Torchmen/ Torchettes host
Eight senior teams taking part in Aidan Harrington Memorial tournament
Kensington Intermediate-Senior High School is hosting the second annual Aidan Harrington Memorial basketball tournament this weekend.
It’s a special weekend for the Kensington Intermediate-Senior High School (KISH) basketball program.
KISH’s two senior teams – Torchmen and Torchettes – will host the second annual Aidan Harrington Memorial basketball tournament on Friday and Saturday.
“The tournament is for a former player who was a star player here, and to play in the same gym as he did is a pretty good feeling,” explained Torchmen shooting guard A.J. Cahill of Kensington.
“The tournament is for a former player who was a star player here, and to play in the same gym as him is a pretty good feeling.” Torchmen shooting guard A.J. Cahill
Harrington passed away suddenly at the age of 20 in November 2016 in Halifax, N.S., where he was attending university. Cahill and fellow Grade 11 student Callie Champion played in last year’s inaugural event, and call it an honour to play in the tournament honouring the former basketball star and 2014 male athlete of the year at KISH.
Eight teams
This year’s event features eight teams – four boys and four girls. The tournament got underway on Thursday night as Montague played Charlottetown Rural Team Two in P.E.I.’s capital city. Round-robin play continues on Friday afternoon and Saturday morning, with games at the KISH and Kinkora Regional High School gymnasiums. The top two teams after roundrobin play will advance to Saturday afternoon’s championship games at KISH – boys at 1 p.m., and girls at 2:45 p.m.
“We just want to bring the passion, work hard and we look forward to it,” said Champion, who is from Margate and plays the forward position.
Strong season
The Torchettes are enjoying a strong season, and sport a 7-1 (won-lost) in P.E.I. School Athletic Association league play. Champion said one key to the team’s success has been combining strong offence and defence.
“We are a fun bunch and are
doing a lot better than we expected,” said the 17-year-old Champion in describing the
Torchettes. “We don’t have a big team, but we are making the most out of it and it is working
for us so far.” Although the Torchettes have defeated the other three tournament entries – Westisle Team Two, Kinkora and Charlottetown Rural Team Two – in league play, Champion said they can’t take anything for granted.
“We can’t go in thinking it is going to be easy because we beat them before,” added Champion, who sank a gamewinning shot in the final minute to give the Torchettes a 60-59 road win over Montague on Monday night.
When asked about draining the pressure-filled shot, Champion replied: “I was so excited. Oh my goodness, it was a relief.”
Torchmen
The Torchmen, meanwhile, are 3-4 in league play, and will be joined by Charlottetown Rural Team Two, Montague and Kinkora. Kensington defeated Kinkora in league play
while losing to Rural Team Two and Montague.
“Our team is a tall team, and we will be looking to rebound,” said Cahill in describing the 2017-18 edition of the Torchmen.
The tournament carries significant importance for the Torchmen, who are coached by Harrington’s sister, Hannah Harrington.
“We want to be focusing on the game, and getting those offensive rebounds we need to get to score those easy points,” answered Cahill, who also noted “strong defence and communication” are other important aspects.
“We want to make good decisions with the ball,” continued Cahill, 16. “We want to make sure we make things the easiest way possible.”