Three Isfeld girls basketball teams competed in Nanaimo on the weekend. The Grade 8s won their first two games at the Vancouver Island University tournament, then lost 27-16 to a tough Carnarvon Club team from Victoria. Rookie coaches Sophie Reimer and Lawrence Floucoult were proud of the defence as Carnarvon had racked up 40 points in each of their first two games.
The seniors, at Nanaimo District Secondary (NDSS), beat the host school and Dover Bay by 20-plus points each in exhibition games. The team also won its first league game by 20 over Wellington. Coaches Craig Follis and Colin Tinga are pleased with the promise the team is showing. The seniors host the AAA Vancouver Island Championships Feb. 16-18.
The juniors were at a 12-team event Saturday at VIU. They beat Wellington 38-6 in their first game, then faced the junior Carnarvon Club team. Isfeld set the tone with defence, holding the Victoria squad scoreless in the first quarter and only allowing four first-half points. All players saw the floor in a 48-17 win for the Ice.
This set the stage for a final against Victoria’s Royal Bay, a talented team of mostly Grade 10s who beat Ballenas and Timberline each by 50-plus points in pool play. Isfeld went up 14-5 then hit a scoring drought. The girls did not expect to see a zone defence this early in the season, but Royal Bay camped out three tall players in the key and took a 16-14 lead. After a back-and-forth second half, the score was tied at 32 with three minutes left. Isfeld clamped down on defence, executed on offence, and ended the game on a 9-0 run to seal a 41-32 win.
“It was a true team effort,” a news release states. “The team has been working hard in practice and the chemistry of 12 Grade 9s and four Grade 10s is starting to come together.”
Isfeld won its first league game, 55-14 over Carihi in Campbell River. They are in Port Coquitlam for the Gleneagle Candy Cane Classic Tournament Dec. 15 and 16.