Elphinstone and Chatelech renewed their Coast rivalry last Thursday night in Gibsons with the Cougars pulling out a 13-point win.
But the 47-34 score was far closer, as the Eagles continue to show improvement every time they take to the court.
The first quarter was a good battle, with Chat taking the lead only to have Elphi tie the score and take the lead by four points at the buzzer.
At the start of the second quarter, Elphi put a string of baskets together to take a 12-point lead. To their credit, Chat kept fighting back, and by the end of the third quarter Elphi's lead was cut to two. The last quarter was intense and very exciting as the girls battled hard. It looked like either team could come out on top until Elphi strung together four straight baskets in the last few minutes to take the win. Elphi's Addy Fearnley was a force on the boards, hauling down 25 rebounds while leading the team in scoring with 18 points. Kendra Pomfret with 13 points and Tanis Borley with eight points came through with clutch shooting in the fourth quarter to put the game away.
Noah Mithrush had an outstanding game for Chat, leading all scorers with 22 points. Andrea Palmer led her team defensively, playing her usual aggressive style. She grabbed a number of rebounds, especially on the offensive side, and chipped in eight points.
"I was pleased with the effort of all my players," said Elphi coach Lynn Moran. "We worked extremely hard on defence, forcing Chat to turn the ball over at key times in the game. My girls also controlled the boards very well throughout the game. I was especially pleased with how we controlled the offensive boards in the last few minutes of the game."
Chat coach Susan Telfer said her squad had no answer for Addy in the final quarter and the Cougar's tireless tight zone defence eventually stopped Chatelech's inside cuts.
"We were disappointed because we had hoped to beat Elphi in this third match," said Telfer. "We're showing so much improvement and we gave Elphi a great game."
Both teams still have league and exhibition games remaining, and Elphi will be competing in a tournament at West Point Grey Academy on the Jan. 30 weekend. Both senior girls and senior boys teams from the two schools will be travelling to Pemberton Feb. 13 and 14 for a tournament.
