The Mount Baker Secondary Wild Junior Girls basketball team face their biggest test prior to the B.C. Provincials over the weekend in Kelowna.
Competing at the Immaculata High School ‘Sweet Sixteen’ tournament, the Cranbrook girls earned a silver medal while facing some of the leading competition in the province.
16 teams from the Lower Mainland, Okanagan, and Prince George area participated in the three-day tournament with four of the top 15 provincially ranked teams in attendance.
The Wild opened the tourney by defeating Vernon Secondary 56-15, advancing to play the number three ranked Kelowna Secondary. In a back-and-forth game that included eight lead changes, Mount Baker prevailed over Kelowna 44-33.
The Wild then moved onto the semi-finals, where they met up with the number 10 ranked Duchess Park out of Prince George. MBSS gained control early in that game and withstood a furious rally from their opponents to hold on for a 50-38 win.
In the championship game against number six ranked Valleyview Secondary from Kamloops, the Wild girls played hard but were bested by Valleyview’s superior shooting and excellent interior defence. Losing 47-42, Mount Baker showed that they can compete with any team in B.C.
Wild player Ashley Giesbrecht was selected as a first team all-star for the tournament, while Summer Blackmore was named the ‘Defensive Player of the Tournament’. According to coach Dan Loewen, both players are sure to be on the radar for College and University coaches in the future.
The Provincial tournament will be held in Langley from February 28 to March 3 and on February 16 and 17, they’ll have a chance to show off in front of the community, as they host a home tournament.