It was another big week on the basketball and squash courts for our student athletes.
Basketball
The Junior Girls, climbing quickly in the BC poll, remained unbeaten in local play with a decisive win versus Oak Bay. Makena Anderson, Lauren Rust and Brianne McLeish led the way.
Next up is a key league game at Belmont, before SMUS then travels to Langley, January 24 and 25, hoping to secure a BC berth at a Fraser Valley area provincial qualifying tournament.
The Junior Girls Development team won its first two games in the ISA Tier 2 tournament in Vancouver but fell in the final to West Point Grey. Alienor de Nanteuil paced the offensive while Norah Lo, in recording numerous steals, was a ball hawk on defence.
Meanwhile, the Senior Girls found the going tough in dropping three games at the Victoria Police Tournament. Claudia Murr reached the semi-finals of the three-point competition and Yukina Hashimoto shot the ball well in the loss to Oak Bay.
Also, at the Police Tournament, the Senior Boys could not overcome a bad patch before half time and then a poor fourth quarter, losing 66-49 in the process to New Westminster. The squad did bounce back to defeat Maple Ridge and Pacific Christian School, with Karter Fry showing his versatility. However, in terms of overall wins and losses, the combination of erratic shooting and avoidable turnovers are proving difficult to overcome.
The Blue Jags face two quality opponents this week in BC AA No. 4 Lambrick Park and BC AAA No. 7 Ladysmith.
Finally, the Junior Boys battled through something of an ISA roller coaster. Down 15-0 after one quarter of play to St. George's School in Round 1 action, SMUS battled back to lead 31-27 entering the final frame. However, the offence then dried up again as Saints advanced. The Blue Jags split their final two games, losing to Pacific Christian School but winning versus Shawnigan Lake. Jonathan Nguyen showcased his shooting skills, going 12-19 from beyond the arc over the course of the weekend.
Squash
Squash took centre stage this past weekend, with 24 SMUS athletes competing at the Jesters Junior Open in Vancouver. The Blue Jags were represented in nine categories, achieving many notable results.
Congratulations are due to Oliver Kerr and Avery Myers, who won the Boys' U17 and U15 Silver categories.
Then, at U19 Boys level, Jay Herring placed second overall, with Christian Yuen also reaching the podium. Other medalists include: U19 Boys Silver - Scott Roberts (2nd) and William Bennett (3rd), U19 Girls - Alex Brown (3rd), U17 Girls Silver - Sofia Quon (2nd), U15 Boys Gold - Lucas Q. (2nd), U15 Boys Silver - Damon B. (2nd) and U13 Silver - Adam C. (2nd).
The team returns to training this week, with the mid-February Jesters Pacific Northwest Junior Championships, set to be held in Victoria, looming on the horizon.
