It was a happy ferry ride back to the Coast on Monday night as both the Chatelech and Elphinstone senior girls' basketball teams won games in North Vancouver.
It took overtime to do it, but Chat picked up an impressive 55-50 win over Rockridge for its first league win of the season, while Elphi tripped up Collingwood 41-33.
Chat got off to a slow start as they worked some kinks out of their press, trailing 30-22 at halftime, but the second half was a whole different ball game.
Point guard Sammi Dixon spearheaded the press and led the fastbreak as she scored 12 of her 18 points in the second half. Tanya DeVries quarterbacked the offense, driving to the hoop with authority, collecting 15 points. Christine Lynch notched some key baskets late in the game, while Casey Baker and Amanda Lynch backstopped the defense with some timely steals.
It was a satisfying win for the squad, who have been struggling of late, waiting for their individual games to gel, according to head coach Ellen Thomas.
Elphi was behind at halftime in their game with Collingwood, but a big third quarter enabled them to pull ahead.
Tanya Widsten and Jocelyn Madeira had strong games defensively.
Stephanie Sammartino scored some timely baskets on long shots as Collingwood got within three points with about two minutes to go. Danie Proby had another great game, leading the team in both scoring and rebounding. She also scored a couple of clutch free throws in the final minute to seal the win.
"It's great to see the girls working hard and raising their game to the next level in the absence of point guard, Katrina Jones," said coach Lynn Moran. "We definitely miss her and hope her injury heals quickly so she can return to the line-up soon."
Chat and Elphi will renew their rivalry with a game in Gibsons at 3:30 p.m. on Monday.
