It doesn鈥檛 take newly-built sa国际传媒 high schools long in this era to establish winning sports programs. Which isn鈥檛 surprising since that鈥檚 where all the new growth and young families are. If it鈥檚 named something Ridge or something Creek from Surrey, it seems to be winning titles.
Same is unfolding in Colwood, where Royal Bay is poised to become a high school girls鈥� basketball powerhouse starting next year. That鈥檚 after they finish steamrollering through the junior high ranks this season.
Royal Bay Secondary, in its second year of existence, is beginning its hoops program from the roots up and is 35-2 this season and won the Island junior high championship for the second consecutive season with Lauren Awalt back-to-back MVP both years.
It鈥檚 a family affair with Dave Awalt the coach of the Ravens.
With seven Grade 10 players, these Ravens are ready for the move up to make an impact in senior high school next season. And just wait for what鈥檚 coming in their wake. Five of the Grade 9 Ravens were on the 2016 sa国际传媒 Summer Games team.
All that is in the future. This week is about chasing their dream of a sa国际传媒 junior high title. Royal Bay, ranked No. 3, opens the provincial tournament tonight at the Langley Events Centre against the winner of a play-in game this morning against Robert Bateman of Abbotsford and McMath of Richmond.
The Kelowna Owls are No. 1 but junior high rankings are not an exact science. The third-ranked Ravens beat No. 2-ranked St. Thomas Aquinas of North Vancouver by 30 points this season.
鈥淲e鈥檙e not big 鈥� our tallest player is five-foot-10 鈥� but we are athletic and defensively oriented,鈥� said Royal Bay coach Awalt.
鈥淲e fast break and use our speed to wear other teams down.鈥�
Awalt came by this pugnacious style through his own playing experience. His graduating class in 1995 at Royal Roads, when it was still a military college, totalled 57.
鈥淭hat was hardly enough to put together a basketball team that could compete in CIS,鈥� he said.
鈥淪o we played in the Victoria men鈥檚 league. I was a point guard and remember going up against the likes of [two-time Olympian and former UVic Vikes point guard] Eli Pasquale.鈥�
Awalt will move this Royal Bay group up into high school play next season as its coach. He said he plans on staying as the Ravens coach even after this group graduates.
This is how programs are built, even when the new-school paint in the gym is barely dry.
