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Courtenay school kicks off basketball season at Chilliwack Tournament

The 2022-23 version of the GP Vanier senior boys basketball team started their season at the Chilliwack Tournament on the weekend. The first game of the year was to be an exhibition in Port Alberni but snow postponed it to another date.
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File photo of Vanier/Isfeld senior boys basketball game last season.

The 2022-23 version of the GP Vanier senior boys basketball team started their season at the Chilliwack Tournament on the weekend. The first game of the year was to be an exhibition in Port Alberni but snow postponed it to another date.

The young team at Vanier started out very well against the home team Storm from Chilliwack. The first half was back and forth, and predictably sloppy, being it was the first game of the year for both teams. Half-time score was 26-25 Chilliwack.

The second half showed the grit the Towhees need to be competitive in games, and the team defence got things rolling, creating numerous fast break opportunities. Everybody played, and contributed to a 68-53 Vanier win. Jace McDowell led all scorers with 24 points, and Kaizan Hajdrich chipped in a nice 16 points. Imraan Abdul also had 12 points, while pulling down a team leading 12 rebounds, eight steals, and three assists. Kaizan had seven steals and four assists while Jace contributed 10 boards as well to complete the double double. A great start to the season.

Game two was against a much taller, and very athletic Mountain team from Langley. The Towhees kept the game close at the half being down 30 to 35. But, trouble came against the Mountain strong half court trap, and we coughed up the ball too much, ending with 24 turnovers.

Shimon Hashimoto had 14 points, McDowell had 11, and Abdul scored 12 points and 14 rebounds. Team shooting was dismal, and Vanier lost 50-76 to the Langley team.

Game three for third place was against M.E.I. from Abbotsford. The Towhees gave it a good shot, but had trouble with the long lanky Eagles. Having 6’9”, 6’7” and 6’6” was difficult to keep away from the basket. Imraan and Jace each scored 13 points, but the rest of the Towhees had issues with finishing. Vanier’s shooting percentage was low, both from the field and the free-throw line.

Still, it was a great effort and a good indication that there is plenty of room for improvement. Final score: Vanier 43, M.E.I. 89.

Next up is a league game at Cowichan Dec. 6, followed by the Mt. Doug Victoria tournament Dec. 8-10.