The Kwalikum Kondors senior girls basketball team picked up a big win last week against the Wellington Wildcats in league play, moving them up in the standings with just a few weeks to the North Island tournament.
With the North Islands slated for February 11, the Kondors moved up to third in their league with the 50–42 victory over the Wildcats. The win gives the Kondors a better position heading into the tournament, which they will host at KSS this year.
“The girls deserve a lot of credit,” head coach Butch Gayton said. “They battled very hard in a game that could have went the other way in a hurry for Wellington. We were in a position where we had the lead and then things started to happen, things that could have turned the game on its head for us and given Wellington a chance to come back and win. Luckily, the girls were up to the task and kept their heads, managed to maintain the lead and hold them off to keep the win.”
The Kondors will now have one final exhibition tournament this weekend before the North Islands. They travel to Nanaimo for a tournament at Dover Bay Secondary, one final tune-up as they head to the important tournaments on their season.
“We’re really excited about it,” Gayton said. “We’re feeling pretty good with the way we’ve played this season and we seem to be trending in the right direction at the right time of the season.”
“We’re a team that’s got a bunch of good players but we don’t have that one player that really stands out and we like that about our team. These girls are really able to work as a unit and play good team basketball, which suits us very well. Sometimes when you’ve got that one player, you tend to rely on them more than you would the rest of the players on the floor, so I’m very lucky as a coach to have this team playing the way that they are.”
There will be plenty of time to practice and fine tune their game at both ends of the floor for the Kondors between now and the North Island tournament. With just the final exhibition tournament, the Kondors will have time to rest.
“It gives us a good chance to look at a few things,” Gayton said. “Having all that extra practice time is good for us. Not only do we get to work on things but we’ve got a good number of players and the girls keep it very competitive during these practices. A week of practice will go a long way in helping us get that little extra something we need before the North Islands.”
“This is the time of year that you need everything to come together, so we’ll have that practice time to put a bow on what we’ve been working on and hopefully it will result in some good things for our team heading forward.”