It鈥檚 long been a feature of college sports in the Pacwest, with the latest incarnation tonight in basketball when the Vancouver Island University Mariners come down to play the Camosun College Chargers with the women鈥檚 game at 6 and men鈥檚 at 8 in the Pacific Institute for Sport Excellence.
鈥淭he Island rivalry is a huge deal and it鈥檚 fun for both teams,鈥� said Camosun women鈥檚 coach Carl Macdonald.
As might be expected, the derby is tight and tense, with the two previous women鈥檚 meetings this season proving pivotal in the Pacwest standings to date. Coach Bill McWhinnie鈥檚 defending league-champion VIU squad won both those games against Camosun, each by just two points, and is 7-3 while the Chargers are 4-6.
鈥淲e have been right there. We just need to get over that cusp,鈥� said Macdonald.
鈥淲e need a strong defensive effort, and to finish our shots.鈥�
The VIU tandem of Sienna Pollard of Auburn, Washington, and Avery Snider of Comox are top five in Pacwest scoring with per-game scoring averages of 15.7 and 15 points, respectively.
Kathryn Candell of Camosun is also top five in league scoring with a 13.7 average.
VIU wipes the boards clean with 2015-16 all-Canadian Pollard second in league rebounding with an average of 8.7 per game and fellow-Mariners Snider, Emily Clarke and Victoria Brown also ranked in the Pacwest top-10.
Meanwhile, coach Matt Kuzminski鈥檚 VIU men鈥檚 cagers have been bursting out of their high tops of late. The 2013 national champions are 8-2 in Pacwest and riding a five-game winning streak.
Point-guard Usama Zaid from Los Angeles leads all Canadian colleges in scoring with a 29.6 points-per-game average. The explosive but well-rounded Mariners newcomer, in his third year of college eligibility, isn鈥檛 bad on the boards, either, and averages a league third-best 9.2 rebounds per game.
Fourth-year VIU shooting-guard guard Bryson Cox out of Woodlands Secondary is top 10 in scoring with a 17.7 points average.
These Mariners are capable of some derby damage tonight.
鈥淰IU is very talented and very well coached . . . they are tough on any night,鈥� said Camosun coach Scot Cuachon.
Last season鈥檚 Pacwest runner-up Camosun squad advanced to the 2016 national championship tournament as a wild-card. Things have been less steady this season for Cuachon鈥檚 crew at 3-7.
鈥淚t鈥檚 been a rude awakening . . . this group may have taken a few things too lightly,鈥� said Cuachon.
鈥淏ut we are a battle-tested team and not panicked. We are putting it together slowly but surely.鈥�
Fifth-year guard Evan Woodson out of Oak Bay leads Camosun in scoring with a league top-10 average of 17 points per game. Third-year forward Riley Botting from Tofino and fifth-year forward Rulon Schmidt from Cowichan Secondary are both Pacwest top 10 in rebounding.
The Camosun home stand continues Saturday with Pacwest women鈥檚 and men鈥檚 hoops tilts at 1 and 3 p.m. against the visiting Columbia Bible College Bearcats.
