Isfeld Ice hosting Island junior girls basketball championships

The running shoes are revved up, the offences and defences fine-tuned, and what is left is the drama of the Vancouver Island  Junior Girls High School Basketball Championships at Isfeld Secondary Feb. 23-25 starting on Thursday at 3:30 p.m.

The teams include three from the Greater Victoria area, including provincially ranked Oak Bay and Claremont, as well as Pacific Christian, a Mid-Island rep Shawnigan Lake and four North Island teams: Alberni, Kwalikum, Ballenas from Parksville and our own Isfeld Ice.

The tournament draw on Thursday is as follows:

3:30 p.m. - Alberni (North #2) vs. Shawnigan Lake (Mid-Island #1)

5 p.m. - Oak Bay (South Island #1) vs. Kwalikum (North Island #4)

6:30 p.m. - Mark Isfeld (North Island #3) vs. Claremont (South Island #2)

8 p.m. - Ballenas (North Island #1) vs. Pacific Christian (South Island #3)

Famous local soothsayer Gypsy Gertrude has been kind enough to gaze into her cracked crystal ball and offer her pre-tournament predictions as follows:

• Oak Bay - Top 4 B.C. ranked all year – book the ferry trip to the Provincials

• Claremont - Dheensaw runs the show and  features the return of UVIC / Courtenay ex-player now coach Tara Gallaway. Welcome home, Tara!

• Ballenas - Smooth and quick and do not play like senior citizens from Parksville

• Mark Isfeld - Talented, hard working, spirited girls but head coach runs out of gas in 4th quarter.

• Alberni - Very talented guards and well coached.  Always tricky with surpises up their sleeves

• Pacific Christian - Unknown so could surprise

• Kwalikum - Well-coached and skilled but lacking a dominant inside presence

• Shawnigan Lake-  Unknown as well and could surprise.

"For exciting, spirited girls basketball the Isfeld gym is the place to be Thursday, Friday, Saturday," Gypsy Gertrude prognosticated without fear of contradiction.