The Peacock Toilers went on a 15-0 run to end the game as they came from behind to beat Vanier 84-72 in conference play in high school senior boys action.
The Vikings came out with a great start and built a 12-point first half lead. Peacock’s Eric Forbes hit an off-balance shot near half at the buzzer to cut the Vikings’ lead to 44-38.
“It really pumped us up. It was crazy. I can’t believe it went in,” said Forbes. “We knew they were going to come out with a lot of energy ... they were beating us and it was getting a little scary, but we matched their energy in the second half and we were able to come up with the win.”
The Vikings led 72-69 with a little under four minutes left when the Toilers made a late surge. They were fantastic from the line make the final minute more comfortable.
“This time of the year, it’s about the bottom line and the end result. We did what we had to do to play next week,” said Peacock coach Bryan Adams.
Forbes, a Grade 9 guard, finished with a game-high 31 points. Braeden Crone added 24 points for the Toilers, while picking up 16 rebounds and blocking six shots.
Vanier was led by Bryce Crosbie’s 22 points, while Seth Kowalski added 17 more.
“My boys battled hard all year. There were a lot of setbacks that we had to deal with,” said Vanier coach David Tardif. “One thing I was happy with was that they made no excuses. They kept fighting until the very bitter end.”
Peacock will now advance to the SHSAA regionals next weekend.
