Westmount defends boys volleyball title
The Westmount Wildcats, Adam Scott Lions and Millbrook-South Cavan Hawks will compete in the Kawartha Pine Ridge Elementary Athletics Association (KPREAA) finals after claiming the top spots at the intermediate boys competitive volleyball tournament Monday.
Westmount Public School successfully defended its 2016 title in the local competition, defeating Adam Scott Collegiate 2-0 – winning by scores of 25-12 and 25-17 – in the afternoon gold medal match at Crestwood Secondary School.
In the tournament semi-finals, Westmount defeated Millbrook South Cavan 2-0 and Adam Scott defeated Chemong 2-0 to advance.
Millbrook defeated Chemong 2-0 in the bronze medal game, which determined the third team to advance to KPREAA, set for Monday in Cobourg.
Westmount player Greg Ebisuzaki-Mackay said communication – including positive reinforcement – was key to his team’s success.
“We never got down on each other,” he said, adding how the team is looking to improve on last year’s second-place finish at KPREAA. “We want to show up and win there.”
Coach Andrew Hinchey said the boys worked hard, practising with continuous repetitions in order to improve their ball movement skills. That helped them push through the more-challenging parts of Monday’s games, he said.
Many of the players were on the same team last year and know what to expect at KPREAA. “They know that teams will be coming at them, but they only look at it as motivation.”
Adam Scott coach Chris Entwistle was proud of his team’s silver medal performance. His group may be quiet and shorter than others, but it has proven mighty on the court.
As an educator, he appreciates how they have been able to look past losses and to the positives of the future – not to mention developing key skills in communication, goal-setting and developing relationships with their teammates.
“They learn all of that through the game,” he said, pointing that is the goal at the intermediate level – preparing students for high school.
The tournament included 10 teams from the Kawartha Pine Ridge North Cardinal Area with schools from Peterborough and area – up from seven last year. Each round robin match consisted of two games to 25 points. Teams earned two points for a set win and one for a set loss.
In Pool A, Westmount came out on top with 16 points, with North Shore, Millbrook, Queen Mary and Lakefield following with 12, 12, 11 and nine respective points.
In Pool B, Chemong came out on top with 16 points, with James Strath, Adam Scott, Queen Elizabeth and Armour Heights following with 13, 13, nine and nine respective points.
The tournament playoffs moved to a best-of-three games format, with the third game, if needed, going to 15 points instead of 25.
Three of the quarter-final matches were in fact decided in a third game, convenor Ryan Richardson said as the semi-finals were played. “It’s been really, really tight.”
A coach for the Westmount girls squad, he pointed out how much the game has grown locally – along with the skill level – in his decade of involvement.
The game used to be very much like tennis with the ball being hit back and forth – now, it’s very much about the three contacts: bump, set and spike. The number of local programs dedicated to the sport have played a huge role, he said.
Volleyball is unique in that everyone has to be able to pass and no individual can really ever take over a game, Richardson said. “You need all six players on the court to be working together.”