Vancouver College caps off perfect season with championship

The Vancouver College Fighting Irish captured the 2026 Junior Boys Basketball Invitational Tournament championship after defeating the Burnaby South Rebels on February 24 at Langley Events Centre. Garrett James photo

It was the cherry on top.

The Vancouver College Fighting Irish capped a perfect 34-0 season with a 73-60 win over the Burnaby South Rebels in front of a capacity crowd on South Court at Langley Events Centre Tuesday night, claiming the school’s eighth Junior Boys Basketball Invitational Tournament championship.

“I knew it was possible because of this team’s talent and completeness,” said coach Siamak Salehi. “But winning every game was never the goal. We just aimed to be our best by February. One of my favorite fruits is a cherry … and this was the cherry on top.”

The final pitted the top two seeds of the 32-team field against each other: Vancouver College at No. 1, Burnaby South at No. 2. Early on, the Irish raced to a 21-6 lead, but Burnaby South fought back, cutting the deficit to five by halftime.

Salehi’s halftime message was simple: “We had to control the pace. We were letting them rush us, dictate the game. In the second half, we focused on our tempo and getting the ball inside—and it worked.”

Koen Li, named tournament MVP, led Vancouver College with 17 points. Lucas Villanueva added 16, including eight in the final eight minutes, while Balshaan Dhaliwal (13), Ben Hetherington (11) and Bruce Williscroft (10) also reached double figures. “Koen has been our engine all year, our steady ship,” Salehi said. “He settled us down.”

For Burnaby South, Nolan Ellis led with 22 points and Caelan Relova added 14.

In the third-place game, Holy Cross defeated Brookswood 61-53. Udhav Juneja led Holy Cross with 16 points while Marcus Tyler was tops for Brookswood with 15.

Awards & Honors

• Tournament MVP: Koen Li, Vancouver College
• Best Defensive Player: Nathaniel Osei-Boadu, Burnaby South
• Championship Players of the Game: Balshaan Dhaliwal, Vancouver College; Nolan Ellis, Burnaby South
• Most Sportsmanlike Team: Rutland Thunder

First Team All-Stars:

• Isaiah German, Holy Cross
• Bruce Williscroft, Vancouver College
• Nolan Ellis, Burnaby South
• Mason Nohr, Brookswood
• Miguel Sampson, Burnaby South

Second Team All-Stars:

• Sawyer Roberts, Duchess Park
• Musa Whelan-Sadike, Vancouver Technical
• Udhave Juneja, Holy Cross
• Daveen Rahimi, Heritage Woods
• Balshaan Dhaliwal, Vancouver College

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