The G.P. Vanier Towhees got off to the start they were looking for at the Island senior girls triple-A basketball championship at Claremont Secondary on Thursday.
Vanier, of Courtenay, broke open a close game early in the second quarter to record a 70-52 win over the Belmont Bulldogs.
鈥淲e鈥檙e real pleased with that. We were a bit disappointed that we came in second in the North Islands after leading the league,鈥� said Vanier coach Heidi Zirkl, whose team lost to Dover Bay in the North championship last weekend. 鈥淲e鈥檙e going to play the best we can and see what happens.
鈥淓very team would like to go to provincials. It would be nice to be top two, but top three would be nice, too, getting you into the challenge game.鈥�
The top two teams at Islands will advance to provincials in Langley and the third-place Island finisher will have a chance to challenge its way into the sa国际传媒 tournament, March 2-5.
It will be a tougher task tonight as the Towhees face a taller order at 5:30 p.m. in the Oak Bay Breakers, who defeated the Stelly鈥檚 Stingers 76-42 in the late quarter-final on Thursday.
鈥淲e鈥檝e seen them play a little bit,鈥� Zirkl said of Oak Bay. 鈥淲e haven鈥檛 played them this year, but this group of kids 鈥� with seven Grade 12s 鈥� has played them since Grade 9. The same kids, so we know what they鈥檙e capable of.鈥�
The Towhees are a quick, athletic team which will face a tall, physical Breakers鈥� club.
In quarter-final play, the Towhees pressed Belmont early and jumped to a 4-0 lead before the Bulldogs came alive to grab a brief 5-4 advantage. Belmont never led again, trailing 21-16 after the first quarter, but closing to 21-18.
Sloan Hofmann, with a nice reverse layup under the glass, a pair of baskets from Bernadette Enriquez and six straight points from Chloe Speed helped the Towhees open it up to 39-22 in the second. Vanier led 41-29 at the half and 54-37 after three quarters.
Hope Lewis led the Towhees with 18 points, while Speed finished with 14. Jess Thomson had 16 for the Bulldogs, including 14 in the first half. Madison Bullen added 10 for Belmont.
Meanwhile, the Claremont Spartans sank the Alberni Armada 77-38, courtesy of Calli McMillan-Beaucamp鈥檚 25 points, and will face Dover Bay in the other semifinal tonight at 7:15, after the Dolphins defeated Mount Douglas 60-34.
FREE THROWS: Lambrick Park will face SMUS today at 5:45 p.m. to determine the double-A senior boys鈥� South Island champ at Lambrick. Mount Douglas plays host to Reynolds in the triple-A boys鈥� final at 12:45 p.m.
