After wining the consolation side at their last pre-provincials basketball tournament, the Mount Baker senior boys have nothing to do but practice before heading to Vancouver for March 16.

Last weekend, the Wild were in Calgary where they faced a top opponent off the hop in the Bowness Trojans.

Bowness had played Albert's No. 1 team, Western Canada, to within 15 points earlier this season; they did so despite being ill and having just returned from a tournament.

“They had size and a really good point guard,” said head coach Doug Bolander.

That didn't intimidate the Wild, who came up just short in a 66-60 battle.

“That was probably the best game we've ever played offensively and defensively,” said the Mount Baker coach.

“What I'm trying to teach the kids a motion offence, where we control the ball. I'm trying to get the concept across that the other team can't score if you have the ball. We're talking about good possessions and good decision making.”

They employed that motion offence — constantly moving with passes, screens, and cuts. The method leads to higher percentage shots, but fewer rebounds.

The difference in the game wound up being nine missed layups by the Wild.

“It was there. It's just a matter of making it,” said Bolander. “My message from Day 1 was to compete… We don't talk about winning or losing, just go and compete. I've told them over the last few days, ‘There are lots of teams that aren't going to be at provincials. We are there and they're not. Now it's up to us to prove we can go play.'”

Brady Atwood's 21 points was tops in the game. Rory Priore came down with 15 boards; as a team, the Wild out-rebounded the Trojans 45-33.

“Once we got into the other side of the draw, (the opponents) weren't at our calibre anymore. To us, that was our championship game,” said Bolander.

Once on the consolation side, the first years got the bulk of the floor time.

In Game 2, they faced an undersized Airdrie team that doesn't have a gym to practice in. The Wild's starters played five minutes, got the score to 16-2 and watched the rest of the game.

Tyler Lussier, who will be leaving the Wild soon to travel abroad, led with 32 points and 10 rebounds in a 79-14 win.

In Game 3, they faced the Lloydminster Barons. Like the Wild, they don't have a league to call their own and spend the year traveling from tournament to tournament.

Every Mount Baker player scored at least one point and got at least one rebound in the 62-35 win over the Barons.