Nate Banga’s shot selection was clicking big time Wednesday night. So were his read-and-react plays on defence.
Banga flushed 41 points and recorded seven steals and three assists as the host Fulton Maroons shelled the Seaton Sonics 106-58 in the North Zone Senior AA Boys Basketball League championship final. The Maroons advance to the Valley tournament next week in Kamloops.
“Our boys came out and played really well; we led from the tip,” said Fulton coach Dale Olson. “Nate had an excellent game.”
Hunter Kreiger and Teigan Derkach each added 14 points and eight rebounds for the Maroons, while Ike Olson produced a dozen points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists. Caden Doyle kicked in 10 points and nine boards.
Fulton opened the playdowns Tuesday night by storming the Revelstoke Avalanche 110-46 behind 21 points from Derkach,
Olson canned 15 points and pulled down seven rebounds, while Banga pocketed 15 points and five assists and Ernie Hunter supplied 10 rebounds.
A consolation game scheduled Wednesday between Revelstoke and the Pleasant Valley Saints of Armstrong was defaulted to PVSS when Revelstoke ran into inclement road conditions en route to Vernon and headed home.
Fulton meets the Prince George Polar Bears Friday at 7:00 in exhibition play on Senior Night.
Meanwhile, the VSS Panthers will host the Okanagan Valley Senior AAA Boys Championships next week after stopping the Okanagan Mission Huskies 70-63 Tuesday night in Kelowna.
The stakes were high as host for the league playoff tourney was on the line. Vernon had won the first game by 13 so if Vernon won they would host; if OKM beat Vernon by 14 they would host.
It was 21-19 for the Panthers after one quarter with the Huskies pulling away and grabbing an eight-point lead at the half.
The Huskies scored the first three points of the second half and it was not looking good for VSS.
Vernon coach Glenn Garvie called an early time out and the Cats came out of it with more focus. They went on an 11-0 run and tied the game at 48. From then on, the Panthers continued to hit big shots and had a renewed energy on defense.
Leon Schenker, as he has all season, led the Cats with 24 points, while Bradley Hladik registered 18 and was a force on the boards.
Owen Miller came off the bench in the third quarter and supplied the needed energy for the Panthers.,” said Garvie. “He was huge for Vernon, and in many way, although he did not score, was the difference in the second half. At this point playing anyone in their home gym is difficult. That is why this game was so important. “
The Panthers play Okanagan Mission in the semifinals next Friday (6 p.m.) with the No. 2-provincially ranked SouthKam Titans taking on the Valleyview Vikings in the other semi at 8 p.m. SouthKam topped the league but can’t host the Valleys due to gyms being used for the B.C. Winter Games. The Valley finals go Saturday (Feb. 24) at 7 p.m.
The Junior Panthers captured their second straight North Zone title on Saturday night with an 72-46 win over the visiting Salmon Arm Golds.
The Cats led 20-10 at the end of the first quarter but the Golds outscored them 13-7 in the second stanza to cut the lead to four at the half. However, a 16-3 run to start the half gave VSS all the scoring they would need.
Isaiah Ondrik led all players, pocketing 29 points; including six three-pointers. Zack Smith chipped in with 14 and Kevin Morgan added 10.
“Our boys played at a high level at both ends of the floor all weekend,” said Panther head coach Malcolm Reid. “We had a close one with Salmon Arm before Christmas break so it was nice to see how much we’ve improved since then.”
In semifinal action, the Panthers knocked off Fulton 82-47 as Smith drained 28 points, Morgan drained 15 and Ondrik contributed 10.
The Panthers host the Valley Championships and open Friday at 10 a.m. versus NorKam.
“We’ve played NorKam twice before so we know what we are going to get,” said Reid. “They gave us all we could handle on their home court in early January, so we’ll have to be on our game to make it to the next round.”
The Pen-Hi Lakers tangle with the Mt. Boucherie Bears of West Kelowna at 11:30 a.m., while the Westsyde Whundas of Kamloops face Salmon Arm at 1 p.m. and the Kelowna Owls battle the South Okanagan Hornets of Oliver at 2:30. The top-four advance to the provincials, Feb. 24-27, at the Langley Events Centre. The Valley final goes Saturday at 5:30 p.m.