The Highland senior boys basketball team participated in the Edward Milne AA Tournament in Sooke on Dec. 28 and 29. Game one versus Parkland Secondary saw two evenly matched teams battling it out. Will Derksen, who was all arms in the paint, scored six points in the first quarter and would go on to draw out eight free throw opportunities through the third and fourth quarters.
The team took a hit when guard Luke Yeo was injured in the second quarter. Luke, who is sitting third in the North Island AA high scorer stats with 62 points, was left benched for the remainder of the tournament with a torn tendon and a fractured foot. The under-manned team managed to remain competitive but despite their best efforts, lost to Parkland 59-56.
Game two versus Spectrum saw Adam Torry take centre stage when he chipped in more than 19 points as the high scorer of the game. Derksen and Josh Taylor added 14 points each while David Ng hit a three-pointer in both the first and fourth quarter leading to Highland’s 63-30 victory.
The final game versus Frances Kelsey was another blowout with a final score of 73 to 31 for Highland. Grade 10 student Josh Taylor landed a personal best of five three-point shots and finished as the game’s top scorer with 25 points. Renzo Martinez-Valera hit a trio of three-pointers, and Ng chipped in two three-pointers of his own. Despite the Raiders’ consistent and competitive performance, Parkland went on to win the tournament.
The Raiders participate at the Towhee Tournament starting Thursday, Jan. 10 at the Vanier gymnasium. Come support your local seniors.