The Vanier Towhees senior boys basketball team concluded the regular season with an 85-70 win over Cowichan, Thursday at home in front of 500 fans.
“This was also Senior’s Night thanking these 10 seniors for the time they put in representing their school for four or five years,” Vanier coach Larry Street said.
The Towhees ran to a 30-12 lead in the first quarter. The half-time score was 48-31.
The home side was in command until junior call-up Shayden Smid scored 27 points in the third quarter to keep Cowichan close. But Street said “ultra rebounding” by Brayden Waugh and Peter Greaves, and excellent free-throw shooting by Waugh (10 for 12) and Jakob Tortorelli (eight for eight) secured the Towhees’ win.
Tuesday in Nanaimo, Vanier played Dover Bay for the second time in 4A league, and the third time this season, having lost their first two contests. This time, with a healthy squad, the Towhees were ready to prove they can handle Dover. And that they did.
The first half was back and forth, with a half time score of 38-36 Vanier. The third quarter proved to be Vanier’s as they fast broke well, and defended the smaller Dolphins, who were crippled a bit by fouls. Still, they had the best player on the Island — Brad Lansdell — who can score in bushels, and the score creeped up. But Vanier had more weapons, and Cam Bell had his best game of the year ending with 23 points, six assists and five rebounds, and having to check Lansdell for most of the game. Greaves added 13 points and 18 big rebounds while adding four assists. Tortorelli chipped in 12 points and seven rebounds. Waugh scored nine points and pulled down 12 rebounds. The final score was 83-69 in favour of Vanier.
The Towhees finished the regular season with a record of 21-7.
Vanier, Dover Bay, Cowichan and Nanaimo District Secondary School (NDSS) compete in the 4A North Island league. Playoffs are next weekend at Dover Bay. This is a seeding tournament for the four teams, which all compete at the Island Championships, Feb. 20-22 at NDSS.