marked the Keremeos school’s first championship since 2001.

Despite the final score, St. John’s led for much of the game, holding the advantage for 21:26 of the 40 minutes in a tightly contested matchup that featured eight ties and 14 lead changes.

The Sparks were led by tournament Most Valuable Player Balkaran Lidhar, who finished with 27 points and 14 rebounds. Jasdeep Dhaliwal added 23 points, including nine of 10 from the free-throw line in the fourth quarter.

Lucas Pawlowski paced the Eagles with 16 points and 20 rebounds.

In the bronze medal game, the Immaculata Mustangs defeated the Vernon Christian Royals 61–57 in overtime in an all Thompson-Okanagan matchup. Kai Oliveria led the Mustangs with 20 points, while JD Vass had a game-high 27 for the Royals.

Tournament Awards & Honours
• MVP: Balkaran Lidhar, Similkameen
• Best Defensive Player: Lucas Pawlowski, St. John’s School
• Championship Players of the Game: Krishon Terbasket, Similkameen; Remi Francois-Anderson, St. John’s School
• Most Sportsmanlike Team: Ebenezer Timbers
• Most Inspirational Team: Nisga'a Chiefs
• Most Inspirational Player: Naden Brown, Daaxigaan Sḵadáa Née

All-Stars
• First Team: Oliver Gingras (Vernon Christian), J.D. Vass (Vernon Christian), Jasdeep Dhaliwal (Similkameen), Remi Anderson-Francois (St. John’s School), Kian Afshar (St. John’s School)
• Second Team: Trace Swain (Daaxigaan Sḵadáa Née), Mateo Rizzo (Immaculata), Brayden McLaughlin, Kirn Dulohan (Similkameen), Douglas Cassidy (St. John’s School)

-30-