For the first time in four years, the host Kelowna Owls will be distinct underdogs at their own Interior Savings Western Canada Basketball Tournament.
Ranked as honourable mentions in the latest B.C. quad-A high school boys basketball rankings, the two-time defending champs at the Western Canada are considered a long shot for a three-peat in the 45th edition of the storied event at Kelowna Secondary School.
The eight-team lineup for Feb 1-3 will include B.C.’s No. 2-ranked Oak Bay Bays of Victoria and the Harry Ainley Titans of Edmonton, the No. 1-seeded team from Alberta.
Abbotsford’s W.J. Mouat Hawks, ranked sixth in the provincial rankings, will be joined by the No. 8 Semiahmoo Totems of Surrey, along with the South Kamloops Titans, ranked No. 4 in the AAA division in B.C.
Rounding out the Prairie entries are the Vincent Massey Trojans of Winnipeg, the No. 3 team from Manitoba, and the Marion Graham Collegiate Falcons of Saskatoon.
The Owls are 4-3 against B.C. opponents this season and are coming off a 1-2 record at the Wilson High School tournament in Tacoma and splitting four games at the Jasper Place REB Classic in Edmonton during the Christmas break.
The Black and Gold won the Western Canada for the first time in 33 years in 2015 and repeated as champs in 2016, while the Owls were runners-up in 2011 and 2012.
The tournament draw will be released on Jan. 24.
Hoop fans can get a preview of the 2017-18 edition of the Owls on Tuesday when they play host to the Mt. Boucherie Bears beginning at 7:45 p.m. at KSS. The schools' senior girls team tip off at 6 p.m.
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