While the University of Victoria Vikes basketball teams take a holiday break from U Sports action, their gym will be hosting some of the top high school basketball talent in Western sa国际传媒.
The fourth annual UVic Vikes Alumni Invitational senior boys basketball tournament tips off Saturday morning and the 10-team, three-day event features not only the best teams on the Island, but also from the Lower Mainland and across the country.
Belmont, Oak Bay, Claremont, Dover Bay and G.P. Vanier are the Island teams in the running for the title, and they are joined by Vernon Secondary, Vancouver College, Centennial, Edmonton鈥檚 Ross Sheppard and New Brunswick鈥檚 Fredericton High School.
Belmont and 6-foot-6 forward Marcus Modrovic open the tournament Saturday at 9 a.m. against the Ross Sheppard Thunderbirds with the winner advancing to a quarter-final tilt at 4 p.m. with sa国际传媒 Quad-A No.1-ranked Centennial of Coquitlam. The Centaurs feature 6-foot-8 post Dominic Parolin.
Saturday鈥檚 second game, at 10:45 a.m., features Oak Bay and shooting guard Lucas Maffia, going up against sa国际传媒 Triple-A No. 1 Vernon. The Panthers return a pair of senior forwards in Isaiah Ondrik and Jimmy Atwal. The Oak Bay-Vernon winner gets a 7:45 p.m. contest against Fredericton.
The third game on Saturday, at 12:30 p.m., has star-studded Claremont, with 6-foot-8 provincial U-17 player and UVic Vikes commit Ethan Boag, going up against Courtenay鈥檚 G.P. Vanier and their twin 6-foot-7 towers Peter Greaves and Brandon Waugh. Vancouver College and Dover Bay will tangle in the other quarter-final at 2:15 p.m. Saturday.
Sunday鈥檚 action features semifinals at 3:15 p.m. and 7 p.m., with the final slated for Monday at 4 p.m.
