The Chatelech senior boys continued their winning ways on Monday night with a 68-54 home win over the Howe Sound Secondary School Sounders in high school hoops action.
The Eagles, coming off a 77-63 win over Rockridge last Thursday night, upped their record to 3-0 in league play while the Sounders dropped to 2-2.
Chat came out with a much better effort than the one displayed against Rockridge. The Eagles used their size to outman a smaller Sounders' squad and led from start to finish.
Chat opened up a 14-10 lead after the first quarter and upped the mark to 14 at half-time after outscoring the Sounders 20-10 in the second quarter.
The third quarter proved to be Howe Sound's best effort of the night as they finally found their shooting range. Howe Sound outscored the Eagles 18-12 in the quarter to cut Chat's lead to 46-38. But that was as close the Sounders came, as Chat went on a big run to open the fourth quarter and never looked back.
Chat was led by captain Dallas Craigan who poured in 22 points, while Aaron deJong chipped in with 26.
After the game, Chat coach Bruce Haynes said he was pleased with his team's performance.
"It was a lot better effort on our part," Haynes said. "We had better ball movement and control. Dallas really ran the offense well and also played great defensively. In fact, the whole team really stepped up and played a good, solid game."
Haynes said intensity, something he felt was lacking in the game against Rockridge, was also a key factor in the win.
"The guys really wanted to win this game and it showed," Haynes added. "Howe Sound looked tired and made some mistakes and we were able to capitalize on those mistakes."
On the other side of the floor, Sounders' coach Ron Roberts agreed that his team looked fatigued.
The Sounders finished second at a tournament on the weekend and really did not have enough left in the tank to put up much of a fight against the Eagles.
"We didn't shoot, didn't rebound and, as a result, we lost the game," Roberts said. "I think we were feeling some hangover from the tournament on the weekend. We went down early and didn't show any potential. Chat rebounded well and pushed the ball up court really well, and we couldn't find an answer to stop them."
Andre Zukerman was Howe Sound's top scorer with 20 points, while Scott Yang chipped in with 12.
Haynes expects the Eagles will be put to the test this weekend, as they host their annual tournament.
Action started Friday at the school and continues throughout Saturday with the final slated for 5 p.m. Each team is guaranteed at least three games.
Besides Chat, Elphinstone, Rockridge, Pemberton, Howe Sound, John Oliver from Vancouver, Westview from Maple Ridge and Maxwell from Vancouver Island will compete in the tournament.
"It's going to be a tough tournament," Haynes said. "Elphi and Rockridge we know, but the other schools are unknowns. We really don't know what to expect, but I anticipate it's going to be a competitive tournament."
Elphi has tough weekThe Elphinstone Secondary School Cougars senior boys' basketball squad is hoping for a little redemption this weekend at the Chat tournament after a tough week.
Elphi dropped a 74-65 game in Squamish against the Sounders on Wednesday night and lost 103-86 to Windsor in North Vancouver on Monday.
In both games, Elphi had only eight players on their bench. In the end, fatigue set in and Elphi didn't have enough left in the tank, said head coach Bill Sluis.
"The game against Howe Sound was a tough game to lose," Sluis said. "We held the lead for three quarters, but we ran into foul trouble, and with only eight guys, we also ran out of gas - they just wore us down."
Sluis said Gerald Camlass ended up with 22 points and he played well on the fast break. Keegan Sluis also poured in 28 points.
"We played a strong game, but when you don't have a full team, it's tough to keep the energy level up," Sluis added.
In Monday's game against Windsor, defence was at a premium as both teams filled the hoop.
Keegan led all Cougars' scorers with 34 points. Camlass and Corey Winters each scored 17, and Will Gye had 12.
"Again, we had eight players and Windsor had 16," Sluis said. "Windsor has a lot of players with fairly good skills. I think the two top teams right now are Windsor and Chat. When those two teams hook up, I think it could determine who will go to the provincials."
Following this weekend's Chat tournament, both Elphi and Chat return to league action next week.
Elphi hits the road for games against Sutherland on Monday and St. Thomas Aquinas on Thursday, while Chat heads to Seycove on Wednesday and hosts Sutherland on Friday night at 6 p.m.
Pender third at Grade 8 tourneyThe Pender Harbour Secondary School Grade 8 boys team put in a solid effort last weekend at a Chat tournament.
Pender finished in third spot at the event, which was won by Sutherland. St. John's was third, Chat was fourth, Oceanview from Powell River was fifth and Elphinstone finished in sixth place.
Pender coach Bruce Forbes said he was proud with his team's effort.
"We played all five teams, which is pretty neat for a team like us who struggles to get a lot of game action," Forbes said. "Between the ferry strike and weather, we've played only one game so far. The tournament was great for us. We had a small line-up. Lots of our players had other commitments, but the players who were there played hard. I'm very proud of what they did."
Forbes added he has received a lot of support from parents and the school this year.
"I couldn't do this without the parents' support - it's been fantastic," Forbes said.
