Ranked eighth in the pre-season polls, the Okanagan Mission Huskies have their sights set on reaching a higher echelon in B.C. School Sports senior AA girls basketballRanked eighth in the pre-season polls, the Okanagan Mission Huskies have their sights set on reaching a higher echelon in B.C. School Sports senior AA girls basketball.
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Photo Credit: Lorne White/KelownaNow Jordyn Pink scored 13 points, including two in the dying seconds in OKM's opening win of the season.Playing in a highly competitive tournament like the G.W. Graham Showcase in Chilliwack on the weekend — and winning three of four games — is a good indication their goals are indeed within reach.
The Huskies got off to the start they were looking for by defeating the No. 9-ranked (AAA) Argyle Pipers of North Vancouver 50-47 in their opening game.
Photo Credit: Lorne White/KelownaNow Malley Richardson of the Huskies earned player-of-the-game honours in win over Panorama.Sparked by the play off the bench by Grade 10 Melaina Corrado, OKM jumped out to a 14-4 in the first quarter and showed its poise by battling back when the Pipers had taken over the lead.
Jordyn Pink, with 13 points and 10 rebounds overall, drained two free throws with three seconds left to earn the Huskies the win.
Photo Credit: Lorne White/KelownaNow Melaina Corrado sparked OKM in her first senior game.Meanwhile, Corrado finished with five steals, four assists and eight points in her first tournament game on the senior team while Jordan Robb, playing in her third season with the seniors, although still in Grade 11, led the team with 14 rebounds.
The Huskies’ depth and balance shone through as 10 of their players registered a point.
Up against Panorama in their second game, the Huskies again started quickly and surged to a 16-0 lead, but allowed the Surrey team to claw back to 16-16 before regaining the lead (47-25) by the half on the way to an 89-64 victory.
Grade 12 Malley Richardson, whose high-pressure defence got the Huskies into high gear, scored 11 points, posted six assists and added two steals to earn player-of-the-game honours. Pink was red hot again, netting 17 points to go along with five rebounds, four steals and two assists.
Finishing first in their pool, OKM moved to the tournament semifinal where they fell 71-56 to the Yale Lions, an honourable mention team in the triple-A division.
Photo Credit: Lorne White/KelownaNow Jordan Robb scored 25 points and pulled down 29 rebounds in four games for the Huskies.The Huskies struggled early on, falling behind 23-12 in the first half. And while they made adjustments and got to within four points early in the fourth quarter, they couldn’t sustain the momentum.
"They were a strong team and it was nice to get some good competition right at the start of the season,” said assistant coach Cassidy deVeer. “If we want to beat teams like that we can't get down big to start the game. They eventually went on to win the tournament, so having that as our only loss for the weekend is not too bad."
Once again the Huskies’ depth showed as 10 players made their mark on the scoresheet. Robb finished with nine points and six boards while Richardson added nine points, four assists and three steals. Jenna Robinson pitched in with a well-rounded performance: seven points, five rebounds, seven steals and three assists.
In their final game against the St. Thomas Aquinas Fighting Saints of North Vancouver (No. 5 - AA), who were missing their top player, the Huskies hit for 11 three-pointers by five different players en route to a 75-53 win that also included 28 steals by the winners.
Robinson earned player-of-the-game recognition with 14 points, five assists and seven steals while Richardson added 10 points, five steals and four assists to go along with a breakout effort by Grade 9 Lily Pink — 10 points and three steals.
Overall, Huskies’ head coach, Meghan Faust, said she was “incredibly happy” with the team’s start.
“Every single player contributed in every single game,” Faust said. “Our depth, experience and energy are going to be the key for us this year. There’s lots of work to do, but also lots to be proud of so far.”
The Huskies continue their torrid pace this weekend when they take part in the University of the Fraser Valley high school tournament in Abbotsford where they’ll meet the unanimous No. 1-ranked (AAA) Abbotsford Panthers in their first game.
Shorthanded OKM senior boys win two of three in Richmond
With only eight players available, the AA Okanagan Mission Huskies won two of three games at a senior boys basketball tournament in Richmond on the weekend.
OKM opened with a 76-64 win over the MacNeil Ravens of Richmond and followed up by defeating the Pitt Meadows Marauders 89-81 before falling 99-82 to the Richmond Colts — ranked No. 7 - AAA — in the championship game.
Jumping out to an 11-3 lead early on, the Huskies couldn’t sustain the momentum as the Colts went on a 14-0 run in the second quarter on the way to the victory.
Matty Kopp’s 18 points led OKM while Rylan Brownlee contributed 16 points to go along with 13 from Mark Imrich and 11 by Justin Carlton.
In their rough and competitive semifinal game, the Huskies won despite having two of the Huskies in the depleted lineup foul out.
Imrich topped the chart with 20 points, with Brownlee chipping in with 18. Kopp came through with a 15-point effort while Harrison Bortolon and Carlton added 12 apiece.
Brownlee set the pace in the opening win, scored 23 points that included five baskets from beyond the three-point arc Bortolon and Kopp each finished with 13 points and Imrch was a force on the glass and ended up with 10 points.
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