The running shoes are revved up, the offences and defences fine-tuned, and what is left is the drama of the Vancouver Island Junior Girls High School Basketball Championships at Isfeld Secondary Feb. 23-25 starting on Thursday at 3:30 p.m.
The teams include three from the Greater Victoria area, including provincially ranked Oak Bay and Claremont, as well as Pacific Christian, a Mid-Island rep Shawnigan Lake and four North Island teams: Alberni, Kwalikum, Ballenas from Parksville and our own Isfeld Ice.
The tournament draw on Thursday is as follows:
3:30 p.m. - Alberni (North #2) vs. Shawnigan Lake (Mid-Island #1)
5 p.m. - Oak Bay (South Island #1) vs. Kwalikum (North Island #4)
6:30 p.m. - Mark Isfeld (North Island #3) vs. Claremont (South Island #2)
8 p.m. - Ballenas (North Island #1) vs. Pacific Christian (South Island #3)
Famous local soothsayer Gypsy Gertrude has been kind enough to gaze into her cracked crystal ball and offer her pre-tournament predictions as follows:
• Oak Bay - Top 4 B.C. ranked all year – book the ferry trip to the Provincials
• Claremont - Dheensaw runs the show and features the return of UVIC / Courtenay ex-player now coach Tara Gallaway. Welcome home, Tara!
• Ballenas - Smooth and quick and do not play like senior citizens from Parksville
• Mark Isfeld - Talented, hard working, spirited girls but head coach runs out of gas in 4th quarter.
• Alberni - Very talented guards and well coached. Always tricky with surpises up their sleeves
• Pacific Christian - Unknown so could surprise
• Kwalikum - Well-coached and skilled but lacking a dominant inside presence
• Shawnigan Lake- Unknown as well and could surprise.
"For exciting, spirited girls basketball the Isfeld gym is the place to be Thursday, Friday, Saturday," Gypsy Gertrude prognosticated without fear of contradiction.
