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Wednesday, December 7 - 8am to 7pm

Thursday, December 8 - 8am to 7pm

Maegan Beres has already had an unbelievably exciting year. She was an assistant captain of BC's U-18 team that won a bronze at the national championships. She also signed her National Letter of Intent to attend Boston College next year. However, this latest piece of news is undoubtedly the best. Maegan is off to the World Championships in the Czech Republic with Canada's U-18 Women's Team. Here is the press release from Hockey Canada:

CALGARY, Alta. – Twenty-three players will look to bring home gold for Canada's National Women's Under-18 Team at the upcoming 2017 IIHF U18 Women's World Championship, taking place Jan. 7-15 in Prerov and Zlin, Czech Republic.

Canada's roster includes three goaltenders, seven defencemen and 13 forwards and was selected by Melody Davidson, Hockey Canada's general manager of national women's team programs, alongside the team's coaching staff with support from Hockey Canada regional scouts.

"We are excited about the group of players we have selected and are confident that they all possess the qualities we were looking for in a gold-medal team," said Troy Ryan, head coach, Canada's National Women's Under-18 Team. "This has been a long evaluation process and these 23 players have worked hard at our camps, with their clubs teams and at nationals and will be ready to hit the ice in Czech Republic in the Team Canada jersey."

Canada's National Women's Under-18 Team roster for the 2017 IIHF U18 Women's World Championship includes:

• 18 players who competed for Canada's National Women's Under-18 Team in a three-game series against the United States in August in Calgary (D'Astous-Moreau, Bell, Buckles, David, Fillier, Hobson, Knowles, Maltais, Mitchell, Pettet, Potomak, Schroeder, Shirley, Vasko, Veillette, Vorster, Watts, Wood);

• Eight players who won a gold medal with Ontario Red at the 2016 National Women's Under-18 Championship in Regina, Sask. (Buckles, Fillier, Maltais, Mitchell, Ranger, Vasko, Watts, Wood);

• Seven players who won a silver medal with Canada's National Women's Under-18 Team at the 2016 IIHF U18 Women's World Championship (D'Astous-Moreau, Bell, Knowles, Maltais, Potomak, Shirley, Watts);

• Five players who will make their debut with Canada's National Women's Under-18 Team at the 2017 IIHF U18 Women's World Championship (Beres, Elia, Hector, McQuigge, Ranger).

Canada opens up the 2017 IIHF U18 Women's World Championship against Sweden on Saturday, Jan. 7 at 1:30 p.m. ET/10:30 a.m. PT, and will also take on Russia on Jan. 8 at 9:30 a.m. ET/6:30 a.m. PT before facing the United States on Tuesday, Jan. 10 at 9:30 a.m. ET/6:30 a.m. PT. The bronze-medal and gold-medal games are scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 14 at 10 a.m. ET/7 a.m. PT and 1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT.

After taking home a silver medal in 2016 in St. Catharines, Ont., the Canadians will be in search of their fifth gold medal in tournament history, having won in 2010, 2012, 2013, and 2014.

For more information on Hockey Canada and Canada's National Women's Program, please visit HockeyCanada.ca, or follow through social media on Facebook, Twitter, and Twitter.com/HC_Women.

Congratulations to 2016 Collingwood Grad, Rachel Spouge, who was named CIS Field Hockey Rookie Of The Year last week. Rachel was the co-captain of Collingwood's senior team for two years and her amazing mid-field play was one of the major reasons that the Cavs won the 2015 BC AA Championship. Rachel has gone on to play at the University of Toronto, one of the top field hockey schools in Canada. Here is the press release from U of T on Rachel's award:

Rachel Spouge, a first-year midfielder from West Vancouver, B.C., won the Joyce Slipp award as the rookie of the year, while Alison Lee and Emma Wingrave were named all-Canadians at the 2016 field hockey all-Canadian awards brunch on Wednesday morning at the Toronto Marriott Bloor Yorkville Hotel.

Spouge became the first Varsity Blue to earn U Sports rookie of the year honours since Amanda Woodcroft in 2011. She has been a focal point of the Blues attack and scored her first career goal in Toronto's 4-3 loss to Guelph on Sept. 24. Defensively, she helped lead Toronto to an OUA-low eight goals against this season.

"Rachel is becoming one of the premier midfielders in OUA," said Varsity Blues head coach John DeSouza. "Her vision, stick skills and work ethic make her an asset on both defence and offence."

Rachel Spouge (middle) receives her award for CIS Field Hockey Rookie Of The Year.

Coach Wong is one of the most upbeat, positive coaches that anyone will come across in the BC Basketball scene. So when he is clearly frustrated by his team's performance, then you know that his squad has not come to play. Sadly, this was the case yesterday in the first round of the No Regrets Tournament as Collingwood fell 69-39 to Charles Hayes from Prince Rupert.

With a huge home crowd behind them, the Cavs were either too excited or perhaps felt the pressure of such a big game. Either way, they did not rise to the occasion and seemed to lack energy and the will to win those individual battles that are so crucial in a basketball game. When your high scorer on the day can only muster 7 points, you are unlikely to win any senior game.

However, the good news is that young teams often flounder at the beginning of a season and then slowly learn what senior basketball is all about. The majority of this team are first-year seniors and every game provides a new lesson for them. Today at 1:15 at Handworth, the Cavs take to the court again and can hopefully wipe the bad memories of yesterday away with a win over Belmont.

Despite the home team's loss yesterday, all was not doom and gloom. As usual, the Collingwood student body embraced the "white-out" theme with gusto and proved again that we dominate when it comes to school spirit. There was a terrific Grade 5 Boys halftime game that showcased some of our great young talent at Wentworth. Finally, there was the momentous 3-point Snow Day shot by Lochlan Collins that ensured that Friday is a happy day for all Collingwood students. Lochlan's all-mesh shot from downtown sent everyone home in a fantastic mood.

Co-captain Samir Damji led the way with 7 points yesterday.

Hao Xu drives past a Charles Hayes defender.

Coach Wong tries to rally the troops in the 4th quarter of the game.

Mr. Lake and Jaxson Vickerstaff discuss who would be best to take the pressure-filled 'Snow Day' shot. They chose correctly as Lochlan Collins proved to be deadly from outside the 3-point line.

Congratulations to 2016 Collingwood Grad, Rachel Spouge, who was named CIS Field Hockey Rookie Of The Year last week. Rachel was the co-captain of Collingwood's senior team for two years and her amazing mid-field play was one of the major reasons that the Cavs won the 2015 BC AA Championship. Rachel has gone on to play at the University of Toronto, one of the top field hockey schools in Canada. Here is the press release from U of T on Rachel's award:

Rachel Spouge, a first-year midfielder from West Vancouver, B.C., won the Joyce Slipp award as the rookie of the year, while Alison Lee and Emma Wingrave were named all-Canadians at the 2016 field hockey all-Canadian awards brunch on Wednesday morning at the Toronto Marriott Bloor Yorkville Hotel.

Spouge became the first Varsity Blue to earn U Sports rookie of the year honours since Amanda Woodcroft in 2011. She has been a focal point of the Blues attack and scored her first career goal in Toronto's 4-3 loss to Guelph on Sept. 24. Defensively, she helped lead Toronto to an OUA-low eight goals against this season.

"Rachel is becoming one of the premier midfielders in OUA," said Varsity Blues head coach John DeSouza. "Her vision, stick skills and work ethic make her an asset on both defence and offence."

Rachel Spouge (middle) receives her award for CIS Field Hockey Rookie Of The Year.

When you have the best gym on the North Shore, it's no surprise that you're asked to host the finals of the pre-eminent basketball tournament on the shore. Thus, Collingwood's McCord Gym was the site of both the boys' and girls' championship games in the "No Regrets" Tournament yesterday. Special thanks to Mr. Shirkoff, and Mr. Zweep and his hard-working maintenance crew who made sure the school was open after Friday's snow day.

The Charles Best Blue Devils came away with the girl's title, while the South Kamloops Titans defeated local favourite Handsworth for the boys' championship trophy.

Collingwood's senior boys did not have the greatest tournament as they fell to Charles Hayes(Prince Rupert), Belmont(Victoria) and West Van. However, Coach Wong knows that tough losses in December will help the team be ready for league play in the new year.

Cole Soprovich drives through the West Van defence in Saturday morning's tilt.

Kane Vidalin steadies himself before making a foul shot.

Congratulations to 2016 Collingwood Grad, Rachel Spouge, who was named CIS Field Hockey Rookie Of The Year last week. Rachel was the co-captain of Collingwood's senior team for two years and her amazing mid-field play was one of the major reasons that the Cavs won the 2015 BC AA Championship. Rachel has gone on to play at the University of Toronto, one of the top field hockey schools in Canada. Here is the press release from U of T on Rachel's award:

Rachel Spouge, a first-year midfielder from West Vancouver, B.C., won the Joyce Slipp award as the rookie of the year, while Alison Lee and Emma Wingrave were named all-Canadians at the 2016 field hockey all-Canadian awards brunch on Wednesday morning at the Toronto Marriott Bloor Yorkville Hotel.

Spouge became the first Varsity Blue to earn U Sports rookie of the year honours since Amanda Woodcroft in 2011. She has been a focal point of the Blues attack and scored her first career goal in Toronto's 4-3 loss to Guelph on Sept. 24. Defensively, she helped lead Toronto to an OUA-low eight goals against this season.

"Rachel is becoming one of the premier midfielders in OUA," said Varsity Blues head coach John DeSouza. "Her vision, stick skills and work ethic make her an asset on both defence and offence."

Rachel Spouge (middle) receives her award for CIS Field Hockey Rookie Of The Year.

It might be cold outside, but the senior girls' basketball team was red-hot on Monday night as they defeated local rival West Van 48-26. The Highlanders could not match the Cavs' skill or intensity. Coach McLaughlin was happy with the big win, especially since it is the team's last game before they depart on their European trip. Here is her report:

In the last game before the Christmas break, the Senior Lady Cavs faced off against rival West Van in what could be the first of three meetings, as they will face off at West Van in January, and West Van is participating in the Lady Cav Classic.

The first quarter started off a little bit slowly for the Cavs, as they worked to figure out the Highlander's zone defense - trying to find their shooting groove. Tiana Wong proved to be the spark in the Cavs' offense netting 7 of their 14 first quarter points, as she got into gaps with her drives and took advantage of the Highlander's sagging defense. The second quarter proved to be still a bit of a slog as West Van sat back in their zone, tempting the Cavs into taking early shots - however, Bridget Campbell stepped up and punished the Highlander's lazy defense hitting a couple of beautiful shots. At half, the Cavs had pulled away 26-10.

Trying to push the intensity and pace, the Cavs came out and put pressure on the West Van guards forcing turnovers and being able to convert on West Van's errors pushing the score to 35-10. Unfortunately, the Cavs became complacent in their own D and were not rotating to help, allowing for West Van to go on a 12-0 run to finish off the quarter with a score of 24-37. Luckily, Collingwood stopped the bleeding and limited West Van to just 2 points in the fourth as five different Lady Cavs contributed to the score sheet in the final quarter to leave the gym with a final score of 48-26. (C. Campbell 2, B. Campbell 6, Gaglardi-Kreider 4, Sutton-MacGregor 6, Wong 13, Finnie 4, Narwal 4, Garland 9)

Heading into the break, the Lady Cavaliers can be pleased with many aspects of their game, but will have lots of things to keep practicing, especially in preparation for their European trip Dec 28-Jan 8 where they will play with ALBA Berlin, in the Swedish Lundaspelen Tournament, and with the Evo Sport School in Nyborg Denmark.

Bridget Campbell hit a couple of clutch outside shots to break down the West Van zone defence last night.

Jacqui Kelly missed last night's game, but has been playing great basketball this year for Coach McLaughlin.

Collingwood dance students engaged in a 6 week long project of planning for this show. They worked on composition, brainstorming, improv, video study, costume planning, lighting looks and music editing. They are so excited to share their creations with you!

Come join us at the 11th Annual Student Choreography Show at the Darlene S Howard Theatre! December 13 & 14 at 7PM. Tickets are free!

The Grade 10 boys' basketball team has a very busy week. They have already played two West Van rivals and will be travelling today to Burnaby South for a three-day tournament. In local action, the Cavs easily defeated Rockridge on Monday, but fell yesterday to a very strong West Van High team. Here is a report from Coach Yoon:

After finishing up several exhibition and tournament games, the Junior Boys Basketball team played their first league game of the season against Rockridge Secondary on Monday December 12.

Once the game started, it was clear the Cavs were the more experienced and superior team. The starters were quickly able to build a 25-6 lead, and all players were able to register a point on the scoresheet by the end of the contest. The final score of the game was 69-37 Cavs. Although the game was fairly one-sided for Collingwood, Coach Ditson was able to rotate different line combinations into the game as the team continued to work on their set plays and team defense in preparation for their next game against West Vancouver.

The next day, Collingwood hosted a very strong junior boys team from West Vancouver. In the first quarter, West Vancouver was able to convert on a lot of easy points in the paint while the Cavs relied on strong perimeter shooting to keep the contest close. Grade 9 standout, Nathan Holm hit a 3-pointer at the end of the first quarter to keep the score tied at 14-14.

The score remained close throughout the second and third quarters. During that stretch, the Cavs played strong team defense, sending four players to rebound the ball and pressuring West Vancouver on almost every possession. In the fourth quarter, West Vancouver was able to build a 10-point lead, using their size advantage to wear out the Cavs. Although the Cavs cut the lead down to 5 points, the team committed several turnovers down the stretch and struggled to defend the taller West Van players. The final score of the game was 46-34 West Vancouver.

Despite the loss, the coaches see a lot of potential for this year's junior boys team. The team will continue to make adjustments during practice, and the coaches feel very confident the boys can compete with the strongest teams in the province. The junior Cavs will now play in the Burnaby South Rod Thomson tournament from Dec 14-16.

Nate Holm drives for a basket in the Cav Classic. Nate played with great energy yesterday as Coach Ditson constantly turned to him for his tough approach to defence and rebounding.

The Grade 8 girls' basketball season is off to a great start. With a tournament, two exhibitions and two regular season games we have been doing a lot of practicing, playing and learning. With a roster of 20 girls, there is a lot of excitement and fun on this team.

On December 1^st, we had our first exhibition game against the Dukes which had a lot of firsts. First bus ride to the game, first day in our jerseys, first feelings of butterflies before stepping on the court but also our first win. There were however lots of things we needed to practice: driving to the hoop, shooting, spacing on offence and defense and pausing before bringing the ball back down the court. We were lucky enough to play in the Capilano University Queens of the Court Tournament and played three hard fought games against Panarama Ridge, Kitsilano Secondary and one of our rivals West Vancouver Secondary School. That game was a heartbreaker, losing by two points, but a great learning experience!

Our first regular season game on December 6^th was a showdown between the Spartans and Cavaliers, and we came out with a victory of 31-17. Later that week we played the STA Saints with more of a battle, but with spacing on defense and offence but we squeaked out the win, 24-23.

On December 13^th, we had our last game of 2016, it was a league game and it was awesome! There is a little quote that says "Revenge is best served cold" and even though the temperature in West Vancouver was below zero, the Cavaliers were on fire and brought down the Highlanders 28-22. Some might say they don't like revenge, returning the favour sounds way better! Heather Royle was a rebounding queen, Amy Uehara was a defending machine and shot down their give and go play almost ever time, Sara Fraser drove down the floor and to the hoop and Sky George and Olivia Huebner played strong and were shooting machines. Overall it was a wonderful game and a great way to head into the holiday season, where we hope all our and your 'swishes' come true in the new year!

Collingwood School, the largest co-educational independent day school in Canada, is seeking a full time Math or Science Teacher and Humanities Intern/TOC. As a recent graduate from the Faculty of Education, teacher interns will have the opportunity to gain real school and classroom experience. The successful candidate will be responsible for the daily TOC coverage of classes, while working with and being mentored by, talented educators in either the Middle or Senior School. Teacher interns are connected to a department, and will have the opportunity to receive mentorship in their teaching area.

All applicants must have an academic background that includes an undergraduate degree with a major in Math or Science, or the Humanities, combined with teaching certification that includes the intermediate and senior divisions. The successful candidate will be immersed in all facets of the school community and will be expected to contribute to the co-curricular life of the school. Candidates with experience and qualifications in coaching [and other co-curricular activities] will be given special consideration.

Potential candidates must be a certified, or be in the process of becoming certified, by the British Columbia Ministry of Education Teacher Regulation Branch. Letters of application, accompanied by a resume, and the names of two referees, MUST be received by January 23rd, 2017. To apply to this job, register or log into your account at http://collingwood.simplication.com

Do a job search, click on the job you are interested in, and click the apply button. You will receive a confirmation email and the job will be listed in your 'job application log' once you have applied successfully. If you have any question re: Simplication call 1-877-900-5627.

To apply to this job, register or log into your account at http://collingwood.simplication.com. Do a job search, click on Teaching Intern - Morven, and click the apply button. You will receive a confirmation email and the job will be listed in your 'job application log' once you have applied successfully. If you have any question re: Simplication call 1-877-900-5627.

Inquiries can be directed to: debbie.taylor@collingwood.org

***Only those selected for interviews will be contacted***

When Coach McLaughlin took over the senior girls' basketball program she immediately began to look for a way of enhancing the experience for her team. Using the contacts she established while playing pro basketball in Germany, Coach McLaughlin began the tradition of the senior girls travelling to Europe over the Christmas holidays. This trip combines high-level basketball and a chance to visit multiple countries in Northern Europe. Collingwood kicked off their third European tour with a stop in Germany. Here is a summary of the first few days from Coach M:

Day 1

It was a bit of a long first flight with a rotating trio of crying babies, but after a small delay we were in Frankfurt and then on quickly to Berlin.

We headed to the practice facility and then for a little walk to stretch legs and get a snack. We then returned to the gym where a few players got on the court and started doing some footwork and ball handling skills. We all went our separate ways and headed to our host families for a tidy and dinner. After which we headed to the Mercedes Benz arena for a match between our host's men pro team and a local opponent. Despite the noise it was clear that there were some 'tired chickens' as some gals started sleeping in their seats. So at half-time, the girls departed with their host families.

Day 2

What a day we had! Started off with a great sleep-in, and then a fantastic practice with the ALBA U-17 team. Despite ALBA's size... I mean size, our Lady Cavs were tenacious and stepped up big time. It was amazing to see just how much they improved in a short two-hour session. Coach Button and I were super proud of them. They were pretty pleased with themselves too and the talk after practice was they all felt like they learned new things and appreciated how the German style of basketball was different and pretty awesome.

After getting cleaned up we headed out for some "lupper" (lunch/supper) at a cute restaurant, then we headed out to an open air museum of the former Berlin Wall. The girls were good students as they listened to one of our "host fathers", Phillip, tell them a bit more about the wall and the history of East and West Berlin and Germany.

We then wandered over to a shopping district where the girls had a bit of time to check out the shops, but shockingly they were ready to call it quits after just half an hour! We then had a group cheer, said our good nights, and folks headed off in their separate directions to head home.

Tomorrow we start a little earlier with sight seeing around the Potsdammerplatz and Check Point Charlie. We will walk about for a few hours before heading to a nice German restaurant for our New Year's "Lupper" and then everyone will head home around 6pm with their host families.

The team work outs with the ALBA U-17 squad.

The Cavs pose with the ALBA players after practice.

The senior girls' basketball team has moved from Germany to Sweden and are now preparing for their first game. Here is another post from Coach McLaughlin:

We are all tucked into our sleeping bags in Lund Sweden after quite the travel day.

We were up early to catch our plane to Copenhagen and then made a smooth transfer to the train which took us into Lund. Once in Lund, we were picked up and brought to the main gym of the hosting team, EOS Lund. We then headed into town to find some lunch, which is always a little tricky on New Year's Day as most people are recovering from their night out. But we managed to find a tasty place that served some international cuisine, so we took part in falafels, kebabs, and more. A little while after (which included a little nap for many) we were able to head to our room, set it up, and get settled in. Coach Button and I picked up some groceries for the girls and we had a great indoor picnic as we watched a movie.

That was pretty much the day... a lot of sleeping in between moving about.

We have our first game tomorrow morning, so it is up bright and early for breakfast.

Hope everyone enjoyed their NYE and best wishes for the year to come!

Charlotte Campbell, Amanda Finnie and Nikki Sutton-MacGregor board their flight to Copenhagen.

Coach McLaughlin, Nikki and Charlotte meet Germany's Patrick Femerling - the longest serving German National Team player.

The senior girls' basketball team has been playing in one of Europe's largest tournaments in Lund, Sweden. Coach McLaughlin summarizes Day 2 and 3 of the tournament in this report:

It suffices to say the girls were warriors in the second game today against the top team in our pool. We limited them to their second lowest score and had the second lowest point differential against them. The girls played great defence and worked hard to get their looks at the hoop.

We play in the 'B' playoff pool tomorrow morning, win and advance - so hopefully we will have a couple games to write about tomorrow!!

Well, after a good nights sleep and having played such an awesome game last night, we came out a little bit flat today and unfortunately lost to a pretty big team.

Despite losing our games, there were lots of valuable lessons learned, not only about the game but ourselves as players. I think that we will come back stronger and smarter in our games against BC competition.

We are off to do some sight seeing in Lund this afternoon, and then potentially watch some skills, 3 pt, and dunk contests this evening.

We head off on the train tomorrow morning to Nyborg to meet up with the Sports School's team.

Coach McLaughlin speaks to her team during a time-out.

The senior girls' basketball team is now in Denmark. They have now been to Germany, Sweden and Denmark on their epic tour of Europe. Coach McLaughlin sends in this report on their two days in Nyborg and Copenhagen:

Day 1

We are now in Nyborg, Denmark at the Sport School. We had a smooth train trip from Lund to Nyborg via Copenhagen.

The girls were warmly welcomed by the b-ballers here who toured them around the school. It is a very interesting place and concept for a school as students generally only come for one year, live in dorms, have to clean and learn to cook, do their own laundry and get prepped for uni.

After dinner the girls teams traveled to Svenborg to watch the pro team (the Rabbits) play against the top team in the Danish league. It was a great game with the home team coming out on top by one with just a few seconds left in the game. The girls took photos with the players on the court after.

Tomorrow we will be training and playing with the Danes before heading for our tour of Copenhagen.

Day 2

Today we had a great practice with the Efterskolen girls in the morning and then headed into Copenhagen for a serious sightseeing day.

The girls saw and walked a lot.

They visited the "women's church" with beautiful marble sculptures of Christ and his apostles. They dined in a fancy cake cafe, walked the pedestrian shopping district, saw the royal residence, new harbor, the little mermaid and had a private tour of the military academy (former summer palace). It was a very full and fun day!

Tomorrow they are off to watch the Sports School play in the cup final in Aarhus.

The JV and Varsity Cavaliers recently returned from their Washington and Oregon Tour (January 3^rd to 7^th). The coaches were elated with camaraderie and chemistry the teams developed on the trip. Over the course of five days, the teams were in training camp for four practices, wrapping up the tour with games against Banks High School.

The Banks Braves Varsity team is currently the #6 ranked 4-A team in the state of Oregon. The boys quickly adapted to Oregon rules that include playing with no shot clock, single and double bonus, calling time-outs on the fly, and lining up four defenders on free-throws. The game began by the team singing the Canadian National Anthem, led by tenor Max McKee.

The Senior Cavs struggled to match the size and athleticism of the Banks roster, who boasted a starting line-up that included 6'7, 6'5 and 6'4 forwards. The Cavaliers (2-9 AA) countered the Braves by switching up defenses to change the tempo. The Braves sharp shooting dismantled the Cavaliers zones, and the Braves strolled to a 69-32 victory. 6'5 Junior, Dalton Renne, led the Braves, and will be a top prospect in the state of Oregon next season. The bright spot of the game was the relentless tenacity of Jordan Huang on defense. The Junior Cavs played earlier, losing 70-38. Once again, they were outmatched by a very physical group that was able to put tremendous ball pressure on the team. Coach Ditson remarked that the stiff competition will make the team more prepared for their local opponents.

Aside from game, the group of 25 boys and 4 coaches enjoyed watching a TNT NBA game (Trailblazers vs. Lakers), watching an ESPN NCAA game (Oregon Ducks #15 vs. Washington Huskies), and seeing a top ranked high school game. The team was able to train with world-class skills trainer Chris Hyppa, and they practiced at the Moda Centre. Other highlights of the trip included meeting several NBA and NCAA athletes, being on King 5 News prior to the Nathan Hale High School game (#1 Ranked US High School), visiting the Adidas Employee store, and having players try to beat Mr. Ditson at NBA 2K17.

Alec Coleman, Ryan Sieg, Brodie Jacobs, Kane Vidalin and Noah Wolverton meet NBA super-star Andre Drummond.

Coach Wong surprised the team with a practice at the Moda Centre, which is the home of the Portland Trailblazers.

Duncan Bustos and Max McKee get into the spirit of things at the Trailblazers' game.

The senior girls' basketball team returned from Europe on Sunday night. After an amazing trip involving lots of games, practices and sightseeing, the Cavs were ready to test themselves back in Canada. Obviously, all their hard work in Europe has paid off as they defeated the Sentinel Spartans 45-21. Here is Coach McLaughlin's game report:

The Collingwood Cavs headed one exit along the highway to visit the Sentinel Spartans in their first game back after the holiday break.

It was a very exciting game for the Cavs because for the first time all season, they had their full complement of players - all 12! This deep bench allowed for quick rotations and the players to hold nothing back while on the court.

The Cavs did well to move the ball quickly in the half court against Sentinel's zone, getting good looks on inside seals and kicks to open shooters. To try and push the score, the Cavs rotated line-ups and put on defensive pressure, creating opportunities to get steals and score some fast break layups.

The second half saw Sentinel pick up their intensity and start playing with more physicality. The Cavs did their best to continue to play with smarts and skills, but, there were a few trips where the Cavs were not a playing on the same page, allowing the Spartans to get a few good looks at the hoop.

In fourth quarter, however, The Cavs got back on track and held the Spartans to only 4 points in the last 10 minutes and the game ended 45-21.

All Lady Cavs got a good share of court time, and all ended up racking up some stats. Most impressive, were the numbers of assists and steals that the team earned - highlighting great teamwork and defensive effort. Leading the game with a "triple-double" was Tiana Wong getting 10 rebounds, 10 steals, and 10 assists, and 6 points. Nikki Sutton-MacGregor was in her groove netting 11 points, pulling in 7 rebounds, and 3 assists. Amanda Finnie continued her strong play, coming off of an impressive showing in Europe, also scoring 10, grabbing 6 rebounds and connecting for 3 assists. The Cavs were also happy to welcome senior athlete, Hazel Atkins, back to the court, whose athleticism immediately made an impact on the team as she pulled in big rebounds and blocked shots.

The Lady Cavs will face West Van next Monday before hosting their Lady Cav Classic Jan 19-21.

( J.Kelly 2 pts, I. Gaglardi-Kreider 4 pts, N. Sutton-MacGregor 11 pts, T. Wong 6 pts, A. Finnie 10 pts S. Narwal 2 pts, K. Garland 10 pts)

Jacqui Kelly is back from the Cavs' European adventure and ready to play some key minutes next week in the Cav Classic.

The Grade 10 boys' basketball team lived up to their #2 ranking in the ISA's as they won their first three games of the tournament before falling to a powerhouse St. George's squad. The Cavs were full value for their silver medal as they pushed Saints hard in the first half. Coach Ditson will lament the defensive breakdowns that allowed Saints to hit three key 3-pointers in the third quarter to blow the game open, but he was nevertheless proud of his team's fine play throughout the tournament. Here is Coach Yoon's summary of the tournament:

The Junior Boys basketball team finished competing in the ISA championships this past weekend at St John's school where the team finished with a 3-1 record and placed second overall.

The tournament set up had the Cavaliers play two round robin games with the top teams advancing to the playoff round. In the opening match, the Cavs defeated Southridge 48-42. It was a good opening contest as the Cavs maintained the lead for the majority of the game which allowed Coach Ditson to distribute the playing time, and the team responded well by closing out Southridge in the final stretches of the game. The Cav's top performers were: Imraan Karmali (13 points, 5 assists, 2 steals), Aleem Karmali(10 points, 1 steal), and Tariq Alibhai (10 points, 11 rebounds, 3 steals).

A few hours later, the Cavs played against Brentwood and came out victorious 52-45. Brentwood held the early lead in the contest mainly because of the team's ability to get easy points in the paint. Brentwood had the tallest post player in the tournament forcing Coach Ditson to make defensive adjustments throughout the game. Nate Holm was eventually asked to protect the paint and did a solid job guarding Brentwood's giant. Holm finished the game with 9 points and 8 rebounds while Riley Arbogast helped the Cavs take the lead with a strong shooting game with 12 points. With the victory, the Cavs finished first in their pool were set to face St. Michaels University (SMU) in the opening playoff game.

The opening playoff game started at 9 am the next day, and the Cavaliers were not ready to play basketball. The Cavs committed many turnovers and struggled to play team defense. Good perimeter shooting has been key for the Cavs throughout the season, but the Cavs could not convert in the opening half. SMUS built a 20-5 lead at one point and had a 10-point lead at half-time. Coach Ditson challenged his players to play with more heart and determination while making adjustments one play at a time. With about 5 minutes left the in the third quarter, the momentum shifted towards the Cavs as the 3- point shots started to fall and the team was able to make stops on the defensive end and convert points in transition. Imraan Karmali and Riley Arbogast contributed with 11 and 9 points respectively, and the Cavs held on to the lead in the fourth quarter. A big comeback and character victory for the Cavs.

With the win over SMUS, the Cavaliers would advance to the finals against the provincially fifth-ranked St. George's Saints. It was a game all the coaches wanted as it would present a significant test as the Cavaliers are preparing to qualify for the provincial tournament in late February. Despite not having one of the team's top players, Tariq in the lineup, the Cavs came out guns and blazing and established an early 7-1 lead and were tied 14-14 at the end of the first quarter. In the second quarter, St. George's used their size advantage to wear out the Cavs on the boards and kept many of our players in foul trouble. Although St. George's established a 20-point lead, the Cavs played some great basketball converting on several shots beyond the arc and playing solid team defense. Ben Wrixon had a big game for the Cavs coming off the bench and grabbing 14 rebounds. Unfortunately, the Saints continued to play well down the stretch and closed out the game 65-50. Despite the loss, it was the best team performance the Cavs had from start to finish in the tournament, and the game could have been right down to the wire if a few plays had gone in favour for the Cavs. The Karmali brothers combined for 36 points (19 for Aleem and 17 for Imraan) and Nate Holm had 7 points for the Cavs.

Lochlan Collins who has been out of action for the entire season played well in all four games and was key in the team's overall performance at the ISA championships. The team looks forward to getting a healthy Collins and Tyler Preston back into the lineup. A special congratulation goes to Tariq, Riley, Ben and Imraan for winning the "player of the game" award during the tournament.

The Cavs now have three games in the next three days, and will then compete in the Jr. Air Show tournament in Pitt Meadows from January 27-28.