Elphinstone Secondary School senior boys coach Mike Sopow called his Grade 11 players out after a disappointing third place finish in the Cougar Classic last weekend, telling the boys that they needed to step up, be aggressive and attack the hoop, and that he's yet to consistently see this kind of play so far this season. This message dug deep into the minds of two players in particular during their recent game against Collingwood Cavaliers from West Vancouver. Elphi was without starting point guard/co-captain Mitchell Rainer for the game, and other co-captain Andrew Baron was playing on a bad knee.
The boys played hard-nosed, aggressive defence, although it resulted in a 20-point Collingwood lead midway through the third quarter. Incredibly, the Cougars battled back, cutting the lead to three with only a few minutes left in the fourth. The large Cavaliers front court made the difference down the stretch, dominating the glass. The final tally was 64-58 Collingwood, but the Cougars were very happy with their performance. Dayton Moore had a team high 19 points with Brian Jones chipping in with 16.
In junior boys action, Chatelech battled Balmoral Secondary of North Vancouver last Friday winning 38-24. After a slow start, Chat found their offensive rhythm to accompany a strong defensive effort. Zander Reid led the way with 12 points, followed by Avery Payne with nine, while Connor Weatherston and Matt Brown chipped in eight apiece.On Tuesday night Chat defeated St Thomas Aquinas of North Van-couver 40-39 in overtime.Avery led the team in scoring with 14 points includingsix in overtime. Paul Desautels chipped in 11, while Matt had another big game at both ends of the court and finished with eight points.
Chat's record is now 3-1 in the North Shore league.
