Three Ballenas seniors marked their final home basketball game with laughter, tears and flowers — and a bit of pizza — at the Ballenas Secondary School gym Tuesday, Jan. 23., 2018
The game itself did not go as well as the team might have hoped. Visiting Mark Isfeld Secondary of Comox ran away in the second half for a 75-35 romp over the Whalers. But Ballenas head coach Steve Dorsay was able to put a positive spin on the evening as he presented Grade 12 players Emma Canil, Amanda Greenshields and Sophie Dugas with bouqets of flowers before the girls posed for pictures with family and friends.
“Well, you looked good out there, that’s the key thing,” Dorsay deadpanned.
Dugas scored 11 points to lead the Whalers, who have three league games remaining — all on the road — before entering the North Island AA tournament. Greenshields scored seven points, Avi Franklin had six and Libby Elliott chipped in five in a balanced scoring effort.
Destanie Williams scored 20 points and Olivia Sellentin added 14 for the Spirit Bears.
The loss was the fourth straight for Ballenas, which went 0-3 in last weekend’s Victoria Police Invitational Tourney. Dorsay cited injury and a number of illnesses as a factor in the slump since the Whalers placed third in the Port Alberni Totem tournament a week earlier. But he added, “They were just better than us tonight,” with a nod to the Isfelt bench.
— NEWS Staff