Both the SMUS Senior and Junior Girls Basketball teams captured tournament titles this past weekend, topping their respective draws in the first annual EmpowHer Tournament at Oak Bay Secondary.
Senior Girls Basketball
The Senior Girls’ opening round game of the EmpowHer tournament on Thursday against Maple Ridge got off to a slow start, with neither team executing well offensively. The Blue Jags were up 25-13 at the half and they stretched their lead after the break thanks to a consistent defensive effort, eventually winning 55-29.
Point guard Avery Geddes led all scorers with 23 points and added five steals. Charlie Anderson contributed 13 points and six steals, and Isabela Hererra Orduna finished with nine points and five steals. Olivia Pickering also chipped in with seven points.
In a semifinal matchup against crosstown rival Claremont, SMUS would need another strong defensive effort to keep the Spartans’ inside game at bay. The combination of Pickering and Cate Pontefract did another excellent job to quell the Spartans’ post play.
Up 11-9 after the first quarter, the Blue Jags stretched their lead to 30-17 at the half. Anderson led all scorers with 26 points and 11 rebounds. Herrera added 15 points and seven boards, while Geddes knocked in 12 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. Off the bench, Indigo Edgington chipped in with a corner three-pointer and a nifty layup under pressure to finish with five points. The Jags’ 64-39 win would set up the tournament final and a rematch against host Oak Bay.
Looking to avenge an early January league loss to the Breakers, the Senior Jags were primed to pounce early. Taking advantage in transition, SMUS got out to a 22-16 first-quarter lead, including six points from Edgington off the bench. With the Breakers in some early foul trouble, SMUS continued to take advantage offensively, while the likes of Joss Olcen, Anderson and Pickering did well defensively to contain Oak Bay’s scoring unit and give SMUS a 41-32 halftime lead. In the third quarter, Oak Bay switched to a zone defence, which allowed for some open three-point looks for Geddes, Herrera and Anderson.
The Blue Jags didn’t look back in the second half, as they continued to execute and play solid team defence. This resulted in another tournament championship for the talented SMUS team, as the Blue Jags went on to win the final 74-61.
Pickering and Herrera were named to the tournament’s all-star team, while Anderson was recognized as the tournament’s best defensive player and Geddes was named the EmpowHer Tournament MVP.
With the playoffs fast approaching, the Blue Jags will set their sights on their last road trip of the regular season this coming weekend. But first they will work to get past league opponent Pacific Christian on Tuesday in a 5:45 pm tipoff. Then it will be off to Surrey for the Tessa Tournament, where they will play BC AA No. 6 Pacific Academy, BC AA No. 2 Holy Cross, and BC AAAA No. 6 Yale.
Junior Girls Basketball
The SMUS Junior Girls had to work overtime to win their draw at the EmpowHer Tournament – two overtimes, to be specific.
The Junior Jags, with just seven players dressed to start the game, edged host Oak Bay 56-55 in a double-overtime thriller of a final on Saturday afternoon. Linn Kuepper, who scored 28 points in the win, was named tournament MVP and top defensive player. SMUS teammates Clara Pressello and Mikaela Dubé were selected to the tournament all-star team. Dubé contributed 20 points in the championship game.
Dubé scored 26 points and Kuepper added 24 in the Junior Jags’ 54-28 semifinal win over Duncan Christian on Friday. Dubé also had 26 points in SMUS’ 59-18 victory over Highland of Comox in its tournament opener on Thursday while Kuepper added 18.
In Lower Island league action on Wednesday, the Blue Jags beat visiting Lambrick Park 54-35. Dubé led the way in that game with 24 points and 15 rebounds while Kuepper contributed 18 points and 10 boards and both Pressello and Amelia Evans chipped in six points apiece.
The Junior Girls will host a rematch with Oak Bay this Wednesday in a 5:45 pm tip. Like the Senior Girls, they will also travel to the Lower Mainland for the Tessa Tournament this coming Friday and Saturday.
Senior Boys Basketball
It was a relatively quiet week for the Senior Boys Basketball team, with just one league game on Tuesday against rival Lambrick Park.
In a battle between two Lower Island AA league undefeated teams, the visiting Lions emerged with a 69-43 win as the Blue Jags struggled through a poor shooting night. SMUS was without the services of forward Elliot Mairet which made it more difficult to break down Lambrick’s zone defence.
Davis Hardy led the Senior Jags with 11 points in the loss while Wil Woods added 10.
The Senior Blue Jags have a busy week ahead. They will host Pacific Christian in an important league game on Tuesday, tipping off at 7:30 pm, and they will travel to St. Andrew’s for a 7:30 pm league game on Wednesday. Then it’s off to Brentwood College for the Countdown to the Playoffs tournament beginning with a 4 pm matchup on Thursday against Ladysmith.
Junior Boys Basketball
The Junior Boys Basketball team recorded a pair of wins last week, including an important 66-56 decision over visiting Stelly’s in Lower Island Division 1 action on Tuesday.
That victory guaranteed the Blue Jags to finish no lower than eighth in the Division 1 standings. SMUS got 18 points from Alex MacKay, nine of those coming in the fourth quarter as the Stingers attempted a comeback. Manav Kang added 11 points, Henry Lake 10 and Aaron Williamson nine as the Junior Jags shook off a slow start to earn the win.
The Blue Jags also played tough against a strong Belmont team in league action on Wednesday, with SMUS holding slim leads deep into the fourth quarter before ultimately falling 62-52 due to a late Belmont run. MacKay scored 15 points in that game while Aaron Williamson added 12 and Kang 10.
Those league results mean the young Blue Jags – with a roster than includes eight Grade 9s – will compete in a play-in game this Friday at Royal Bay to earn a spot in the eight-team Lower Island playoff draw. The Blue Jags’ opponent will be determined by the results of league games this week. SMUS and Royal Bay are tied for seventh spot in the standings as the Blue Jags visit league-leading Claremont in a 7:15 pm tip on Wednesday while Royal Bay hosts Belmont.
The Junior Jags also competed well in the Claremont Spartan Invitational tournament on the weekend, sandwiching a solid 66-32 win over Sutherland of North Vancouver between two tight losses to Mark Isfeld and Spectrum. Williamson scored 17 points in the victory while Kang had 16 and MacKay 10. Ten SMUS players hit the scoresheet in a well-rounded attack.
A slow start hampered the Blue Jags in their tournament opener as they fell 54-49 to Isfeld. Ming Tsang’s hot shooting from deep resulted in 14 points and spurred a furious Blue Jags’ comeback that fell just short. MacKay added 10 points in the loss.
In the Junior Boys’ third game of the tournament, they put forth a terrific effort, breaking Spectrum’s full-court pressure efficiently and out-rebounding the physical Thunder. Unfortunately, the Jags did not shoot well enough overall and ultimately fell 58-46 in what was a two-point game late into the fourth quarter.
Junior ‘B’ Boys Basketball
The SMUS Junior ‘B’ Boys turned in a couple of strong performance in Lower Island Division 2 action this past week, splitting a pair of games.
The visiting Junior ‘B’ Jags led for a good portion of the first half but ultimately fell 54-38 to Claremont ‘B’ last Monday. Azaad Gill and Kieran MacKay were the scoring leaders for SMUS in the loss.
The Blue Jags followed that up with a terrific effort on Thursday in an exciting 61-55 win over a talented Oak Bay team. Bek Farish led the way with 18 points in the win while Gill added 16. MacKay also scored 16 and dominated the boards from his forward position.
The Junior Jags will complete their regular season with a game Monday against visiting Glenlyon Norfolk School at 4:15 pm.
