Oak Bay, Claremont have Island title in sight

They are the hosts but head coach Darren Reisig knows his Claremont Spartans will need a lot more than home court advantage if they’re going to knock off the top-ranked Oak Bay Breakers and win the Vancouver Island triple-A girls basketball championship.

“They’re No. 6 in the province for a reason,” said Reisig, whose South second-seed Spartans open the Island tournament today against North third seed G.P. Vanier in a quarter-final at 2:15 p.m.

“Oak Bay has five or six really talented seniors and they’ve been a strong team all season so they are the favourites again this week.”

Rob Kinnear’s Oak Bay squad may be the favourites but the coaches and players both know the game will be decided on the court. And Claremont, with a trio of talented seniors of their own — Sierra Reisig, Maddie Manns and Chloe Scaber — recently played Oak Bay close in the city final and were given an honourable mention nod in the latest B.C. high school basketball rankings.

“The players on these two teams know each other so well from provincials teams and playing against each other so often that it always makes for great basketball and I expect nothing less this week,” Reisig said.

First up for Oak Bay today is South fifth seed Spectrum at 7:30 p.m. The other quarter-finals have North No. 1 seed Nanaimo District taking on Belmont at 4 p.m. and North No. 2 Cowichan going up against South No. 3 Stelly’s at 5:45 p.m.

The semifinals go Friday at 5:30 and 7:15 p.m., with the final slated for Saturday at 6:15 p.m.

The top two teams advance to the provincial championship tournament Feb. 28-March 3 at the Langley Events Centre. The third-place finisher will play a challenge game on the Lower Mainland.

The double-A girls Island championship begins today at Mark Isfeld in Courtenay. The hosts are joined by fellow North teams Alberni, Kwalikum and Ballenas, while the South is represented by St. Michaels University School, Lambrick Park, Royal Bay and Pacific Christian School.

The final goes Saturday at 6 p.m. and the top two teams advance to the double-A provincial tournament Feb. 28-March 3 at the LEC.