Basketball
The first school term came to a close on a high note this week, with two of our Middle School basketball teams taking home the title of City Champions.
The Grade 8 girls captured the City Championship for the second consecutive season. The team had a perfect record of 10-0 on the season, including three convincing wins in the playoffs. The Blue Jags faced North Saanich in the quarterfinal game, cruising to victory 52-24. Makena A. led all scorers with 15 points, while Brianne M. was a terror on defence and chipped in 9 points. Maya B. pulled down 8 rebounds and added 8 points. The Blue Jags made quick work of semi-final opponents, Cedar Hill. Stretching an early lead, the SMUS scoring load was again carried by Makena A. and Maya B. Eva C. and Talia P. played solid defence in the win 43-24.
In the final game, SMUS squared off against Bayside. Bayside was able to handle SMUS's full court pressure, and after a tight first quarter the Blue Jags held the lead 10-9. A strong second quarter, sparked by a herculean defensive and rebounding effort by Alienor D. and thanks to the offensive prowess of Makena A., SMUS took the lead at the half 24-11. The Blue Jags controlled the rest of the game and finished with a 43-27 victory. Makena A. finished with 28 points (a career high) and Brianne M. added 7 rebounds and 12 points. It was a great way to cap off a stellar season!
The following night, the Grade 6/7 girls finished their season on an equally high note. The team finished with a record of 7-0, winning all of their games by a significant margin. After going undefeated in league play, SMUS faced Pacific Christian School in the semi-finals. This was a competitive game to start, however SMUS's tidy defensive effort and execution on offense was too much for the Pacers to handle. The Blue Jags earned a trip to the final with a 27-18 win over the Pacers. Alex M. led the team with 8 points, Olivia V. and Chioma D. each chipped in 6 points and Charlie A. stifled the Pacer guards with smothering defence.
In the final, the Blue Jags played the Royal Oak Eagles. The Blue Jags jumped out to an 8-2 first-quarter lead. They stretched the lead to 14-5 at the half. Charlie A. had an 8-point second half en route to a 35-12 final score. Alex M. finished with 9 points and Jenna R. added 8 points. Avery G. had a solid game at the point, as she has done all season.
This is the first time in the school's history that the Blue Jags have swept the Middle School girls basketball divisions. Vivat!
At the Senior School, the Senior girls recently competed in the Victoria Christmas Tournament. First up was a great win over St. John Brebeuf from Abbotsford. Claudia Murr, a Junior team call-up for the tournament, proved to be a tenacious scorer with 18 points in her Senior-level debut. Next up was a match-up against Valleyview and a 60-41 loss. As a result, SMUS entered the bronze-medal game against Southridge and were defeated. Zoe Lott provided 15 points and lots of energy in transition, while Meredith Selwood continues to offer consistent scoring.
Following the tournament, was a regular season game against crosstown rival Claremont High School. Lott, Selwood and Isabella Leong came out blazing in the second half, which allowed the Blue Jags to crawl back from a 25-point deficit but it wasn't enough to secure the win.
While students are now on Winter Break, some of our athletes are not quite there yet, as our Senior boys basketball team competes in the G.W. Graham tournament this weekend, and the Gary Taylor Tournament at Oak Bay late next week.
Vivat!
