Tyson Taylor
sports@pqbnews.com
The Kwalikum Secondary senior boys basketball team will be making an appearance at the Island Championships for a shot at the provincials thanks to their latest win over the Highland Raiders from Comox.
The KSS Kondors came away with a well- earned 54–47 victory as their aggressive defense against one of the top players on the Island paid off. Evan Stefanek was assigned the tough task of guarding Nick Tancon, who stands 6’6” and has played for the B.C. provincial team and has also played for the senior squad at Highland since he entered high school.
KSS came out strong in the first quarter, jumping to an early 12–0 lead. The Kondors put pressure on the ball at every chance they had and created a lot of turnovers that lead to scores. KSS was leading 18–10 after the first quarter.
“We were able to capitalize on a lot of turnovers and got some quick points right out of the gate. The defense really upped the pressure in this one and that was really nice to see,” head coach Butch Gayton said about the early pressure from his Kondors.
Stefanek continued his stellar play on the night heading into the second quarter, managing to keep Highland’s Tancon under control, which lead to him only scoring five points in the first half and just 10 points all game. Stefanek was out doing his counterpart on this night at both ends of the floor, pouring in 12 first half points to help pace the Kondors to a 35–21 lead.
“Evan played a great game out there,” Gayton said. “He had a tough task ahead of him and he more than met that challenge. We prepared a little extra for their big man and Evan showed why he’s one of the better defenders in our league.”
Shane Gayton chipped in with 14 points on the night, the bulk of his scoring coming from hitting four, three–pointers. Ryan Becker added 11 points as well as playing some excellent defense and creating havoc for anyone that tried to bring the ball up the floor for Highland.
The Kondors now move to 4–0 on the season in their AA league play and have an automatic bye to the Island tournament. This marks the first time in over a decade that the senior boys Kondors will have a team at the Island tournament for basketball. The North Island tournament will determine where the Kondors will be seeded heading into the Islands.
KSS hosts the North Island tournament this weekend (Feb. 6–8) and the Islands will be hosted in Victoria by Lambrick Park on Feb. 20–22.