By the time you read this, the Elphinstone junior boys could be North Shore champions.
The Cougars played in the North Shore championship game Wednesday night in North Vancouver against the Sutherland Sabres (results were too late for press time).
Elphi got to the championship game, thanks to a 56-46 win over West Vancouver on Feb. 8.
Elphi's only loss of the regular season was against Sutherland, a 10-point loss at home in early December.
After a one-point loss at St. John's Feb. 3, the Elphi bantam girls had another tough game at Rockridge on Feb. 8, but this time they prevailed, 29-27 on an overtime basket by Larissa Hunter.
Rockridge had leads of 5-0 and 23-17, but the Cougars rallied late in the final quarter and tied the score at 25-25 on a lay-up by Asha Wareham. Gabby Gunn and then Larissa scored in overtime.
Despite losing by a point to St. John's, the Feb. 3 game was the best of the season for the Cougars as they came back from 10 points in the first half and nine pointsin the second.
After trailing for most of the game, the Cougars finally took a one-point lead, 34-33 on a breakaway lay-up by Gabby, but St. John's replied with a basket and maintained their one-point lead.
Elphi's potential game-winning basket with three secondsremaining hit the side of the backboard. Ali Blattler with 12 and Desiree Bosch with 10 led the scoring.
The bantam boys season is over after Elphi lost 53-36 to Sutherland in the North Shore semifinal playoff game on Feb. 8.
The North Shore league season is also over for the Pender Harbour junior girls as they dropped their first-round playoff game to St. Thomas Aquinas 42-10 on Feb. 7.
This was the first year Pender played in the North Shore league, and they did very well, matching up against some stiff competition and larger schools on the North Shore.
The Cougars saw their season end on Feb. 6, when the Elphi juvenile boys dropped their first-round playoff game to West Vancouver 61-22.
