Athletics Review

Rowing
This past weekend, the SMUS rowing team attended the 40th Annual Brentwood Regatta hosted by Brentwood School. Over 1500 athletes from the US and Canada raced for three days in rain, wind and a little bit of sunshine! The Canadian Forces Snowbirds flew overhead on Friday afternoon to delight the crowd, and the live music, international food and great rowing all made for a memorable weekend.

Our small team of 20 athletes qualified for 11 Finals with three gold finishes, two silver finishes, three bronze finishes as well as two fourth place and one fifth place finishes.

• Gold: Junior A Women’s 4x, Junior A Lightweight 4+, Junior A Men’s Novice 4+
• Silver: Junior B Girls 4+, Junior A Girls 4x
• Bronze: Junior A Women’s 2x, Junior B Lightweight Boys 4+, Junior B Boys 4x+
• Fourth: Junior B Girls 4x, Junior A Women’s Novice 4+
• Fifth: Junior B Boys 4+

As a team, we placed 12th out of 38 teams, some of whom fielded well over 100 athletes each. A good weekend of great racing with excellent results, thanks to the coaches Mr. and Mrs. Walker Curry, Mrs. Hall, Bea Seamen, boatman Brett Malcolm and to the school for support and beautiful boats to race in!

Our next racing event will be the Shawnigan Lake Regatta on May 8th and 9th.

Junior Girls Soccer
The Junior girls soccer team had a busy week with the last few games of league play wrapping up. They started the week off with a tough game against the top team in the pool Oak Bay. The girls held Oak Bay to a 1-0 lead at half, but an onslaught from the Oak Bay strikers concluded the game, defeating SMUS 5-0.

The girls finished on a high note, wrapping up league play with a game against St. Andrews. Abbey Piazza played an unreal game, staying strong in the middle of the pitch and contributing all three goals to make it her first hat-trick of the season. The girls dominated the game and the defense: Ali Pollen, Ali White, Leanne Farmer and Kate Cluley were solid and distributed the ball well.

To conclude this busy week, SMUS hosted the ISA tournament. With the sun, wind and rain that Friday brought, the girls played four games. Things started out well for the team with a win over Southridge 4-0, which was a real team effort with goals from a variety of team members: Shade Souc and Cortney Ewonus with their first goals of the season as well one each from Abbey Piazza and Erin Hope.

The girls continued to dominate on the pitch in their second game and were rewarded with a win over West Point Gray. Erin Hope and Orla Glen were both able to find the net in the first half and then the team worked hard to defend their lead into the second half. Leah Hall was stellar in net and received her second shut-out of the day with a 2-0 win. Immediately following their win over West Point Gray, the girls had to take on Collingwood. The game went back and forth with both teams having some close chances. Bairavi Murugakumar was strong in the net and Cortney Ewonus and Ellie Patmore had a great game up front. The outcome was sadly decided in the last 10 minutes when a penalty shot was rewarded to Collingwood, allowing Collingwood to upset SMUS 1-0.

After a grueling day, the girls fought for third place in their final game against WPGA. Erin Hope dominated upfront with two goals to her name and Meriah Drabkin and Shade Souc did a great job of getting crosses into the box. Ellie Patmore fought hard upfront and scored the last goal for SMUS, making it a 3-0 win for and resulting in a bronze finish.

The girls finished third in their pool in league play meaning they will be facing second place finisher, Stelly’s, on Tuesday in the first game of the City Championships.

Golf
Last week was a very busy one for the golf team beginning with a match on Monday versus St. Georges from Vancouver and ending with a team practice session on Friday, with a two day tournament in between.

Monday afternoon saw four members of the team squaring off with a foursome from St. Georges, who were in town for the Victoria Police Tournament the following two days, at Victoria GC. On a very pleasant afternoon that saw little or no wind at the start and finish of the round SMUS was victorious in all four matches. The breeze became noticeable midway through the round and contributed to the somewhat surprising high scores but did not prevent the home squad from claiming victory in what is hoped to be the first of many matches to come.

Tuesday and Wednesday were spent at the Victoria Police Tournament at Gorge Vale GC and Olympic View GC. This tournament featured over 100 players from over 20 different schools on the island and lower mainland. Day one at Gorge Vale saw some very good scores from the SMUS squad but most were not able to sustain that good play through day two at Olympic View. Grade twelve student Mark Wizinsky was the exception shooting stellar and steady rounds of 78 and 79 respectively.

The week concluded with the second of three team practice sessions scheduled with associate professional Germain Francoeur at Gorge Vale GC. These sessions are focusing on the short game and proving to be very beneficial to all involved.

Next week features the ISA Tournament at Arbutus Ridge GC.

Senior Rugby
All the Senior rugby squads were in action this past week, with the main focus on the 1st XV in Vancouver taking part in the St. George’s Invitational. The weekend’s festivities and matches were in honour of the Saints retiring Headmaster, Mr. Nigel Toy, and featured a celebratory dinner followed by matches involving most of the province’s top 10 schools.

SMUS played Argyle and, in an encounter that featured lots of good play and some that left a bit to be desired, the team (still minus captain Wonjin Kim, prop Joe Shan and flanker Luke McCLoskey) protected its number-two provincial ranking with a 39-15 victory. When in possession, the team played some fine rugby, with Mike Fuailefau (2), Jure Erlic (2), Marc van der Wal and Robbie Trusler all dotting down for tallies. Van der Wal added a further three conversions and one penalty goal to complete a fine all-around performance, while Brad Sawyer performed well as prop.

A somewhat depleted 2nd XV travelled to Brentwood April 20, and suffered a nightmarish first half before recovering well after the break. The team will have a chance, hopefully at full strength, to reverse the 30-7 scoreline in a scheduled May 8 rematch. Logan McColl continued his steady play, running strongly and making countless tackles.

Junior Rugby
At Junior level, a combined Grade 9/10 squad travelled to Ladysmith for an exhibition match. Some of the rugby played over the five 15-minute periods reflected well on the hard work put in by all players this term. Jeff Nashima was a powerful presence at No. 8 while Truan Forsyth, Jacob Duvenage and Jacky Chuang controlled the set pieces.

Also, the Grade 9 squad hosted an Invitational Sevens event, winning three and drawing one of four matches against Vic High and Spencer. All 22 players involved enjoyed thoroughly the experience, running in some fine tries on a rainy afternoon. Keenan Manhas and Sam Reid led from the front, while newcomers Jorge Canedo and Juan Pedro Gandoulf showed some neat touches.

Upcoming for the Junior teams are an important away league game to Claremont on April 28, as well as home matches vs Oak Bay as part of the Alumni weekend celebrations.

Middle School Rugby
This past week the three Middle School rugby teams played their second round of matches.

The Grade 6 squad hosted both Cedar Hill and North Saanich. The boys had obviously paid heed at practice the day before, as their defence and playing the ball into space showed much improvement in a very-even encounter against Cedar Hill, resulting in a draw. Unfortunately, North Saanich was not able on the day to bring a full complement of players. All credit to the few SMUS boys who willingly stepped in to fill the North Saanich squad in their match with Cedar Hill. These SMUS boys were then replaced by another set for the second half of play.

This helping each other out is what sport and rugby is all about so compliments to the boys who did this. When it came time for SMUS to play North Saanich, a sufficient number of SMUS boys were loaned across in each half so that each side had the proper numbers. In doing so, everyone received lots of playing time. Though not taking away anything from a number of others, top SMUS players on the day were Mark Piazza, Myles Duncan, Hari Ikonomou, Trent Norris and Michael Wong-Harrison.

The Grade 6 players next play Glanford at SMUS on Wednesday, April 28th.

The Grade 7 players all traveled to Cedar Hill, where the SMUS teams faced each other, as well as each playing against Cedar Hill. All players have shown much development already, especially in their tackling and ball handling. A number of tries were scored, with Cedar Hill also getting their share, but both our blue and white teams earned victories. Against each other, there was little love lost between the two teams, with the white team earning the win on the day. A focus at the next practices will continue to be on supporting the players following a tackle, as well as on support play to keep the ball alive. Among the 22 who were able to play on the day, there are too many names that deserve mention. However, props Jack Sherrad and Steven Piazza, scrumhalves Owen Sudal and David Cunningham, centre Alex Caton, and Grade 6 wing/centre Ryan Totz do deserve mention for their improved play.

This week the two teams will be re-split into two new relatively even teams with the white team hosting GNS and Lansdowne and the blue team traveling to Royal Oak, both on Wednesday April 28th.

Junior Girls Soccer
This past week, the Junior Girls Soccer team hosted GNS and Reynolds. On Tuesday, the game against GNS was a very well matched game for the Jags. Although the girls dominated for the first half of the game, with numerous scoring opportunities, striker Shannon Toogood was the only one able to get the ball past their keeper. In the second half, GNS came out with a lot determination and put an immense amount of pressure on SMUS. The girls battled hard, played good defence, and were able to keep their 1-0 lead for their first win of the season. Allie White and Leanne Farmer were very strong on defence and were able to shut down most of the GNS breakaways. The outside midfields Meriah Drabkin and Hannah Keziere did a good job of keeping the ball wide and crossing the ball into the goal area.

On Wednesday, the girls were feeling fairly confident about their win the past day, however knowing that Reynolds is a strong team that had tied Spectrum they were a little anxious as to how they would fare against them. In the first minute of the game, Reynolds scored on a corner kick (not a good way to start the game for SMUS). The Jags showed that they were not about to give up and fought hard to tie the game up with a beautiful shot coming from Shannon Toogood from the end line that rebounded off the Reynolds goal keeper. Shortly after, a successful penalty kick by Hannah Keziere moved the Jags into a 2-1 lead.

The game continued to be well fought by both teams, with Reynolds scoring another goal and Toogood popping another one in to make the game 3-2. The Jags had good momentum and continued pressuring the defence and Toogood scored her third goal of the game to give the Jags a 4-2 lead. In the last ten minutes Reynolds scored another goal but the Jags played a bit more defensively to keep their lead with a final score of 4-3. Abbey Piazza played a very solid game in the midfield, and keeper Leah Hall was very strong for the team in the second half. Hannah Keziere played a very good game on right midfield but unfortunately was injured in the last few minutes of the game. This incredible win was a full team effort and we are really pleased to see how much the girls have improved as a team in such a short period of time.

This week the team will be facing Oak Bay on Monday, and hosting St. Andrews on Tuesday. SMUS will also be hosting the ISA tournament on Friday this week.

Middle School Rugby
Middle school spring rugby began this week with one Grade 6 team and two Grade 6/7 teams playing in the local Victoria area middle schools competition. Most unfortunately, due to a lack of numbers, there is no Grade 8 team this spring. Hopefully a rethink from the current crop of Grade 8′s along and an influx of new students come September will ensure that a Grade 9 team does operate.

The Grade 6 squad traveled to Cedar Hill for their first games, where they were up against Gordon Head Middle School and Cedar Hill, which resulted in a draw and a loss. All 17 players received lots of playing time, many getting their first taste of rugby, and showed lots of development across both games. A greater willingness to tackle and allowing the ball to do the work by passing into space will be their keys to greater success. It is not possible here to name all those who displayed improvement, however some do deserve mention such as Josh Khan, Samuel Perelmuter, Jonas Robinson and Trent Norris.

The Grade 6 players host North Saanich and Cedar Hill on Tuesday, April 20th.

The 25 Grade 7 players (with three of the bigger Grade 6 players) were split into two relatively even teams for their first games of the season. The blue team hosted Glanford and put on a top showing scoring a number of tries. Forward Haydn Hopkins, flyhalf/scrumhalf Simon Gray, and centres Max Pollen and Trevor Smith were amongst the many who performed well. The white team traveled to GNS where they faced Lansdowne. Leading the way in this group on the day were prop Byron Huang, flyhalf Graeme Hyde-Lay, and centres Mitch Newman and Matty McColl, along with many others performing very well. For both teams, supporting the ball-carrier when tackled, trying to claim the ball back at the tackle, and better defensive organization will be the focus of the next practice.

Next week on Wednesday, April 21st the white team hosts Shoreline while the blue team travels to Cedar Hill.

Senior Girls Soccer
The Senior girls soccer team started off the week with their second league game at home against Esquimalt high school. SMUS set the pace of the game early and dominated the play throughout the game. Laura Simandl, Sydney Green, Marta Bakowska and Teryl Noble found the net to give SMUS a 9-0 victory. On Wednesday, the team played their first away game at Victor Brodeur. The team had a shortened bench due to the grad fashion show but despite lack of numbers, the players that were there put on a show of their own and sailed to an 8-0 win. Lisa Evans, Teryl Noble, Marta Bakowska and Maddy Petersen netted goals on various occasions in the winning effort. The team had their first tournament of the season at UVic featuring 24 teams, the majority of the which were from AAA schools.

SMUS won their first game against the local Mt. Doug squad. Nicole Bunyan and Lisa Evans scored a goal apiece to give SMUS a 2-0 victory. Against a strong South Kamloops team, the game was even up to the final whistle with a 0-0 tie. SMUS came up short in shootouts. The team finished pool play against South Delta and a 3-1 win found us finishing at the top our pool. We then met Handsworth in the quarterfinal game. This was an even game all around but no scoring on either team’s part. A 0-0 final meant shootouts again and this time SMUS pulled out the win. We advanced to the semi final against Gulf Islands where both teams battled to a 2-2 tie at the end of regulation. For the third time of the tournament we found ourselves in a shootout. In the end, SMUS lost to a sharper shooting Gulf Islands team. Despite the semifinal loss, it was the best the team had finished at this tournament and the players should be credited for their great team play throughout.

Track and Field
On April 1, the SMUS track and field team was in action at the third meet of 2010. It featured the Victora schools as well as a travelling Australian girls team and the St. George’s boys team from Vancouver. Final results have still not been posted, but this week’s highlights included strong runs by Lindon Carter in the Grade 9 boys 200 metre race, Cole Turner in the junior boys 800 metre and Leo Marchand in the senior boys 3000 metre. The next league meet on April 22nd will allow athletes to again try new events, hone their skills and improve their current standings.

Rowing
This weekend, the SMUS rowing team competed at the Maple Bay Regatta. Of a total of 10 clubs participating, SMUS came in third place beating both Shawnigan School and the Gorge Rowing Club. Of the 17 races in which our small team of 20 athletes participated, they placed in virtually every event and in several events, SMUS placed multiple boats in the top three across the line for a total of 8 first places, 7 second places and 3 third places and one fourth place. Of note were men’s single openweight and lightweight events in which Robert Wyatt placed 4th and 3rd respectively in only his 3rd regatta of the season!

The team is now looking forward to racing at the 40th Annual Brentwood Bay Regatta which takes place this coming weekend – good luck team! Many thanks to coaches Ms. Walker, Mr. Curry, Ms. Hall, Bea Seaman and Brett Malcolm.

Golf
The 2010 high school golf season began last week with a two round team qualification tournament at Uplands GC and Gorge Vale GC. Round one was played after school at Uplands. The weather was great and the greens were very firm and fast. Most of the scores were in the high 70s and low 80s with Alex Davies the leader in the clubhouse after shooting a very tidy 78. Day two at Gorge Vale was a very different story. If the greens’ being much slower due to punching and sanding two weeks earlier wasn’t enough, the wind gusting to over 60kph certainly garnered everyone’s attention. Scores were significantly higher to say the least with one golfer, who shall remain nameless, being 19 strokes higher than the previous days round. Mark Wizinsky was low man on the day shooting a very impressive, given the conditions, 83, which ultimately made him the low qualifier after two rounds.

The week that lies ahead is a busy one. Monday after school features a friendly match with St. Georges from Vancouver at Victoria GC. Tuesday and Wednesday the school will be represented by Mark Wizinsky, Nathan Haussmann, Josh Edgar, and Cole Turner at the Victoria Police Tournament being held at Gorge Vale GC and Olympic View GC.

Senior Tennis
The SMUS tennis team started league play this week with a rather epic match against GNS on Wednesday. In team tennis, the schools play a total of eleven sets, so the first team to win six sets wins the match. SMUS started off slowly and GNS was fielding an unexpectedly deep team this year, and SMUS found themselves down 5 sets to 4 with our A doubles girls down 4 games to 1.

Thankfully, Sammy Davis and Priya Mulgaonkar displayed excellent hustle and worked their way back to a 6-4 victory. As the sets stood at 5 apiece, the match came down to our mixed doubles team of Paula Weech and Justus Koenigs. Both had won their singles matches, with Justus rolling in his at 6-1 and Paula battling to win 6-4 against a very strong opponent. The doubles match was extremely close as a substitution made by the GNS team presented a greater challenge to Justus and Paula. However, after being broken on match point with the games at 5-4, Justus and Paula displayed mental toughness and pulled it out in the tiebreaker, winning both the set and overall match 6-5 and helping us take our first baby-step toward provincials.

The team also played an exhibition match against Claremont on Friday. While the match had no bearing on our provincial goals, it was great to give everyone a chance to play after our long layoff. Everyone played hard and played well, with Mitch Wiggins and Alfredo Gonzalez forming what could potentially be a very strong doubles team.

Senior Rugby
A week after touring Scotland and Ireland, the Senior rugby squad had the chance to reciprocate the hospitality shown by the High School of Glasgow, who were in Victoria over the Easter weekend. At stake, for the 15th time between the two schools, was the Mike Walsh Cup, named after the venerable former SMUS teacher who guided the 1st XV so successfully from 1968 to 1987.

The hundreds of spectators on hand were treated to a marvellous game, with SMUS doing everything except winning! Ten early points were gifted to the opposition, courtesy of a pair of blocked kicks and fumbling at the back, before a sweet scissors move saw the Glasgow squad move further in front at 17-0.

Heavy SMUS return pressure was not immediately rewarded, as wings Alex Economou and Taylor Bridge were each bundled into the corner flag with tries beckoning. Finally, Alex Harvey, on the stroke of halftime, dotted down, with an excellent Eric Beban conversion from wide out making the halftime score 17-7.

SMUS kept up the pressure after the break, with Jure Erlic closing the deficit to five points after a well-worked try. Next, a long run out of defense by Mike Fuailefau produced yet another score to tie the game with twelve minutes to play.

While HSOG went in front 20-17 with a penalty goal, another sweeping move saw SMUS camped hard on the opposition line and looking for the go-ahead points. Then disaster stuck, when a pass was intercepted and returned the length of the field for a backbreaking score. 27-17, and although Economou, after some sweet handling, did reply for SMUS, time ran out in what was, ultimately, a frustrating 27-22 defeat.

To the HSOG’s credit, they cashed in on every single scoring chance and kicked all their goals. In contrast, while SMUS won the try count 4-3, five missed place kicks told a telling tale.

The team then regrouped for the April 12 visit of Carson Graham. Perhaps it was the lunch kickoff time that led to a dozy start, but SMUS went down 11-0 within eight minutes. Eventually, after the introduction of Brad Sawyer, Robbie Trusler and Joe Furness into the pack, things turned around, with four excellent-multi phase tries by Erlic, Fuailefau, Economou and Alex Harvey paving the way for what became a 28-17 victory. Best of all, thrown into an unaccustomed goal kicking role, scrum half Marc van der Wal slotted four impressive conversions, three of them from the touchline!

The 2nd XV went down 27-0 to Carson Graham, in a game that in no way reflected the run of play. Numerous promising SMUS attacks foundered at the critical moment, while, to their credit, the Eagles finished off their opportunities. No. 8 Logan McColl, flyhalf Colin Smith and centre Jakobus le Roux all played extremely well.

Next up for teams are matches on April 20, with the 1st XV hosting Yale while the 2nd XV visits Brentwood College.

Junior Boys Rugby
The Junior boys rugby season got underway this past week, with the Grade 10 team playing in the Claremont Spartan Invitational Tournament before then taking on BC powerhouse Carson Graham of North Vancouver.

Lack of size is certainly going to be an issue with the Grade 10 squad, and will put an absolute premium on tackling and defensive organization.

The term opened with a narrow win over South Kamloops, whose narrow route-one approach proved difficult to defend. However, a late try from wing Alex Davies, converted by flyhalf Derek Hyde-Lay, proved just enough in a 12-5 victory. No. 8 Jeff Nishima, centres Joe Erlic and Dave Pollen, and prop Jacky Chuang (playing in his first ever game) led from the front throughout.

The team then matched up against an impressive Lamorinda RFC. The extremely well-drilled Californians scored twice early, and controlled play throughout the match. However, a stiff rearguard action did well to limit the damage to 22-12, with Erlic showing some fine running ability to notch a well-deserved tally.

Against Carson Graham, a top-three BC consensus pick, it was simply a case of SMUS facing significantly heavier and more powerful opponents. The team did wonderfully well to stay in touch before halftime, with a Quinn Kliman try as well as a Hyde-Lay conversion and penalty goal keeping the score to a manageable 17-10. However, four second-half Eagles’ tallies pushed the scoreline to 43-10 before Peter Harrison, capping an excellent game, managed a consolation effort.

In addition to Nishima, prop Jason Duvenage and flanker Marcel Sanati performed well in what, overall, was a brave and very committed team performance.

At the Grade 9 level, it was somewhat the same, as despite the best efforts of Fynn Kehl, Keenan Manhas, Sam Reid and Wayne Lin, SMUS fell 33-17. No. 8 Marcus Lelewski was a danger with ball in hand, running in two tries, while locks Brady Watkins and Charles Gannon got through a lot of work in the rucks and mauls.

All players can now look forward to the Father-Son touch tournament on April 17, before returning to training in preparation for away games in Ladysmith on April 22.

Squash
The squash team competed at the BC Junior Close Tournament this past weekend – see below for the results.

• Moishe Steinbok: U17, bronze
• Matt Ashton: U15, semifinalist (silver)
• Adam Weech: U15, bronze
• Lachlan Glen: U17B, gold
• Jordi Fowler: U17B, 3rd place
• Jeremy Fairley: U17B, 4th place
• Charles Bennett: U17B, bronze
• Nicole Bunyan: U17 & U19, silver
• Brynn Daniels: U17 & 19, 5th
• Arden Mollenhauer: U15 & 17, 4th
• Stephen Lam: U17B, semifinalist (silver)
• Leo Lin: U17B, semifinalist (bronze)
• Karan Vats: U17B, semifinalist (silver)
• Mike Groot: U17B, finalist (silver)
• Chris Groot: U19B, 4th
• John Shin: U17B, semifinalist (bronze)
• Dylan Sedgwick: U19B, 5th
• William Lee: U17B, semifinalist (bronze)
• Jinsu Park: U15B, 5th
• Cole Turner: U17B, silver
• Min Park: U15B, 6th

Tyler Olson had a big win in both categories, winning in U17 and U19. All players did well and played hard, and it was a great tournament!

Junior Boys Basketball
SMUS added to its already considerable reputation for hosting quality sporting events, this time running the March 4-6 Junior Boys Provincial Tournament. 16 teams took part, from as far afield as Nelson, Prince Rupert and Prince George.

In the end, a physically tiny and unfancied SMUS team, seeded #10 going in, upset all prognostications with some excellent play, defeating Kelowna and Pitt Meadows before falling to Kitsilano and Tamanawis.

Any opening jitters against Kelowna on the first day were quickly blown away by a barrage of successful three-pointers, with Joe Erlic, Derek Hyde-Lay and Liam MacLure hitting four apiece as SMUS won easily 60-38. This moved the team into the quarterfinals the following day, against #2 seed and highly regarded Pitt Meadows.

This game proved to be one of the most exciting in school history. The big and well-drilled Marauders literally pounded SMUS for three and half quarters, and, with 4.39 to play, led 39-26. Then, in a simply stunning comeback, the Jags, led by Mark Yorath, started hitting three pointers from everywhere. And when Joe Erlic, with the last two of his 21 points, hit the clinching layup with 3 seconds to play, the partisan, capacity crowd of nearly 900 erupted in joy. 42-40 SMUS, and on to the semifinals!!
Alas, the dream of provincial glory died against #3 Kitsilano. While this game remained tied well into the second half, the superior size and strength of the Blue Demons started to take their toll. A critical two minute lapse, at the end of the third quarter, saw SMUS fall behind by 7 points, and despite every effort to claw back the margin, the team could not do so in losing 59-51. Again, Erlic was sensational, scoring 24 points, while MacLure grabbed a game high 13 rebounds.

The following day, this time against #5 seed Tamanawis of Surrey, SMUS, though running on fumes from the start, somehow found the energy to play an excellent first half. Solid outside shooting and even better team defence staked the Jags to a 26-9 lead at intermission.

But it was not to last. Though fighting off various Wildcat surges in the third quarter, and, while still leading 36-24 a minute into the last quarter, SMUS slowly lost momentum. Foul trouble, rebounding woes, missed shots and turnovers, but, most of all, sheer fatigue, combined to make for a nightmarish final seven minutes. The talented Tamanawis team took their chances, scoring frequently from the foul-line in what finished a 45-40 victory.

Nonetheless, the SMUS players certainly deserved to be proud of their performance. While Erlic and MacLure were named tournament All-Stars, the entire team performed with immense credit, battling BC’s top schools to a standstill and winning many admirers in the process.

Senior Badminton
The SMUS Senior badminton team was at the provincial championships this past week in Victoria. The team came into the tournament with the #6 seed, and the team was also undefeated heading into the tournament. In pool play, the team shocked the #3 seed Steveston-London with a 6-5 win. Ross Prager made his presence known in the boys singles, while Ethan Lee and Joe Ekthumrong came away with a monumental win in the doubles. The sister duo of Helen and Candice Ip also beat a very strong opponent pairing. The next game was much easier, as we faced D.P. Todd (Prince George). While their team had a few strong players, it was the depth of the SMUS team that made this a mismatch. The starters got some much needed rest, and the team cruised onto an 8-3 win. For the final game of the day, SMUS was matched up against #12 seed Moscrop (Burnaby). This team had the #2 boys player in Canada, so a crafty lineup would be necessary. Once again, it was the doubles’ pairings that rose to the challenge, and we took the game by a score of 7-4. The win put SMUS atop of the pool and feeling on top of the world heading into day two.

The next opponent would be #4 seed J.N. Burnett (Richmond), and we knew it would be a close one from the getgo. In early doubles play, Ross Prager and Ethan Lee lost narrowly in extra points (22-20), which made it an uphill battle from there. Joe Ekthumrong had a chance to win in the boys’ singles, but his lack of experience shone through as he went down in a close affair. The last chance for SMUS would be in the mixed doubles, and once again, we came up just a bit short. A 6-5 loss was a tough pill to swallow for a team that had a genuine shot at the provincial championship. In the penultimate match, SMUS would be relieved to find arch-rival Claremont as their opponent. While Claremont would normally prove to be a difficult opponent, they were missing two key players on the day, making things much easier for SMUS. In girls singles, Sylvia Ho played the game of her life and won in three games. The usual suspects did their thing, and when the dust settled, it was a 7-4 win for SMUS.

This win put SMUS into the 5th/6th game.

In the final game of the year, SMUS once again faced Richmond’s Steveston-London. SMUS was determined to finish on a strong note. The team had beaten this team once before, and they knew they had it in them. When the lineups were revealed, the advantage went to the SMUS team as we had guessed correctly with their lineup. The SMUS team rose to the occasion, and took both singles, the mixed, and 4 doubles. It would be a convincing 7-4 win for the home team, sealing a 5th place finish.

The 5th place finish equals the best result from a SMUS team in well over a decade. Congratulations to the entire team, but special congratulations to Michael Ip and Robbie Thomas who went undefeated (12-0) in the tournament. Ross Prager was named to the All-Star Commissioner’s 16.

Grade 9 Boys Basketball
Finally, at Grade 9 Boys level, in an odd twist, the team completed its City Junior playoffs, after it had already won the Island title. In the semi-final, in a rematch versus Oak Bay, the players took charge early, with Colton Stockus and Lindon Carter neutralizing Bays’ star Liam Horne. On the offensive end, while hampered by a bad back, point guard Georgios Ikonomou nailed an amazing five straight three-pointers against the zone in the first quarter. This gave the Jags a working margin right from the start, and kicked off a decisive 50-30 victory.

In the final, against PCS, it was time for others to step up and shine. With Ikonomou sidelined by injury and Trenton Schulz-Franco also missing, Keiler Totz took up the lead guard reins, and delivered 19 points and 6 assists in an impressive effort. Post Steve Whillans added 15, and, along with Wayne Lin, finally helped gain some type of parity on the boards. In the end, despite requiring a Monty Fraser-Brown free throw with four seconds to play to force overtime against the unbeaten and Grade 10 laden Pacers, SMUS rode out the extra session in fine style, breaking a 50-50 deadlock to win comfortably 62-52.

The team now takes a few days off, before moving on to Coquitlam for the Grade 9 BCs. Seeded #7 provincially, the Jags will open against #10 Tamanawis of the Fraser Valley.

Junior Boys Basketball
At Junior boys level, the team moved on to the Islands fresh from its wonderful City championship effort. The benefit of a South #1 seed was quickly apparent, with both Mt. Douglas and Lambrick Park on the opposite side of the draw.

Game 1 saw the Jags fight off a pesky Wellington outfit 45-32. Poor perimeter shooting kept the contest much closer than it perhaps might have ordinarily been. The next evening, Highland, from Comox, provided the semi-final opposition, with the game very much a carbon copy of the night before. Finally, three straight Derek Hyde-Lay treys broke open a four point affair, with the wing going on to finish with a game high 16 points. Also, in what finished a flattering 55-37 win, Liam Maclure posted a 10 point, 14 rebound double-double while guard Joe Erlic scored an even dozen.

The final was a struggle. An impressive Mt. Douglas team was given far too much room to move, and behind Conor Morgan’s four three-pointers, moved ahead early and decisively. A 20-7 first quarter lead became 32-15 at halftime, and while SMUS managed six consecutive defensive stops coming out of the break, it managed only one point in reply. Numerous penetrate and pitch opportunities went unrewarded, while the Rams superior size and strength dominated the boards at both ends. MacLure was named to the tournament All-Star team.

Nonetheless, by reaching the final, SMUS qualified on its own accord for the BC Junior Boys Tournament, which will be held at SMUS March 4-6. Seeded #10, the team will open Thursday, March 4 at noon against Okanagan champion Kelowna. All tournament details are available here.

Senior Boys Basketball
On the heels of exciting Island championship performances, the Senior boys and girls basketball teams moved on to their respective AA BC Tournaments, both held February 24-27 in Kamloops.

The boys, seeded #8, opened against Okanagan host Sahali, and quickly became involved in what, by the end of the week, almost all in attendance saw as the most exciting game of the entire tournament. As always, the margin between champion and challenger is slender, and so it proved to be on this occasion.

Sahali, spurred on by a home crowd, were in stride early, shredding the SMUS man-to-man defence en route to a 27-17 first quarter lead. However, a switch to 3-2 zone and some absolutely superb offensive execution, saw the Blue Jags return the favour in spades. Indeed, with Tycho Mommsen-Smith, Jamie Yorath, Mitch Wiggins and Travis Denley on fire, SMUS scored a season high 34 points in the second frame to go into the break up 51-42.

Some anxious moments in the third quarter, and some SMUS foul trouble, allowed Sahali back in the game, but, again, with Jure Erlic and Connor Eden hitting big shots, the lead was pushed back to 70-62 entering the final ten minutes.

Slowly, inexorably, Sahali chipped into the lead. More foul trouble had several SMUS defenders playing on tenterhooks, and when Ian Smith knocked in a jumper with a minute left, the Sabres edged in front by one. Not to be outdone, Tycho Mommsen-Smith, one of five Jags who finished in double figures, then answered from outside, giving SMUS a 80-79 lead with 29 seconds left on the clock.

Surprisingly, Sahali played for last shot. Even more suprisingly, guard Timo Sargent, who had not scored all game, came up with a corner dagger three ball with four seconds to play. 82-20 Sahali, with the crowd in raptures!

Amazingly, there was still time for Mommsen-Smith to dribble up court and find Erlic as time expired. Erlic’s long three, halfway to the hoop as the horn went off, hit pure back iron and stayed out.

Absolutely shattered, the team then had to play, a mere 12 hours later, in a consolation match vs Princess Margaret. After a slow start, the team displayed more good balance, and finished on top 62-48.

Day 3, after some rest, saw SMUS up against Southridge of the Fraser Valley. A very close game went in favour of the Storm 76-67. By the final game of the year, against Columneetza, the team was emotionally-drained and their performance suffered accordingly.

One win from four, and a 12th place BC finish, might suggest a disappointing tournament, but, the final performance notwithstanding, the team played its best basketball of the season. Sahali rode the emotional lift of their opening round victory to a 5th place finish, and this perhaps could have been SMUS’ fate had Game 1 turned out differently.

Senior Girls Basketball
On the girls side, it was simply a case of lack of offensive firepower. Over four games, the team held its opponents to an average of 50.7ppg. But, already without post Sydney Stockus and with Annie Pike on the limp from halftime onwards of Game 1, SMUS scored even less.

On opening day, SMUS, behind some absolutely tenacious defence, led 19-15 at halftime against #3 Mission, a lead that could have been double digits. Unfortunately, the Roadrunners’ superior depth, along with a knee injury suffered by Pike, told the tale after the break in what finished a 48-29 margin.

The loss moved SMUS into the consolation side of the draw, and, while performing better on offence, the team slipped 70-54 to local rival Lambrick Park. Then came a repeat of Day 1, with SMUS holding the Samuel Roberts Titans to a miserly 48 points but still unable to claim a victory.

Finally, in the last game of the season, the team found enough balance to defeat Mt. Elizabeth 45-37. All tournament, Grade 9 guards Abbie Piazza and Sophia Ducharme played with a maturity and skill level that belied their tender years, while Pike bounced back from her injury to perform well in the post. Senior Ciara Glen was also very steady throughout the event.

Grade 10 Girls Basketball
The Grade 10 girls wrapped up their season last week with playoffs. Seeded 5th, they faced 4th-seed St. Andrews on Tuesday. The team played solid defense, and controlled the boards for the majority of the game. Nicole Chan had some great moves, and used the back board well, providing 20 points. Sara Taylor chipped in with 8 points under the hoop. The final score was 36-34 in favor of SMUS, and the team moved on to face Oak Bay. The team struggled with the Breakers’ press and smothering defence in the first half.

With a short bench, the girls worked hard in the second half to create some offense. Sara Taylor was SMUS’ leading scorer with 17 points, but it wasn’t enough to pull off a win. The team then faced Lambrick Park on Friday. It was a tightly contested match-up, with SMUS leading at half time. SMUS distributed the ball well, and every player contributed with balanced rebounding, team defense, and scoring. At the end of the game, a couple of shots just would not fall for SMUS, and the result was a 39-36 loss and a 4th place finish in the league.

Junior Badminton
The Junior Badminton City Championships were hosted at SMUS last Thursday afternoon. Although our school typically chooses not to participate in the Junior League, we do put forth some of our younger badminton players into this final event, which is the culmination of their season. The SMUS athletes that participated were seven Grade 8-10 players who have been training very hard all season long with the Senior team.

On the boys’ side, Brian Yam faced some stiff competition in the singles draw, but he faired very well and earned 4th place. In doubles, the Grade 8 dynamic duo of Adam Chan and Melton Wan breezed through to the final, and eventually won it in a convincing fashion.

On the girls’ side of the draw, Bell Udomkitthanakul was new to playing singles, but did very well to capture 4th place. Cassandra Quon surprised everybody, including herself, to win the singles’ title. While this was going on, the doubles pairing of Celeste Nussbaumer and Ashton Louie won a tiebreaking match to get themselves into the final game. And in that final game, it took yet another tiebreaker win to capture another 1st place for SMUS.

With wins in the boys’ doubles, girls’ singles and girls’ doubles, SMUS scored the most team points in the City Tournament, thus capturing the Junior Badminton City Championship.

Senior Badminton
The SMUS Senior badminton team travelled to Kamloops last Friday to take part in a two-part exhibition series. The road trip was a little on the long side, but when the competition arrived, it was clear that the trip would be very worthwhile.

The first game was played against Provincial #6 seed South Kamloops. SMUS did reasonably well, but struggled somewhat to adjust to the altitude. At altitude, the players found out that the shuttle travels much faster than at sea level. As a result, many shots were barely out, and the games were much closer than anticipated. Normal school vs. school format was not followed, as there was a greater benefit to play in an exhibition-series style. In the end however, SMUS did hold their own, winning by the slightest of margins: 35-34. In all, the games lasted 2.5 hours. SMUS members Michael Ip, Robbie Thomas, Stacie Hoi and Becky Thomas all did their part to secure the victory.

The following day, SMUS faced #8 seed Semiahmoo Secondary (South Surrey). SMUS played much better, as the consistency and accuracy increased substantially. Players by the likes of Joe Ekthumrong, Sylvia Ho, Helen Ip, and Ross Prager all had superb outings. Although this time SMUS only played for 1.5 hours, it was still a convincing 24-18 win for the team.

The trip proved to be very beneficial, both from a competitive and a social perspective. This was the final tune-up for the #5 provincial seed SMUS. This is the highest seed a SMUS team has been given in the last decade, so with some solid play and a bit of luck, the team does have an outside chance of capturing the provincial championship. The one and only time a SMUS team has won the provincial championship was back in 1996.

The provincials will be held next week in Victoria on March 4-6. SMUS will be playing their Thursday round-robin games at St. Margaret’s School. All the dates and times can be found on the tournament website: http://bcschoolbadminton.com/

Grade 9 Boys Basketball
The Grade 9 boys basketball team ensured qualification to their own BC Tournament, beating Spencer and Wellington in pool play before recording a heart-pounding overtime victory against arch rival Oak Bay.

Day 1 of the tournament, held at SMUS, proved as straightforward as expected, as the team easily defeated game but outmatched opposition. Balanced scoring and stingy defence were very much in evidence throughout, with reserves Keenan Manhas, Fynn Kehl and Sam Reid all making good contributions.

The final against Oak Bay was an altogether different proposition. Any ideas that the game would mirror the easy SMUS exhibition win of three weeks ago were rudely shattered, as the Bays moved smartly to an early lead. Slowly, the Blue Jags, behind the 3-point shooting of Georgios Ikonomou and Keiler Totz, regained control, and a 9-point lead early in the third quarter in the low scoring contest looked like ot might be just enough.

It wasn’t! Oak Bay, behind point guard Liam Horne, steadily ate into the margin, with the SMUS offence coming up dry posession after possession. With less than two minutes to go, the Bays led 40-36.

Fortunately, SMUS did not panic, with Lindon Carter narrowing the deficit to two points. After a defensive stop, Steve Whillans, with 22 seconds remaining, hit a contested jumper in the lane to tie the score. There was still time for great excitement, as, after an Oak Bay turnover, Ikonomou had a chance to win the game, only to see his layup spin out. Then, on the return rush, Horne so narrowly missed a twisting layup of his own at the buzzer.

On to overtime. Oddly enough, the extra three-minute session proved something of an anticlimax, as SMUS, with Whillans and Wayne Lin dominating inside and on the boards, scoring early and often. Then, good foul shooting by Colton Stockus, Monty Fraser-Brown and Trenton Schulz-Franco capped what, in the end, was a 53-45 win.

Oddly, the team must now move on to City playoffs, with a February 24 semifinal matchup against Oak Bay, and hopefully a subsequent final vs PCS. Then, the group will begin preparations for the BC Tournament, to be held March 11-13 at Pinetree SS in the Fraser Valley.

Junior Boys Basketball
The Junior boys basketball team, who had completed league play at 5-2, opened City playoffs February 15 against Reynolds. Balanced scoring offset a slow start, and, with reserves Johhny Sipos and Alex Davies contributing in all areas, the team ground out a 50-33 victory. This win guaranteed a much anticipated semifinal matchup at Lambrick Park, with the squads having split a pair of two point games played earlier this season.

Not surprisingly, this Lambrick Park game was as close as the previous encounters, with the hosts jumping out to an early lead and staying in front by 25-23 at halftime. No more than two points separated the teams through the third quarter and into the final frame. Then, a SMUS spurt, fueled by two tough Joe Erlic drives, took the Blue Jags to a 46-40 advantage. Not to be outdone, the Lions roared back immediately, with an offensive rebound basket and transition three point play cutting the deficit back to one.

Yet, SMUS answered right back. Erlic, with the last of his 20 points, hit a foulline jumper, which was followed by a corner three from post Liam MacLure. 51-45 SMUS, with only 2.30 to play. Excellent defence by guards Mark Yorath and Dawit Workie, and steady all round play from Derek Hyde-Lay and Dave Pollen then never did allow Lambrick Park room to mount a comeback. Forced to foul, the hosts could only watch as SMUS went 8-10 from the foul line down the stretch in what finished a 59-51 victory.

With the win, SMUS moved into the City final against Mt. Douglas. Things looked ominous, as the Rams, who had hammered SMUS 57-30 in league play just two weeks earlier, jumped out to an early 9-2 lead behind the deadly shooting of point guard Elliot Rowe. However, the Blue Jags refused to buckle, and some Mark Yorath free throws closed the gap to 17-11 at quarter time.

The second period saw some terrific play from both sides. A Joe Erlic trey finally knotted the scores at 24, before SMUS found a way to edge in front 30-28 at half time.

The Rams again took control after intermission, and led 39-37 with 20 seconds to play in the third quarter. Then came one of the game’s defining moments. A Rowe jumper missed the mark, which allowed Yorath to corral the rebound and find Erlic open at the midcourt line. With no time on the clock, Erlic fired a picture perfect 40′ jumper, which found nothing but the bottom of the net and gave SMUS the lead 40-39.

The Blue Jags defence was starting to take its toll, and, when Derek Hyde-Lay then hit back to back threes, SMUS opened up a 47-40 advantage. Try as they might, Mt. Douglas could not make any inroads into the lead, as two final free throws, courtesy of Dawit Workie, secured a 58-49 home victory.

Erlic led all scorers with 24 points, while MacLure, Yorath and Hyde-Lay each added 10. Post Jeff Nashima also played a strong all round game, with wing Dave Pollen chipping in five key points as well.

With the win, the team qualified as South #1 for the Island Tournament, to be held February 25-27 in Campbell River. The team will then host the BC Junior Invitational March 4-6.

Grade 9 Girls Basketball

A somewhat bizarre twist left SMUS with a straightforward road to the BCs, as an opening Island Tournament pool game versus a pesky Spencer team was eventually ruled a forfeit after the Langford-based school had to be closed temporarily due to a fire. As a result, the Jags had only to face and defeat St. Andrews to reach the final and secure provincial qualification.

This was duly accomplished via an all-round team effort and aggressive play, as SMUS won decisively 58-29. Allie White led all scorers with 18 points while Hannah McElderry added 16.

The next day, SMUS took on Dover Bay in the Island final. A combination of players away due to representative soccer commitments and a difficult opponent that pressed relentlessly made for a long afternoon, as the Nanaimo-based Dolphins secured a 55-25 victory.

Nonetheless, SMUS worked very hard and did many good things throughout the game. Once again, White, with 12 points, paced the offence, with Rachel Sibbald adding 9 points. While the team did not end up winning the Island championship it still advanced to the BCs, which will take place March 4-6 in Vancouver.

Significantly, for the first time ever, five of six SMUS teams, from Grades 9 to Senior, qualified this season for their respective provincial championships. No other co-ed school in BC this year has been able to match this feat.

Senior Badminton
Last Wednesday, SMUS hosted the Senior Badminton Island Championships. Although SMUS had a perfect 4-0 record entering the tournament, a key injury to star player Candice Ip made it an uphill climb for the team. In fact, SMUS was the underdog in the contest.

Round 1 saw SMUS take on Oak Bay. The matches were not terribly difficult, and the players secured a 10-1 win. The depth of the team allowed for many players to contribute, and Becky Thomas and Stacie Hoi were especially prepared for their tilt in girls doubles.

This put SMUS through to the final, where once again, the team would square off against arch-rival Claremont. Claremont, knowing that the SMUS was one key team member down, clearly had the advantage. However, as luck would have it, when the lineups were submitted, SMUS would benefit greatly from the matchups. With Robbie Thomas and Michael Ip winning in style early on, and Helen Ip following up in the girls singles, SMUS looked poised for a win. Ethan Lee and Helen Ip would clinch the 6-5 victory by winning the mixed doubles right at the end.

SMUS was lucky on the day, but as they say in sport, “you gotta be good to be lucky.” This is the 9th Island title in the last 11 years for the SMUS badminton team. They now qualify for the provincial championships which will be held in Victoria on March 4-6.

Senior Boys Basketball
The recent resurgence in SMUS Basketball continued recently, as Senior School teams looked to secure their passages to provincial tournaments.

First up was the Senior boys, who hosted the Vancouver Island AA event February 11-13. Seven of the eight teams entered were very real threats to capture one of the three berths on offer to the BC championships.

In Round 1, SMUS, behind 41 points from the starting guard duo of Tycho Mommsen-Smith and Jamie Yorath, dispatched Mark Isfeld from Courtenay 77-57. An impressive opening salvo, in front of an enthusiastic home crowd, produced a 23-10 first quarter lead and it was clear sailing after that.

This win moved the team into the semifinals, against Ladysmith, one of the dominant AA programs in BC over the past decade. With both defences extremely well prepared , and with nerves perhaps impacting on shooting, the game became something of a low-scoring affair. Indeed, a 23-23 tie at halftime gave way to further lack of offence after the break. With 2.39 to play, all seemed lost for SMUS, as, after a Ladysmith surge and with the home shooters completely out of rythym, the team trailed 48-37.

What followed will go down in Island Tournament folklore. SMUS refused to quit, and forced a flurry of turnovers. Suddenly shots started dropping, with a 3-pointer from Mommsen-Smith, a long 2-pointer by Mitch Wiggins, a drive by Yorath, and a putback by Connor Eden pulling the Blue Jags to within two points at 48-46.

Then came yet another steal, and, with the crowd at a fever pitch, Jure Erlic, quiet on the night up to this point, hit a tough 14′ bank shot, drawing a foul in the process. Tie game at 48, with a free throw to come.

To his credit, Erlic swished the extra shot, and amazingly, incredibly, stunningly, SMUS led 49-48. And there were still 44 seconds to play, as the eleven point deficit had been erased in less than two minutes.

These final seconds were agonizing. Three times the SMUS defence forced poor shots, only to have players not rebound or chase down loose balls. Finally, to the massive relief of the home supporters, Mommsen-Smith gained possession and, with .4 to play, hit one final foul shot to ensure a dramatic 50-48 victory.

With BC qualification now ensured, and given the theatrics of the dramatic semifinal recovery, it was perhaps not too surprising that the emotional well was dry the following night in the final against Brentwood. While Erlic, with 25 points, performed well, the rest of the team again struggled mightily at the offensive end of the floor. Brentwood, by virtue of a three pointer at the half time buzzer, led 22-16 at intermission, and kept this lead between six and ten points through the second frame.

With three minutes to play, SMUS had one last gasp. Down 42-36, the team had one last trifecta crawl in and out. Brentwood replied with a three ball of their own, and this time, there was no way back.

Nonetheless, there was so much to be proud of. Undersized at every position, the players battled furiously to compensate, while a never-say-die attitude was richly rewarded in the semifinal.

The team now travels to Kamloops on February 24-27 for the BC AA Tournament. Seeded #8 in the event, SMUS opens against Okanagan runner-up Sahali, with a possible quarterfinal against RC Palmer then on the cards.

Senior Girls Basketball
On the Senior girls side, the team travelled to Campbell River for its own Island Tournament, with only the top two finishers guaranteed BC qualification. SMUS, missing post Sydney Stockus with a knee complaint, opened up with a scrappy 54-47 win over NDSS.

However, the next evening, host Carihi proved to be an altogether different proposition, scoring early and often and playing stifling defence en route to an easier than expected 54-30 victory. The SMUS offence struggled from the outset, and left the team with the difficult task of having to win two backdoor games just to keep the season alive.

The first of these came against a physically large and powerful Brentwood team. SMUS trailed the whole game, but, thanks to some timely Annie Pike buckets and rebounds, stayed in touch just long enough to mount a late comeback, and the girls scrambled back to win 45-44.

This win ensured that the season remained alive, and indeed, the excitement was just beginning. The afternoon affair, against Mark Isfeld, perhaps could have produced a comfortable win, as, behind Pike’s 24 points, and another 21 from point guard Abbie Piazza, SMUS led by 16 near the end of the third quarter.

However, Isfeld then made a serious comeback of their own, which was capped by a tying hoop in the dying seconds. Overtime loomed! Happily, in the extra session, some key plays by Ciara Glen, Sophia Ducharme and Kirsten McLeod stemmed the tide and allowed SMUS to prevail 72-68.

This result moved SMUS into a provincial Wild Card game, played February 16 in Vancouver. A fast and feisty Brittania team provided the opposition, with the winners set to claim the final place to the BC AA Tournament.

The girls produced their best effort of the season, with Pike (22 points and 19 boards) Piazza (9-10 from the foul line down the stretch) and Ducharme (12 rebounds) impressive throughout. SMUS led wire to wire, extending a two-point halftime lead to seven in what finished a 64-57 victory. Without doubt, a very solid 20-25 from the charity stripe was instrumental.

So, the team now moves on to Kamloops for the Provincial AA tournament. Seeded #14, SMUS opens against Mission from the Fraser Valley.

Junior Boys Basketball
The Junior boys completed league play at 5-2, and, as a third seed, opened city playoffs against Reynolds. Balanced scoring offset a slow start, and the team ground out a 50-33 victory. This win guarantees a much anticipated semifinal match-up at Lambrick Park, with the squads splitting their two games played earlier this season.

At point guard, Mark Yorath has continued his fine play, while, off the bench, Alex Davies and Johnny Sipos have contributed well.

From the city playoffs, SMUS will look to qualify for the Island Tournament, to be held February 25-27 in Campbell River, before returning to host the BC Junior event March 4-6.

Grade 10 Girls Basketball
The Grade 10 girls have won three in a row, with one game remaining heading into playoffs next week. On February 8th, they played Spencer, after a slow start, the Jags found their groove. Ronnie Tsai had 13 points, and Sara Taylor was unstoppable under the hoop with 14.

On February 10th, SMUS hosted PCS. It was a tight contest for most of the game, but in the 3rd quarter, SMUS was able to put on some pressure and pull away. The entire team contributed on defense, and Ronnie Tsai and Sara Taylor again led all scorers with 14 and 12 points respectively. Laura Shaw provided some great speed, and Nicole Chan, some finesse under the hoop for 4 points each. The Grade 10 team next faces the Spartans at Claremont this Thursday.

Grade 9 Basketball
At Grade 9 level, both the boys and girls enter this weekend’s Island Tournaments as top seeds. Ally White and Hannah McElderry have proved to be a dominant 1-2 punch inside for the girls, with Monty Fraser-Brown a consistent scorer on a well-balanced boys squad.

Both teams, after the Island Tournament, will first concentrate on completing unbeaten city seasons before focusing on the BC championships, which will be held in the first two weeks of March in the Fraser Valley.

Senior Badminton
Last week was a very busy one for the Senior badminton team, as they played three critical league games. These games would determine the seeds for the upcoming Island Championships. Last Monday, the team faced off against Mt. Doug, and prior to the game, Coach Hunt expected an easy win for SMUS. In the end, it was a much closer game than anticipated, and SMUS escaped with a 6-5 win.

On Tuesday, the team travelled to Oak Bay where the SMUS team had little trouble disposing the Oak Bay Team, and once again, it was another 6-5 win. Finally, the last league game of the season took place on Wednesday, where St. Andrew’s arrived needing a win. SMUS would have no part of it, and in the end, it was a 7-4 win for SMUS.

Players who shone last week included Adam Chan, Melton Wan, Cassandra Quan, Frank Chang, Ashton Louie, and Celeste Nussbaumer.

With three league wins last week and riding an undefeated 4-0 record heading into the Islands, the team now holds the top seed in the draw. However, a critical ankle injury to Candice Ip last Wednesday will make things very interesting and SMUS may turn out to be the underdog in the Islands.
The Islands take place in the SMUS Double Gym this Wednesday, Feb. 10th, beginning at 1 pm. The winner from this tournament will earn a berth to the provincial championships.

Rowing
On Sunday, several of the SMUS spring rowing team participated in the Monster Erg Regatta. This regatta is sponsored by University of Victoria and is the Western Canadian satellite for the Canadian National Indoor Rowing Championships.

In the Junior Novice Double event (ages 14-18) and SMUS placed 1st (Julia Milden and Hannah Nielsen) and 2nd (Alexis Thind and Lihani du Plessis). In the Junior A boys event (ages 17-18): Brandon Ewonus came 13th and Harrison Duncan came 15th out of 32 rowers. In the Junior A women’s event (ages 17-18), Maryann Watson came 2nd out of 45 rowers, and a performance that gives her the rank of 2nd in Canada.

All athletes achieved personal bests.

Senior Girls Basketball
The team played their last league game of the season this past week at PCS. There was not much on the line, as the team had already secured the South #2 ranking for the upcoming Island Tournament. However, it was an opportunity for the Grade 12 athletes to play one last time, in front of cheering friends and family.

Annie Pike led all scorers with 14 points, 6 rebounds and 5 steals. She has looked good as of late and will be a key player in the team’s success at the Islands. Abbey Piazza finished with 12 points and 4 steals, while Grade 12 wing Katrina Gong chipped in with 7 points. Rebecca Mulroney finished the game strong with 7 points, six of those coming from the foul line.

SMUS heads up to Campbell River on Thursday for their Island Championships. They have drawn Nanaimo District Secondary School in their opening round game, which will take place on Thursday at 2:45 pm. All games are at Carihi.

SMUS will have to finish in the top two in order to guarantee a berth to Kamloops later in the month. They will have to do it without Grade 12 standout Sydney Stockus, who suffered a knee injury that will keep her on the sidelines this weekend.

Day 1 – Thursday, February 4
Just an amazing and unusual first day in Hamilton.

After a smooth trip yesterday to Ontario, the U13 Boys Basketball team was back at Hillfield Strathallan College (HSC) first thing in the morning, for the opening ceremonies and then three pool games in the “Group of Death.”

Former SMUS teacher and now HSC Headmaster Tom Matthews was on hand to greet us, as were 500 Middle and Senior School HSC students, who had the gym rocking for the tournament opener between the top-seeded hosts and SMUS.

Little did anyone realize, certainly from SMUS, that they were to be part of just an incredibly exciting day of play.

HSC featured one superb post player, a rangy and athletic lefty, who caused no end of grief and ended up scoring over 80% of their points. SMUS struggled through a tense opening half. Down 14-10 at half, the team was soon facing a nine point deficit, after a sluggish start to the second frame. Only Kieran Large, who went on to score a team high of 11 points, looked comfortable on the ball.
Down 23-14 with five minutes to play, the SMUS defence really kicked into gear. Buckets by Graeme Hyde-Lay and Matty McColl, and some frantic teamwork saw the home lead evaporate, with some foul shot miscues also allowing the visitors second life.

At 25-24 down, SMUS gained one final possession, with 18 seconds left to play. The gym was at an absolute fever pitch, as both teams designed strategies in a last timeout. Needless to say, not one SMUS player then went to the planned spots! Amidst the chaos, a desperate back door pass from Jason Scully went awry, before Owen Sudul rescued the game by scrambling after the loose ball. With three seconds to go, he found an open Graeme Hyde-Lay above the foul-line. To his credit, Graeme took his time, and was rewarded when his 20′ shot banked home with a second to play for a 26-25 win!

It felt as if the air had been sucked out of the gym, as all the energy and noise from the HSC fans dissipated immediately. A final HSC “Hail Mary” full length pass was intercepted, and SMUS had claimed a huge opening win.

Game 2 in pool play came several hours later, and was the antithesis of what had gone before. Still pumped from the opening win, and with some changes to the starting lineup, SMUS came out on fire against Holy Trinity School. Matty McColl opened with eight quick points, en route to a 15-0 quarter time lead. More of the same followed, and with the opposition reeling, the team added another 15 to close the half up 30-0. Yes, 30-0! All players hit the scoresheet, with Jack Sherrod, Jake Wilmott, Mike Edwards and Grant Nicholson all showing some smooth touches. If the second half was sloppy, it actually was something of a relief that the scoreline was only 11-10, making the final 41-10 in SMUS’ favour.

This second win set up a pool decider against Collingwood, with the game to be played at the impressive Mohawk College, next door to HSC. For whatever reason, SMUS’ opening ten minutes was extremely sketchy ‒ it was impossible to believe it was the same crew that was 2-0! If there was little funny about Holy Trinity’s inability to register even a single point in the first half of the previous game, the scoreboard in this contest told an even more brutal tale. Indeed, not one single point was registered by either team in the first quarter. The game was tied 0-0, and things did not improve as the second frame got underway. Finally, at the 11-minute mark, Collingwood hit a free throw, then made several baskets to lead 9-0. Fortunately, with another quarter bagel looming, Graeme Hyde-Lay managed a layup before Kieran Large, in what was an eerie foreshadowing of things to come, dribbled the length of the floor to make a tough jumper and bring a hugely forgettable half of basketball to a close. 9-4 to Collingwood!

The second half, after a stern word or two at the break, was a distinct improvement, although Collingwood, behind their star guard, and thanks to some botched SMUS layup attempts, always seemed to be 3-4 points ahead. Then, after two Jack Sherrod baskets in close, an amazing full length drive by Max Pollen, with a free throw to boot, gave SMUS its first lead at 23-22.
Back came Collingwood. The ensuing SMUS defensive possession, up one point and with 45 seconds to play, was a complete disaster, as the opposition guard dribbled right down the middle of the lane for an uncontested layup.

And the fun was just beginning.

After a front court time out with 16 seconds to play, a careless turnover by SMUS gave the ball back to Collingwood. SMUS then was forced to take three deliberate fouls in order to put a Collingwood shooter on the foul line. With 7.4 seconds to play, this player obligingly missed the front end of a one and one. Max Pollen, scrapping among the giants, got his hands on the ball, spun out of traffic, dribbled up the right side to half court and passed ahead to Kieran Large. Kieran caught the ball smoothly, and, as if he had been doing it his whole life, took one quick dribble and banked in a 17′ shot with .4 seconds left to play to win the game.

Two buzzer beaters on the same day. Just amazing!

With the win, (though, as Mike Edwards noted wryly, the team was less than 2 seconds from finishing 1-2) SMUS went unbeaten and topped the Group of Death! As a result, the team moved into a new pool of four teams for Friday’s action, with the top two from each then advancing to Saturday’s Final 4.

Game 1 against HSC was a wonderful sporting occasion, full of twists and turns, and with the noise so loud you barely could hear yourself think! Fingers crossed for tomorrow. SMUS may have used up already a large portion of its luck, but, if playing well, certainly has the potential to win all its Day 2 games. Yet each, in different ways, will present a significant challenge – just the way it should be!

Day 2 – Friday, February 5
With Day 1’s pyrotechnics over and done, the team regathered for another three games, with St. John’s (Vancouver), Upper Canada College and St. Andrews on the agenda in Group A of the Championship draw.

The team duly took the floor against St. John’s at 9am EST, and soon was involved in another nailbiter. A propensity to miss scoring opportunities, particularly layups, continued, and an 18-14 halftime lead was not necessarily a fair reflection of the action. St. John’s continued to stick around, and with four minutes to play the margin was only three. Happily, some good SMUS free-throw shooting kept the opponents at bay en route to a vital 33-25 win.

Again, while the offence sputtered, very good individual and team defence held sway. Graeme Hyde-Lay, with help from his teammates, held the Eagles’ star post player to only three points, while Max Pollen and Matty McColl controlled the perimeter.

Next up for SMUS was Upper Canada College, who had narrowly lost a very contentious and foul-filled opener to St. Andrews. Again, numerous missed SMUS layups and inside shots went awry, and it was not until the fourth quarter that three straight hoops ensured what became a 29-19 victory. Jason Scully, who led all scorers with 12 points, and Jack Sherrod managed honours even on the boards against UCC’s big posts, while Owen Sudul, Mike Edwards, Jake Wilmott and Grant Nicholson again chipped in with a number of little plays not shown in the box score.

With the UCC victory, SMUS gained a Final Four place, as even a loss to St. Andrews would not matter as fewest points allowed was the first tiebreaker in a potential three-way tie. Perhaps the team understood this, as it played a very subdued third game. Though up early 8-2, SMUS then lost its way during an awful scoring drought, falling behind 11-8 before recovering to 13 each at halftime. Yet again, missed layups kept the score low, while countless fouls were also eating up playing reserves. Fortunately, the “Blue Crew” of Owen Sudul, Grant Nicholson, Jake Wilmott and Mike Edwards kept things together in this second frame.

The return of most of the starting unit early in the third quarter produced a scoring bump to 22-17, and a SMUS breakout seemed on the cards. But it was not. More fouls, careless ballhandling and at least another four point blank misfires allowed St. Andrews to stay in touch, and, assisted by a healthy dose of free throws, the Saints came back into contention to lead 29-26, 29-28 and then 30-28 with 15 seconds to play. Fortunately, Graeme Hyde-Lay escaped his marker to tie the score on a tough baseline leaner with 5 seconds to go and force overtime.

In the two minute extra period, a basket by Owen Sudul was sandwiched by both Max Pollen and Graeme Hyde-Lay foulouts. Then Kieran Large joined the parade to the bench, acquiring his fifth foul. More chaos ensued, complete with ballhandling gaffes, travel violations, errant inbound passes and the like. Somehow, Jason Scully managed two free throws for a 32-30 lead, which then became 32-31. Then, the star St. Andrews guard was fouled yet again, and managed one of two with 14 seconds left.
To their credit, with very much a makeshift lineup on the court, the SMUS players held their nerve. Jason Scully grabbed the ball, drove the lane and came up smelling roses as his five footer rattled around before falling. St. Andrews managed a deep look at the buzzer to tie the game but it fell short.

In the end, it was 34-32 OT win for SMUS.

Significantly, with Collingwood upsetting St. George’s 32-28 in the other pool, SMUS was the only team to go unbeaten through the first two days of play. There were some close calls to be sure, but six straight wins had been recorded nonetheless. Also, SMUS became the only school in the country to reach the Final Four in both CAIS soccer and CAIS basketball in the 2009-2010 school year.

In Saturday’s semi-final action SMUS will tip off with a huge and talented St. Georges team. SMUS will certainly have its work cut out for it. The winner of this game will almost certainly face Collingwood in the final, as the Cavaliers have a much easier route to the championship game.

All the boys on the team have done themselves and the school proud. At the tournament coaches meeting last Wednesday, there was much debate as to why a school with no history in the tournament should have been seeded 5th (as opposed to 13th or 14th). The boys, despite not yet firing on all offensive cylinders, have shown exactly why.

Day 3 – Saturday, February 6
While today the dream died, SMUS gave a simply wonderful, gutty semifinal performance, recovering from a 10 point third quarter deficit to run St. Georges to overtime before finally falling 28-25 in front of a packed house.

A nervous, jittery start ensured that scoring was difficult, and indeed, with too many of the players giving the opposition too much respect, SMUS fell behind immediately. Relegated to long outside shots by a St. George’s defence that was big and packed the key, SMUS only scored four points in the first half. Only a scratching, clawing defence kept the game from being a blowout, but a 14-4 score at intermission seemed to leave a mountain too high to climb.

But slowly, inexorably, SMUS came back into the game. Some fine defence by Max Pollen thoroughly frustrated the star St. Georges guard, while Kieran Large, Jack Sherrod and Graeme Hyde-Lay, though absorbing a real physical pounding from the two 5′10, 150 pound Saints posts, refused to buckle.
Then, some shots started to drop, and drives to the hoop produced fouls and free throws. Graeme Hyde-Lay made six straight, Kieran Large also showed his mettle, and when Matty McColl, with the gym at a fever pitch, nailed a pair with 35 seconds to play, SMUS led 24-22.

One final stop and one rebound for a berth in the final!

As has been the case all tournament, the team executed its defensive plan well and forced an off balance St. Georges shot with 12 seconds to go. Unfortunately, one of the Saints posts, through sheer size advantage, corralled the miss and scored to tie the game.

The two minute overtime was always going to be a tricky proposition, with Graeme Hyde-Lay, a key part of the offence, out of the game on fouls. Three foul shots gave the lead back to St. Georges. A final Max Pollen drive produced a foul, but also a deep charley horse, necessitating Mike Edwards to come in and shoot from the line. To his credit, under huge pressure, Mike made one of two to cut the lead to 27-25. But one more make from the charity stripe was then enough for St. Georges to prevail 28-25.

Jason Scully, with 10 points, led the SMUS scoring.

Coaches Bob Newman and Ian Hyde-Lay told the players after the loss that they were more proud of them in defeat than they had been in the wins of the two previous days. A gallant comeback fell just short, but, in the process, the team won so many admirers.

Oh for the resiliency of youth! Not an hour later the team was back on court for the bronze medal game against St. John’s, who had been beaten decisively by Collingwood in the other semifinal.

With Max Pollen unavailable because of some knee swelling, a rejigged lineup took the floor for what became another thrilling encounter. Tied 16-16 at half, the game continued right to the death, with no more than a basket separating the two teams. Absolutely huge plays down the stretch, including a rebound and put back by Grant Nicholson and a tough, driving layup by Jake Wilmott had SMUS in front 27-25 with 19 seconds to play. A steal then led to a loose ball foul on Graeme Hyde-Lay, who, while leading all scorers with 16 points, had uncharacteristically gone 0-6 from the line. He made his first shot to make the margin three points, and this should have been enough to secure the game, as the three point line was not in effect.

Not so fast. A defensive mixup allowed the St. John’s guard to penetrate too deep, and the subsequent “hoop and harm” allowed the opposition to tie the game 28-28.

Fortunately, some quick thinking by Matty McColl got the ball down court quickly. With the St. John’s defence now in disarray, Owen Sudul got the ball up to the rim and then followed a miss to be fouled with less than a second to play. Just another dramatic finish on the cards, as, with the court clear, Owen stepped to the line.

The first shot crawled around the rim, hung on the edge, and fell out. One chance left, as overtime loomed. The second shot crawled around the rim, hung on the edge, and fell in! 29-28 to SMUS, and with that a 7-1 overall record and the bronze medal.

Amazingly, five of the eight games that SMUS played literally came down to the final second or were determined in overtime.

Collingwood went on to edge St. George’s 30-26 heading in championship game, ensuring that their only loss in the tournament was to SMUS.

At the closing ceremonies, SMUS ‘Max Pollen was nominated for the Trickett Award, named after a Grade 10 student from Strathcona Tweedsmuir School who lost his life four years ago in an avalanche disaster.

The tournament complete, SMUS headed for home with so many wonderful memories. Two seconds from being relegated to the consolation side of the draw on Day 1, the team was then one possession from being in the tournament final. There was so much excitement all along the way. The boys gave everything they had and can be so proud of their efforts.

Squash
Girls vs. Brentwood College: won 3-2

• Nicole Bunyan won 3-0
• Brynn Daniels won 3-0
• Deryn Ramsey won 3-0
• Lisa Evans lost 1-3
• Rachel Wong lost 0-3

Girls vs. Shawnigan Lake: won 5-0

• Nicole Bunyan won 3-0
• Brynn Daniels won 3-0
• Deryn Ramsey won 3-0
• Lisa Evans won 3-0
• Rachel Wong won 3-0

Girls vs. York House won 4-1

• Nicole Bunyan won 3-0
• Brynn Daniels won 3-0
• Deryn Ramsey won 3-0
• Rachel Wong won 3-0
• Lisa Evans lost 3-0 (default)

Girls win gold!

Senior boys vs. Brentwood College: won 3-2

• Tyler Olson won 3-0
• Moishe Steinbok won 3-0
• Lachlan Glen lost 1-3
• Justus Koenig won3-1
• Jordi Fowler lost 0-3

Senior boys vs. St. George’s won 3-2

• Tyler Olson won 3-0
• Moishe Steinbok won 3-1
• Lachlan Glen lost 0-3
• Justus Koenig won 3-2
• Jordi Fowler lost 0-3

Senior boys vs. Shawnigan Lake: lost 1-4

• Tyler Olson won 3-0
• Moishe Steinbok lost 0-3
• Lachlan Glen lost 0-3
• Justus Koenig lost 0-3
• Jordi Fowler lost 0-3

Senior boys vs. West Point Gray: won 5-0

• Tyler Olson won 3-0
• Moishe Steinbok won 3-0
• Lachlan Glen won 3-0
• Justus Koenig won 3-0
• Jordi Fowler won 3-0

Senior Boys win silver!

Junior boys vs. Brentwood College: won 3-2

• Jeremy Fairley won 3-2
• Adam Weech lost 0-3
• Cole Turner won 3-0
• Matt Ashton won 3-0
• Stephen Lam lost 0-3

Junior boys vs. Saint Georges: lost 2-3

• Jeremy Fairley lost 0-3
• Adam Weech lost 0-3
• Cole Turner won 3-2
• Matt Ashton won 3-2
• Stephen Lam lost 2-3

Junior boys vs. Shawnigan Lake: lost 1-4

• Jeremy Fairley lost 0-3
• Adam Weech lost 0-3
• Cole Turner lost 0-3
• Matt Ashton won 3-1
• Stephen Lam lost 0-3

Junior Boys won Bronze!

Overall, this is as well as we could have done. The girls winning gold was expected and the Senior boys winning silver was a very good result. Justus Koenig had two very good wins under pressure and Moishe Steinbok also pulled out a very good win against St Georges. The Junior boys did well to finish third, mainly because of a very gutsy performance by Jeremy Fairley to win 3-2 against his Brentwood College opponent.

Junior Boys Basketball
The Junior boys basketball squads logged a lot of important time on the practice court the past two weeks, as a gap in the schedule and provincial exams saw fewer league games on the cards. The provincially #7 ranked Jags did fit in two league tilts, running their record to 4-0 in advance of the early February showdowns vs. Lambrick Park and Mt. Douglas.

The first of these was a 38-16 win over Belmont, with all players sharing courtime. Derek Hyde-Lay, with 9 points, led a balanced scoring attack, with a stingy defence limiting the Bulldogs to no more than 6 points in any quarter.

Then, in front of an enthusiastic evening crowd, the team overturned archrivals Oak Bay 48-39. Dawit Workie, Mark Yorath, Joe Erlic and Liam Maclure each scored 10 points, while, off the bench, Johnny Sipos and Alex Davies provided good defence and energy.

The Blues were busier, and also remained unbeaten in league play, easily dispatching Dunsmuir and Edward Milne. After then downing both Lambrick Park and Oak Bay in exhibition matches, the team, at the Sutherland Tournament in North Vancouver, enjoyed a fantastic contest against provincial power Pitt Meadows, giving as good as it got before falling 74-68. Trenton Schulz-Franco, pressed into action at point guard, gave an assured performance, while Wayne Lin and Keiler Totz continued to shine. The other two games, against the hosts and then West Vancouver, resulted in victories and leaves the group well positioned for a run at the Island crown on February 19-20.

Finally, the Whites return to action February 2 with a home game vs GNS.

Senior Girls Basketball
The Senior girls basketball team has been struggling as of late with a record of 3-3, since their strong performance at the Victoria City Police Tournament. The team has had recent league wins over St. Andrews and GNS, but unfortunately, they dropped the league championship to Lambrick Park.

• SMUS 49 – St. Andrews 24 (Sydney Stockus: 13pts 8 Rebounds; Madison Hadfield: 10pts 4 Steals)
• SMUS 40 – LP 56 (Annie Pike: 13 pts 9 Reb 7 Steals; Abbey Piazza: 10pts 5 Steals; Ciara Glen: 9 pts)
• SMUS 46 – GNS 22

In recent tournament action, the team travelled to York House for the Big Kahuna Classic. With the return of the Grade 9 standout, Sophia Ducharme, the team was finally at full strength. In the opening round game, SMUS squared off against the #10-ranked Nechako Valley Vikings. SMUS had a 3 point half-time lead, but struggled to score in the second half, losing the game 45-60. Annie Pike had a strong performance with 15 points and 6 rebounds. Sydney Stockus also played well finishing with 13 points and 6 rebounds and Abbey Piazza chipped in with 10 points.

Now on consolation side of the draw, SMUS played Little Flower Academy in the second game of the day, defeating the Angels 61-46. Abbey Piazza led all scorers with 19 points and 7 steals, Stockus had another strong game with 12 points and 8 rebounds, Pike added 10 points and 6 rebounds and Ciara Glen finished with 5 points and 6 steals.

In the team’s final game of the tournament the Jags faced Crofton House. Looking for some revenge from last year’s crushing OT defeat at the hands of Crofton House in the final game of provincials, SMUS was hoping to turn things around. However, it was not to be, as the team continued to struggle from the perimeter and around the basket. SMUS dropped the game 40-60. Piazza finished with 21 points and Stockus added 12 points and 6 rebounds.

With one league game remaining, the team will refocus and prepare for the Island Championships on Feb. 11-13th at Carihi in Campbell River.

Grade 9 Girls Basketball
The Grade 9 girls basketball team (SMUS 2 team) has jumped out to an impressive 5-0 start in league. Last week, the girls took on the SMUS 1 team and it was a great match up. The game was tight throughout, the teams exchanging key baskets back and forth. At half, the score was 22-20 for the SMUS 2 team. In the second half, the SMUS 2 team starting pushing the ball up the floor and hitting some key shots. The final score was 50-32. The girls had some well-balanced scoring: Rachel Sibbaid led the charge with 14 points, Allie White added 12 points, and Erin Hope and Orla Glen contributed 9 points each.

On Monday, the girls travelled to Lambrick Park. The SMUS girls jumped out to a blazing start and never looked back winning 45-14. With ball pressure and pushing the ball up the court, Lambrick Park could not recover. Many steals resulted in easy baskets and it was to much for Lambrick to overcome. Leading the way was Hannah McElderry with 16 points. Erin Hope chipped in with 8 points. This was a real team effort and each girl contributed for this victory.

On Tuesday, the winning ways continued. With swarming full-court defense and Phoenix Sun fastbreak basketball, the girls took over the first 2 minutes of the game, jumping out to a 11-0 lead. By half, the girls built up a 40-10 halfcourt lead. The aggression and intensity carried over to the second half and the final score was 59-18 for SMUS. Hannah McElderry lead the scoring with 14 points and 12 rebounds. Allie White added 11 points and 10 rebounds, and Erin Hope chipped in with 10 points and 8 assists.

On Wednesday night, the Grade 9 team will try to go 6-0 in league by facing PCS. The game begins at 5:45pm.