École Au-coeur-de-l’île has its first championship team.
Last Friday night, ACDI’s Grade 9 girls’ basketball team withstood a tenacious effort by Lake Trail to secure an epic 30-25 win in the regional finals.
ACDI was positioned in third place in the division going into last weekend’s local championships.
The ACDI Prédateurs beat out the Isfeld Ice in the semifinal; the game was tied until the last three minutes when team captain Emily Lefebvre took a shot outside the three point line, securing a 32-29 lead for her team.
“It was a real nail-biter right down to the final few seconds,” says coach Terina Lefebvre.
There were good performances in this game by seasoned player Olivia Logan (known for her long rebounding arms) and developing players Catrina Krejci (always light on her feet), Maddison Thomas (for tireless defence) and Lilan "Wheels" Forsyth ( totally new to the game this year but poised to be the fastest on the court).
The game of the night was the final against Lake Trail. It was a hard-fought match on both sides, with ACDI assistant captain Célia Belhadi proving once again she is the rebound queen. Hanna Mazzocchi of Lake Trail was a force to be reckoned with, but was evenly matched by the laser-like focus of ACDI's Laurie Chretien-Denommé.
All the players on the Lake Trail team were well-rounded and strong, whereas ACDI still has several developing players and half of ACDI’s team is made up of Grade 8s – such as Sophie Laplante whose passion and drive for the game is outstanding. Without question ACDI went into the final as the underdog in terms of size, and number of players to draw from, a team spokesperson said.
The final was a low scoring game due to the impenetrable defence of both teams. Kayla Kalhous with her consistent and strategic playing and Océanie Rainville with her “never give up the fight” attitude rounded out the ACDI team and the defensive line.
In the last five minutes of the game both teams tired but ACDI conquered their opponent’s offence. ACDI kept their composure through the entire game to get the hard-earned victory.
The team wishes to thank their coaches Terina Lefebvre, Claudia Vachon and Emilie Sylvestre.
This Friday, Au-cœur de l’île will hold their second annual Heartbreakers exhibition tournament, hosting three other Comox Valley teams. This time it will be more about having fun than taking home the win.
FREE THROWS École au-cœur-de-l’île is a public school serving 231 kindergarten to Grade 12 francophone students in and around the Comox Valley … the school also houses a francophone daycare and pre-school …