Junior Girls Basketball
The SMUS Junior Girls Basketball team opened its season by winning two straight games and reaching the championship final of the Spectrum Tip-Off Tournament over the weekend.
The Blue Jags battled hard but lost a close final 54-49 to the Mark Isfeld Ice of Courtenay. Elspeth Rodger and Indigo Edgington each had 17 points to lead SMUS in the championship game.
The Junior Girls opened the tournament with two convincing wins. The Blue Jags beat Belmont 48-24 with Rodger contributing 18 points and Edgington 16 while Leila Mostachfi supplied tremendous defence.
In its second game, SMUS downed Brentwood College 55-24. Rodger was outstanding, with 23 points and 12 steals in that contest.
The Junior Girls will host Belmont in a league game this Tuesday, beginning at 4:15 pm.
Junior Boys Basketball
The SMUS Junior Boys got their season off to a solid start last week, going 5-1 in their first six games.
The Blue Jags beat Belmont 65-55 in a home exhibition on Tuesday, as forward Eliot Tait led the way with 17 points and 11 rebounds. Jaiden Daniels added 13 points and Parker Sheehan 10.
On Wednesday, SMUS opened its Lower Island regular season with a 62-35 road win over Reynolds. Tait again paced the Jags with 18 points and Dani Pelyhe contributed 10.
Over the weekend, SMUS finished second in the 12-team Lambrick Park-Spectrum Tip-off Tournament, going 3-1. The Blue Jags’ only loss was a tight 49-43 decision to Brentwood College in the final. Pelyhe had 22 for SMUS in that loss.
The Blue Jags opened the tournament with a hard-fought 73-60 victory over Lord Tweedsmuir of Surrey as Pelyhe again led the Jags with a sterling 27-point effort and Tait and Daniels added 15 and 14, respectively, while effectively controlling the boards. SMUS followed that up with a pair of lopsided wins over Timberline (70-36) and Wellington (52-24). Will Bateson came off the bench red hot to pour in 19 points, including four threes, against Timberline while Pelyhe had 14 in just one quarter of action. Pelyhe also scored 14 to pace SMUS in the semifinal vs. Wellington and Tait did an admirable job defensively on the Wildcats’ star big man.
The Junior Boys, ranked No. 7 in BC to start the year, play Belmont and Pacific Christian in league play Tuesday (home, 5:45 pm) and Wednesday (@PCS, 7:15 pm) before competing in the ISAA Tournament at Brentwood College this coming weekend.
Senior Girls Basketball
The Senior Girls will host Belmont in their first Lower Island league game this Tuesday at 7:15 pm.
The Blue Jags will also take part in the Victoria Christmas Tip-off Tournament starting Friday. The tournament features many top teams from across the province. The Blue Jags’ opening-round game will be against the winner of Pacific Christian and Harry Ainlay of Edmonton. This game will tip off at 3:30 pm on Friday, December 9.
Senior Boys Basketball
The Senior Boys will also tip off their season this week, playing in the prestigious Tsumura Select 16 Tournament at the Langley Events Centre.
The Blue Jags, ranked No. 8 in BC AA boys basketball to start the season, will meet the Sullivan Heights Stars of Surrey in their first-round game of the 16-team tournament on Wednesday at 7:45 pm.
Tournament games will be livestreamed at: https://portal.stretchinternet.com/tfsetv/
The Blue Jags’ first Lower Island league action will be a pair of games next week at Glenlyon-Norfolk School on Tuesday, December 12, and at home vs. St. Andrew’s on Wednesday, December 13. Both those games start at 7:30 pm.
Grade 9 Boys Basketball
The SMUS Grade 9 Boys team opens its season this Monday (December 04) with an exhibition game against Stelly’s at 5:45 pm in the Single Gym. The team also travels to Esquimalt for an exhibition game on Thursday at 5:45 pm.
“The boys have already showed immense improvement over the first few weeks of practice, and it is shaping up to be a promising season,” says coach Graeme Hyde-Lay.
