Two Ballenas Secondary standouts struck gold on the hardwood at the provincial zone championships in Langley.
Makyla Hoey and Kate Reynolds were instrumental parts of the U15 Vancouver Island Central team as they marched their way to a gold medal at the showdown for the best Grade 9 basketball players in B.C.
Coached by Nanaimo’s Rick Hart, the group also included players from Nanaimo and Salt Spring. The win marks the first time a U15 girls team from north of Victoria has ever won gold medal at the tournament.
Not the most skilled team by any means, the girls played hard and weren’t afraid to put their bodies on the line, putting it all out there to do what they could to win as a team. Coach Rick Hart brought the team together and the girls really bought in to the team first concept, which helped them along the way through some close games.
Their first win came over a squad from North Vancouver by a score of 45–41. Game two saw them beating the team out of Victoria (Vancouver Island South) 45–42.
The semi-final game saw a team from the Okanagan, with five of their starters all part of Team B.C.’s U15 girls team. The Central Island squad took care of business, beating them 45–30. The gold medal game saw the girls earn a hard fought 31–24 win over a team from the Fraser Valley, capping a great tournament for the team.