The North Shore is such a hotbed of high school basketball that it always difficult for small schools like Collingwood to compete at the Grade 8-10 level when competition is not tiered. The North Shore premier leagues are loaded with AAA and AAAA schools that have far larger student populations from which to draw their athletes. Thus, when Collingwood teams advance to a North Shore Final, it is a really big deal. This week, Collingwood had both their Grade 8 Boys' and Girls' teams in the North Shore Championship game. This is the first time in school history both teams have reached the championship game in the same year.
The girls' team took to the court on Tuesday to play arch-rival Mulgrave in their final. For two 'smallish' schools to be in the final is a real testament to the coaching the girls have received at both schools. In the Cavs' case, this great coaching started at our Wentworth campus. Grade 8 coaches Diana Lee and Heather Dow inherited a skilled and motivated group of young women and have continued to build their skills. The result has been obvious to all who have watched the Cavs this year. They are a terrific team.
Sadly, Mulgrave were just a little bit better on Tuesday. The Cavs staged a late game comeback but fell narrowly to the Titans 35-31. It was a fantastic game and Coach Lee was very proud of her squad.
The boys' team has also had a great year. It is probably the deepest Grade 8 team in Collingwood history. This enormous depth has been crucial to the team's success. It is also why Coaches Vidic and Yoon were optimistic that when the team took the court yesterday that they could win Collingwood's second Grade 8 North Shore basketball title ever. The first was won a mere 19 years ago.
In the Cavs' way stood AAAA West Van. The two teams had split the season series with both games coming down to the last seconds of play. As is often the case in championship tilts, the game came down to defence. Collingwood was unable to stop the Highlanders at crucial moments. Every time the Cavs built up some momentum through their excellent outside shooting, they were let down by defensive miscues. As a result, West Van thwarted Collingwood's championship hopes just like they did the last time the Cavs made the final.
Although neither team ended up with a North Shore Championship to their name, it has been an amazing season for both teams. The good news is that the ISA Championships are next weekend so both teams are still playing and will be looking to medal next Saturday afternoon on our home court.
Justin George drives past a Sentinel defender in the North Shore semi-final.
Lucy Xu in action in the North Shore quarterfinal.