A Battle for Bragging Rights - West Van Takes Down Mulgrave

December 8, 2023

West Vancouver v. Mulgrave

In a matchup featuring two West Van squads, expect to see the seats fill up in Mulgrave’s gym in this Friday night battle! The West Vancouver Highlanders are set to take on the Mulgrave Titans, and you know the teams have that little bit of extra motivation playing against a team from just down the road. 

Ball is up, and we are off to the races. You can feel the quiet nerves in the gym, as both teams are trying to settle themselves in with a positive possession or two. The Highlanders certainly saw some game tape from last night, as they are denying and face guarding #3 for the Titans, Abtin Zehtab, who went off for 56 points last night!  #5 on the Highlanders, Finn Chapman, is looking real comfortable from behind the three line hitting two deep balls early. West Van is applying full court pressure, using their length and athleticism to test the Titans early season decision-making. #5, Chapman, is showing off the versatility of his game with the pump-fake from 3 and finish inside. 6 minutes into the game the Highlanders are up 13-8. It’s early but this has been everything you could hope for with an incredible pace and both teams running in transition and attacking the rim with intention. At the conclusion of Q1, West Van is up 17-14. 

The physicality of the play is as you may expect with these rivals, making sure that their opponent is going to wake up with a new bruise or two they didn’t have the day before. The Highlanders are staying hot from range, pushing their lead to 10 a few minutes into the second quarter. One thing is for sure, West Van will not run out of bodies during this game - they have a bench so deep, they required additional seating to fit their 15+ person squad. The Highlanders pressure, which likely won’t stop coming with a deep bench, is doing the majority of the damage; forcing turnovers which lead to easy buckets is a recipe for success. That Highlanders’ recipe has led them straight into a 20-point lead with still a few minutes remaining in the half. 

At the end of the half, West Van has extended their lead to 22, up 44-22. 

Halftime Fact #1: We are witnessing a battle of the new (relatively) versus the old, Mulgrave was founded not long ago in 1993, whereas West Van was created in 1927.

If the Titans are going to keep this game competitive, you can bet that #3 Zehtab is going to play a major role on the offensive end. He found some moments in the first half, but the Highlanders have worked hard to make sure that he alone won’t be the reason for the Highlanders heading home with a loss. West Van’s Coach Ebes is looking to take advantage of this opportunity to work through some of their halfcourt sets, and iron out some of those early season wrinkles; he may not be completely satisfied but on a positive note, he’s got a long season ahead. After the third quarter, the Highlanders have increased their lead: 63-34.

The Titans may be down by a decent margin, but that has not affected their supporters' energy levels. Mulgrave’s Fan Zone is full of fellow students banging on drums early and often, whenever an excuse presents itself. Their support is being felt, as the Titans have been chipping away at the deficit, back to within 20 a few minutes into the final quarter. The Highlanders don’t seem interested in letting this get too exciting for the fans down the stretch, as they have gone back into a full court press with fresh legs looking to officially put this game out of reach. 

After both teams settled into this battle, the Highlanders found their groove and controlled the pace of play.  Mulgrave fought hard and gave their fans plenty to cheer about, but it was West Van who earned the coveted semi-final spot in the 2023 No Regrets Tourney. 

Final Score: West Van: 88 - Mulgrave: 52.

Player of the Game: West Van #5, Finn Chapman, 18 points.

No Regrets.