Trailing at halftime. One berth to the provincial championships only. Injuries. Foul trouble.
The outlook wasn’t great for the Coldstream 10 in Kamloops.
However…
With 20 minutes remaining in their season, adjustments made by head coach Johnal Lee paid off in the second half, as the Kalamalka Lakers rallied to subdue the hometown Westsyde Whundas and its raucous partisan crowd 48-45 in the Okanagan Valley Senior Girls AA Basketball Championship Saturday, Feb. 18, in Kamloops.
The Lakers advance to the B.C. AA championships March 1-4 at the Langley Events Centre.
Key performances in the Valley final for Kal – who played most of the fourth quarter with four of its five starters each having four fouls, one away from being knocked out of the contest – came from Douglas College Royals (New Westminster) commit Kristen Francks, a Grade 12 Laker; Sydney Lewis, one of Kal’s walking wounded who overcame an ankle injury to help the Lakers to the title; and Grade 10 call-up Claire Penner, who showed no nerves at all.
Kal advanced to the final with a 64-29 win over Oliver’s South Okanagan Hornets. Brynn Fixsen, a Grade 11 Laker, popped in a career-high 28 points for the winners.
• The Seaton Sonics came within a basket of pulling off a major upset at the Okanagan Valley Senior Girls AAA Valley Championships at Sa-Hali Secondary in Kamloops.
The tournament featured four teams – each having already qualified for the B.C. finals March 1-4 in Langley – playing for Okanagan seeding and the Valley title.
The fourth-ranked Sonics lost 68-67 to the No. 1-ranked Sa-Hali Sabres, who then lost the Okanagan final, 62-53, to crosstown rivals South Kamloops Titans, ranked No. 2. South Kam disposed of the third-rated Vernon Panthers 70-42 in the other semifinal.
The Titans will be the Okanagan’s top seed at the 16-team provincial tourney.
READ MORE: Vernon’s Sonics, Panthers clinch B.C. basketball spots
READ MORE: Basketball skills on the rise this March break
roger@vernonmorningstar.com
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