LANGLEY — One of the charming elements of a B.C. basketball championship is that it brings together teams from all corners of this vast province, creating seldom-seen matchups.
And in the aftermath of his team’s opening-round 60-46 triumph over the Sentinel Spartans of West Vancouver, Duchess Park Condors head coach Reid Roberts acknowledged that his team’s game plan had been a work in progress throughout.
Try as he might, Roberts had been unable to track down any game tape on the Spartans. As such, he was taking a peek at Sentinel’s team photo to get a sense of players’ heights, and watching their pregame warm-up with uncommon interest to get a feel for what his squad was up against.
“We had no video, they weren’t at any of the big tournaments, so it’s like, who are they?” Roberts related with a chuckle. “That’s a coach’s nightmare, when you don’t have a clue what you’re stepping into.
“I was pretty nervous going in. And then when I saw the size of them, I was like, ‘Oh man. We’re in for a battle.’”
Indeed, in the early going, No. 14 Sentinel showed a team-wide knack for getting to the rim at the offensive end, hanging with the No. 3 Condors for much of the first half and building a strong case that they may have been under-seeded in the 3A draw. Midway through the second quarter, the Spartans were within four points (22-18). Senior guard Kerri Nimmons led the upset bid, scoring 11 of her team-high 17 points in the first half.
The North Central zone champs, though, stayed the course, eventually wearing down the Spartans with their depth. All 10 players on the Condors’ roster hit the scoresheet, with Zahra Ngabo setting the pace with a game-high 21 points.
Considering the poise and intelligence Ngabo brings to the floor, you’d never guess she’s only in Grade 10. Yet the Condor offence orbits around her versatile playmaking skills, and she was rightly the focus of Sentinel’s defensive efforts.
“She’s definitely the leader on the floor,” Roberts noted, “and we have a lot of other players who fit in well. If teams focus on her, we’ve got some shooters, and our post players are small but they play pretty big.”
Maggie Malfair (12 points) and Devyn Bjorn (10) also scored in double digits for Duchess Park, while Kionae Roberts and Emily Clarke spearheaded an effective ball-denial defensive strategy against Sentinel’s six-foot senior standout Karissa Kirkwood.
Kayla Lee joined Nimmons in double digits for the Spartans, while Kirkwood and Cate Eisler chipped in with six points apiece.
“That’s a team that can definitely do some damage,” Roberts said of the Spartans. “I bet they win their next game on the back side of the draw.”
The Condors will take on the No. 6 Mark Isfeld Ice of Courtenay in a quarterfinal playoff Thursday at 7 p.m.
Meanwhile, at the single-A girls championship, also being played in Langley, the sixth-ranked Cedars Christian Eagles defeated the St. Andrews Sabres of Victoria 67-18 to move on to the quarterfinal round. Cedars will play No. 3 Credo Chiristian Kodiaks of Langley Thursday at 7 p.m.
The No. 13 Fort St. James Falcons lost 52-42 to No. 4 Unity Christian Flames of Chilliwack in their opener on Wednesday. The Falcons play Vancouver Christian Thursday at 8:30 a.m.
At the double-A championship, the No. 15 Nechako Valley Vikings of Vanderhoof fell 79-28 to No. 2 St. Michaels University Blue Jags of Victoria. Nechako Valley takes on Mulgrave Titans of North Vancouver in a consiolation round game Thursday at 10:15 a.m.
- with files from the Citizen
