The West ShoreB次元官网网址檚 two sparkling new high school gymnasiums will be graced with a new banner, after the Belmont junior girls and Royal Bay junior boys won their respective Island volleyball championships.
The Bulldogs girls continued their domination on the Island scene, beating Campbell RiverB次元官网网址檚 Carihi 25-14, 25-15 in SaturdayB次元官网网址檚 girls final at Brentwood College in Mill Bay.
The win, which confirmed a spot in this weekB次元官网网址檚 provincial championships in Delta, capped an undefeated weekend for the Belmont side and followed a 2-0 win over CourtenayB次元官网网址檚 Mark Isfeld in the semifinals earlier that day.
B次元官网网址淭hey were a tough-serving team, a very defensive-oriented team,B次元官网网址� Belmont coach Ken Lowe said of Carihi, who won a slim three-set semifinal victory over crosstown rival Timberline to secure the other Island berth into the B.C.s. B次元官网网址淭here were rallies that were not just one and done, (we) were rallying for those points.B次元官网网址�
Belmont won their pool with a 6-0 record, beating Gulf Islands, Brentwood College and Timberline, who gave the Bulldogs their closest game, a 25-22 second-set win.
Looking ahead to the 32-team provincial tournament, hosted by Seaquam, South Delta and North Delta secondaries, Belmont goes in relatively blind, Lowe said. Its pool includes SurreyB次元官网网址檚 Lord Tweedsmuir, Kelly Road in Prince George and KamloopsB次元官网网址� Valleyview.
B次元官网网址淭hey say juniors is the hardest thing to win, because thereB次元官网网址檚 no tiering,B次元官网网址� Lowe said. Without teams being slotted into power pools based on pre-tournament rankings, luck of the draw is a factor.
The top two teams in each pool advance to the championship draw, which is a single-knockout situation. B次元官网网址淚f we can sneak out with a banner thatB次元官网网址檇 be great, but if we donB次元官网网址檛 itB次元官网网址檚 not going to define our season,B次元官网网址� Lowe said.
His players, many of whom have played in the provincial club volleyball championships, are excited and prepared for their next challenge, he said. B次元官网网址淭heyB次元官网网址檙e happy and optimistic they can have a good showing at provincials.B次元官网网址�
Meanwhile, the Royal Bay Ravens junior boys booked their spot in this weekB次元官网网址檚 24-team provincials in Kelowna with a thrilling come-from-behind win over Claremont in the Island final on the SpartansB次元官网网址� home court on Saturday.
The Ravens, who won the opening set 25-20 then lost 26-24, erased a 6-1 deficit in the tiebreaker to win 16-14.
Winning the Island crown was a measure of redemption for the Ravens, who lost the city final to Oak Bay, but beat them 2-1 (23-25, 25-20, 15-12) in the Island semifinals.
B次元官网网址淥ur team played with heart and determination,B次元官网网址� said Ravens co-coach Dian McKinnon.
The Ravens finished second in their pool, then beat Campbell River Carihi 25-17, 25-15 in the quarter-finals.
Royal Bay opens round robin pool play at the B.C.s tomorrow (Nov. 26) against David Thompson from Vancouver. They follow later Thursday with matches against tournament co-host Const. Neil Bruce middle school and Abbotsford Christian. The crossover playoff round gets underway Friday, with the medal round set for Saturday.
editor@goldstreamgazette.com
