Basketball teams stand tall at B.C. Games
Zone 8 basketball teams powered by Prince George players made their mark on the B.C. Summer Games.
At the Games, which wrapped up Sunday in Abbotsford, Cariboo-North East boys and girls hoops squads finished fifth – their best results since 2002, and likely their best-ever. In eightteam fields, both regional clubs finished with 2-2 records.
In the boys tournament, Cariboo-North East defeated Fraser River 47-44 in the game for fifth and sixth place. Cariboo-North East coach Aaron Brouwer said his team’s defensive play was the difference in the close victory.
“The boys all bought in to our defence,” he said. “We weren’t giving up opportunities and we were just battling.”
On offence, meanwhile, the strategy was to push the pace as hard as possible. The game started late Saturday afternoon and, going into it, the Zone 8 boys were still buzzing from a 48-41 victory earlier in the day against Vancouver Coastal. “They knew they had something to play for in that (Vancou- ver Coastal) game and they went out and proved it,” said Brouwer, noting that the goal for the weekend was to set a new standard of success for the zone.
The Cariboo-North East squad could have finished even higher if it had gotten an extra break or two in its first couple games. Both ended as two-point losses – 53-51 against Fraser Valley in the opener and 55-53 against Thompson-Okanagan.
Local members of CaribooNorth East were Lucas Crosina, Zachary Hitz, Jackson Kuc, Connor Lewis, Caleb Lyons, Owen MacDonald, Colton Meehan, Benjamin Onyenwosa and Saagar Shergill. Vanderhoof players Luke Fehr and Regan Unger were also part of the club’s success.
“I’m super proud,” said Brouwer, who was assisted by John MacDonald.
“They worked so hard for this, and a couple bounces go our way, and we’re right in there for the semifinals and competing for a medal.”
In the gold-medal game, Vancouver-Coastal A downed Thompson-Okanagan 69-65.
I’m super proud. They worked so hard for this, and a couple bounces go our way, and we’re right in there for... a medal. — Aaron Brouwer
In the girls tournament, Cariboo-North East beat Vancouver Island-Central Coast 31-21 in its last game to secure the fifthplace finish.
“The girls played outstanding defence – really came together with everything we’ve been teaching them and they kept us in games because of that,” said coach Craig Douglass, who worked alongside Wade Loukes and Nicole Schlick.
“We were ranked seventh so going into it we were underdogs,” Douglass added. “I’m not surprised (with our finish). I think the girls played the way we expected them to, especially after our recent trip to Edmonton where we did very well as well. We were kind of hitting stride.”
The Zone 8 girls started the B.C. Games with a 26-25 win against VancouverCoastal, lost 46-33 to Fraser River and fell 54-24 to Thompson-Okanagan to end up in the game for fifth and sixth place.
The Cariboo-North East lineup was an all-Prince George one. Team members were Nina Gajic, Hannah Loukes, Paige Unger, Courtney Bouwman, Jasmin Schlick, Camryn Douglass, Alyssa Brown, McKenna Arsenault, Talisa Ferguson, Erin Unger, Julia Kreitz and Grace Caillier.
In the final, Vancouver-Coastal A defeated Fraser Valley 46-32.
In volleyball, meanwhile, the CaribooNorth East roster was filled exclusively by P.G. talent and the team came home with bronze. For the medal, the Zone 8 squad beat Vancouver Coastal in three sets, 25-16, 18-25, 15-11. In the semis, Cariboo-North East lost a heartbreaker to Vancouver Island-Central Coast 21-25, 25-20, 15-13.
In pool play, Cariboo-North East finished with a 5-1 record.
The team, coached by Glenn Wong and Linden Smith, was formed by Matthew Shand, Kyle McKee, Colby Graham, Zach Ohori, Christopher Magrath, Nolan Minck, Rylan Bowen-Colthurst, Logan Hladchuk, Cole Johnston, Rafael Rodrigues, Caleb Gurney and Dayton O’Neill.
Mackenzie Lewington, a member of the Prince George Barracudas swim club, also had a shining weekend at the B.C. Summer Games. He won two gold medals (boys 400-metre individual medley and 800m freestyle), one silver (200m IM) and one bronze (200m breaststroke).
Other medalists from the Prince George/ Mackenzie area included: Autumn Litnosky, silver, girls solo canoe, 200m learn to train; Chanelle Peters, silver, equestrian, jumper; Braedon Muise, bronze, towed water sports, boys 10-13 slalom; and Angela Wesner, bronze, wrestling, 47-kilogram class.
In the final standings, Cariboo-North East placed sixth out of eight with 26 medals (six gold, seven silver, 13 bronze).
The girls played outstanding defence – really came together with everything we’ve been teaching them and they kept us in games because of that. — Craig Douglass