It was a busy week, Feb. 24 to Mar. 2, as the SMUS Senior Girls basketball program capped off an incredible season with the program's first-ever AA provincial banner, while the Senior Boys team are gearing up to chase their provincial banner dreams following an Island Championship victory a week earlier. SMUS squash and rowing as also in full force with the BC Junior Closed (Provincials) and the Elk Lake Spring Regatta taking place this past weekend.
Senior Girls Basketball
The SMUS Senior Girls have shaken the proverbial monkey off the back of a basketball program that has been so close to tasting BC Championship victory in recent years.
The 2024-25 season saw the return of several key players with hopes of a BC-title run, including the backcourt duo of Charlie Anderson and Avery Geddes, along with defensive specialist Joss Olcen and post player Olivia Pickering. Cate Pontefract rounded out the list of senior athletes, alongside a keen group of Grade 11 players including Mya Beare, Indigo Edgington, Leila Mostachfi, Crystal Cai and Caitlyn Chen. A most pleasant surprise came via Mexico, in Isabela Herrera Orduna, a Grade 11 forward who brought a mix of length and perimeter shooting and instantly meshed with the dynamic of the team.
SMUS would once again test its mettle throughout the season against the best teams in BC, regardless of tier, as the Blue Jags attended several of the top tournaments in the province. An early-season win over AA powerhouse Holy Cross would set the stage for the inevitable rivalry all season long, with the Blue Jags taking the first game 57-38.
Limited success at the Tsumura Invitational tournament provided some good early-season learning and two December wins over Langley Christian School (another AA powerhouse) were critical heading into the new year.
January was a slog – tournaments every weekend coupled with the necessary juggling due to illness meant for some disjointed team play. Positively, all players had opportunities to contribute in both games and practices.
The mid-January highlights included a Victoria City Police Tournament title and a convincing win over local rival, Oak Bay, in its EmpowHer Tournament. With two tournament wins under its belt, SMUS headed back to Vancouver for one more crack at some tough Mainland competition as part of the Tessa Tournament, including a rematch with Holy Cross, which at the time was ranked No. 2 in BC.
This game would be an eye-opener for the Senior Jags, who got caught flat-footed early and never recovered. With SMUS down 39-25 at the half, the Crusaders continued to take it to the Blue Jags, handing them their toughest defeat of the season, 80-62. The loss would mean a flip in the rankings, with the Blue Jags dropping to No. 2. With playoffs looming and limited game play remaining, SMUS took the opportunity to reboot with some much needed practice time.
Heading into the AA Island Championship, SMUS would make quick work of its opponents, defeating John Barsby, Gulf Islands and then Lambrick Park. All wins were decisive, including the 67-44 final over the Lions. Anderson was named the tournament MVP, Geddes the Defensive MVP and Pickering was selected to the Island all-star team. The win in the Island final secured the No. 2 overall seed heading into last week’s AA BC Championships.
The BC Championships, celebrating a 75th anniversary, did not disappoint. With the nugget of an arena bowl final for the survivors of the 16-team draw, the energy and enthusiasm for the games was at an all-time high. Early-round opponents provided little resistance to the SMUS team, which rolled through the first three rounds, defeating Nechako Valley, Pacific Academy and Britannia.
In the championship game, SMUS put forward its finest effort of the season, with some personal-best performances, including a double-double for provincial first-team all-star Pickering (12 rebounds and 11 points), a 16-point performance by Anderson (first-team all-star) and Geddes (tournament MVP) adding 22 points.
Just as important were the defensive roles played by Olcen, who created many steals and locked down the quick guards of the Crusaders, and Herrera Orduna, whose quickness and tenacious defence caused many problems for the much taller Crusader forwards. In the four tournament games, the Blue Jags allowed just 132 points – which is 33 points per game on average – an incredible accomplishment and, ultimately, a major contributor to the team’s tournament success.
It was a fairy tale ending for the program and this team of athletes, who have been dedicated players since the start of their high school careers. According to Head Coach Lindsay Brooke, “this felt like a long time coming. Many fantastic players have been a part of this program over the years and we now have a championship blue banner to celebrate.”
Read more: Blue Jag Basketball gets its Magic Moment
Senior Boys Basketball
The SMUS Senior Boys will enter this week’s BC AA Boys Basketball Championship tournament in Langley as the No. 5 seed in the 16-team event.
The Blue Jags, Vancouver Island champions with a 33-8 overall record this season, will meet the 12th-ranked Charles Hayes Rainmakers of Prince Rupert in their first-round matchup on Wednesday at 3 p.m. All games in the provincial tournament are available on pay-per-vew livestream.
The Rainmakers beat Smithers 87-45 to claim BC’s Northwest AA zone title in late February. The Blue Jags downed Pacific Christian 81-50 in the Vancouver Island AA zone final on Feb. 22 at Lambrick Park.
SMUS, led by senior guard Davis Hardy who is averaging 25 points, six assists and five rebounds per game, is in the same tournament quadrant as the Westsyde Whundas of Kamloops, ranked fourth in the field. The Blue Jags are also on the same side of the draw as No. 1-ranked Pacific Academy of Surrey.
The tournament concludes on Saturday, Mar. 8.
Squash
The SMUS Squash team competed at the BC Junior Closed (Provincials) this past weekend at the Vancouver Racquets Club.
SMUS athlete Roshan Pathak earned a fourth-place finish in the Boys U19 category while teammates Carsten Rodger (sixth in Boys U15) and Max Arndt (sixth in Boys U17) also achieved notable placings.
Rowing
Six crews from the SMUS Rowing team hit the podium in the team’s first event of the 2025 spring racing season this past weekend – the Elk Lake Spring Regatta.
“Mother Nature blessed us with flat waters, little wind, and almost spring-like temperatures,” said SMUS Head Coach Susanne Walker Curry. “This was a blessing since we have been very limited to water preparations with the limited daylight in January and colder temperatures in February.”
The Elk Lake regatta featured 20 clubs from the Island, the Lower Mainland, Seattle and northern California.
Taking gold for SMUS were the school’s U19 Novice Men’s 8+, the U19 Novice Men’s 4X+ and the U17 Women’s 4+. The two Novice Men’s crews that won gold were all Grade 9 and 10 rowers.
Winning silver for SMUS was the U19 Novice Men’s 4+, another all Grade 9/10 crew. SMUS bronze finishes were turned in by the U19 Novice Women’s 4X+ (another Grade 9/10 crew) and the U17 Men’s 4X-.
Another six SMUS crews finished in the top six in their events – the U17 Men’s 8+ (4th), the U17 Women’s 4X- (5th), the U17 Women’s 4X+ (5th), the U17 Women’s 2X (5th), the U17 Men’s 4X+ (5th) and the U19 Men’s 4+ (6th).
“A huge congratulations to all the SMUS Rowing team,” said Walker Curry. “Many of the team will participate in spring break training camp at the end of March. Our next regatta will see us travel up to Quamichan Lake on April 12 and 13.”
