The College Heights Cougars fell one victory short of a major tournament title.
The local senior boys volleyball squad finished second at the 32-team Best of the West gathering in Kelowna on the weekend. In Saturday's championship final, the Cougars fell in three sets to the George Elliot Coyotes of Lake Country. Scores in the match were 25-22, 24-26, 15-6.
Heading into the event, the Cougars were ranked No. 3 in the provincial double-A division, one spot higher than the Coyotes.
At the Best of the West, the Coyotes were the only team to beat the Cougars, and they did it twice. In pool play on Friday, George Elliot downed College Heights 25-19, 25-19.
In their other pool-play contests, the Cougars battled to victories against MEI (No. 5 double-A, 25-16, 29-27) and Abbotsford Christian (No. 1 double-A, 17-25, 25-22, 15-12).
In their crossover playoff match, the Cougars met the No. 7 double-A team, Princess Margaret, and earned a 25-18, 27-25 decision. In the quarterfinals, College Heights beat Vernon Christian, the No. 1 single-A team in the province, 25-17, 25-27, 15-9. That win moved the Cougars into the semifinals, where they played Earl Marriott of Surrey and bounced back for the victory after an opening set loss. Scores in that match were 22-25, 25-12, 15-12.
Two members of the Cougars - Matthew Shand and Zach Ohori - were selected as tournament all-stars.
The D.P. Todd Trojans and Kelly Road Roadrunners also competed at the Best of the West and posted top-16 results.
Local senior boys and senior girls teams will be in Dawson Creek for tournaments this weekend.
