The elementary school basketball season has come to a close, with tournaments and jamborees for the young players this past week.
On March 6, a 12-team Grade 4/5 mixed jamboree was held at the Elphinstone gymnasium with the very able hands of the high school referees and scorers. Teams left the “big gym” with smiles on their faces, after their first experience with a Play Day format. It was very evident that some of the clinics and after-school coaching has really paid off, as the skill level for these young athletes was impressive, in most cases. Well done, coaches!
The following day, 16 Grade 6/7 boys teams spent a full day at Elphi, battling it out for the district hardware. Two competitive divisions, and non-stop basketball from 9 a.m. to 3:15 p.m., kept the high school volunteer referees and scorekeepers on their toes. These tourneys could not happen without the help of the high schoolers – a huge thanks to all those who pitched in, and especially to Owen Schutz who co-ordinated the help.
The top four teams in the “B” flight came down to Roberts Creek, Gibsons, Kinnikinnick “B” teams, and the upstart Davis Bay “A” team, that only started half way through the season. But in the end, it was Roberts Creek “B” team edging out Kinnikinnick 17-12, to take home the “B” flight trophy. The four teams advancing to the final four in the “A” flight were the perennial powers Gibsons, Roberts Creek, West Sechelt and Cedar Grove. After winning the tourney the past two seasons, Roberts Creek finally succumbed to Cedar Grove in the semi-finals – but it was the Gibson boys team, coached by Tom Williams, who grabbed the trophy back to their school by defeating Cedar Grove 14-6 in the “A” final.
