Nanaimo teams made it through North Islands and will get to stay out on the court for the next stage of playoffs.
The Dover Bay Dolphins senior AAAA boys and the Nanaimo District Islanders AAA boys both finished as runners-up at their respective tournaments.
Dover claimed second at its tournament at Cowichan Secondary School, with the host Thunderbirds emerging as the North’s top seed.
The Dolphins lost 57-49 to the T-birds and beat G.P. Vanier 62-59. Ryan MacDonald was top scorer for Dover both games, scoring 12 against Cowichan and 33 against Vanier.
Dover hosts Islands starting Thursday (Feb. 25) in north Nanaimo.
NDSS, meanwhile, was defeated 60-44 by the Isfeld Ice on Saturday in the North Island final at Parksville’s Ballenas Secondary School.
“Isfeld’s a tough team and what we really wanted to do is just try to compete with them and I think we did a much better job competing with them this game that we did the last time. We’re satisfied with that,” said Jacob Thom, NDSS coach.
Anders Cederberg was ND’s top scorer in the final with 18 points and Max Reed scored 12.
The Wellington Wildcats senior boys finished third at North Islands, defeating the Ballenas Whalers in Saturday’s third-place game.
The Nanaimo District Islanders host AAA Islands starting Thursday (Feb. 25) at the Nanaimo District Secondary School gym. Both the Isles and the ’Cats are involved.
At senior AAA girls’ Island championships, the Dover Bay Dolphins won two and lost two, ending with a 73-70 defeat against G.P. Vanier.
Madeline Hart was selected a tournament all-star.
Senior A boys’ North Islands weren’t required this year, with the Nanaimo Christian School Trailblazers earning the North Division’s top seed for Islands. That tournament will be held in Duncan starting Friday (Feb. 26).