Skip to content

Basketball teams soar to victory

Woodlands, Wellington among winning teams as regular-season high school hoops returns after break.
70661nanaimobball_girls_ver2_IMG_4963
Woodlands Eagles player Megan Schelter

Basketball season is back after the break, and some of Nanaimo’s teams haven’t missed a beat. High school hoops league play resumed Tuesday at gyms around the city.

Woodlands Secondary School’s teams swept a doubleheader in their home gym, with the senior AA girls defeating the Nanaimo District Islanders 49-37 and the Eagles boys beating the Barsby Blazers 79-49.

Michelle Berti, Woodlands player, said her team played strong defence and took the ball to the hoop on offence instead of settling for outside shots.

Her game-high 15 points led the way and T.J. Andjelkovic added 12. For the Islanders, Natasha Jensen scored 12 points and Maddy Dawson and Danya Nieman had 10 each.

In the boys’ game, the Eagles overwhelmed the undermanned Blazers.

“Everyone played really well,” said Jordan Murray, Eagles point guard. “They did have a small bench so running them was a big thing for us and we did a really good job.”

Bryson Cox scored a game-high 32 points for Woodlands with Zack Williams scoring 12 and Aaron Halsall adding 11. For Barsby, Chris Degoutiere scored 15.

Immediately following the game, the Barsby boys’ team folded. Coach Kirstin Polz said it was “very, very disappointing" to have to call it a season.

“The core kids that we have are truly committed to the team [but] numbers-wise it’s just not feasible to continue playing,” he said.

The Blazers senior girls’ basketball team may have also folded; its scheduled game against the Cedar Spartans on Tuesday was cancelled.

Over at the Nanaimo District Secondary School gym, the NDSS boys defeated the Ladysmith ’49ers 67-58.

The Wellington Wildcats senior boys’ and senior girls were both in action Tuesday at their school gym, too.

The ’Cats girls put the boots to the ’49ers 91-6 with Kaitlyn Franklin’s 18 points leading all scorers.

Wellington’s senior AA boys defeated the Cedar Spartans 76-40, with Aaron Copley scoring 13 points and Nick Roschuk contributing 10. Ben Cawthorne was Cedar’s high scorer.

The Dover Bay Dolphins senior AAA boys tipped off their regular season with a road game at Courtenay's G.P. Vanier. The Dolphins were edged 71-69. Wes Richardson scored 17 points, Mike Pereira had 15 and Robbie Calvin supplied 13.

Dover Bay's senior AAA girls were winners Tuesday at Vanier, 71-58. McKenzie Nicks scored 25 points, Jenna Ziemanski scored 16 and Gabby Jeffrey had 11.

sports@nanaimobulletin.com