High school basketball season got a lot more interesting this past week as some all-Nanaimo matchups tipped off.
The Wellington Wildcats senior AAA boys showed they’re a team to beat, knocking off the Dover Bay Dolphins and the Woodlands Eagles at a tournament at Dover Bay Secondary School.
Wellington edged Dover 65-64 on Friday, then handled Woodlands 62-43 the next day.
Anton Kamke led Welly with 21 points against Dover and Daniel Goodman added 14. Dover’s top scorer was Fraser Schmidt, with 15 points, and Jeff Webb with 12.
The next day, Kamke was top scorer with 19 points and Goodman had 16. Woodlands was led by Zack Mackay and Jordan Cox, who scored 10 points apiece.
The Barsby Blazers senior boys finished second at the Mark Isfeld Invitational in Courtenay, losing 59-53 to Kwalikum in the final. Barsby defeated Parklands 74-60 and edged Shawnigan Lake 63-62 earlier in the tourney. In the win over Parklands, Chris DeGoutiere scored 28 points, Michael Wyse scored 18 and North Rainey had 17.
The Dover Bay Dolphins senior AAA girls participated in the G.P. Vanier tournament, starting play with a 49-33 loss to Kwalikum. Mikayla Herring led Dover with nine points.
The Nanaimo District Islanders senior AAA boys won one game at the North Shore Invitational tournament on the weekend. NDSS lost 59-56 to Sentinel, got past Panorama Ridge 62-59, then lost 60-38 to Heritage Woods.
GAME ON … There will be a handful of games around the city this Tuesday (Dec. 16). The Dover girls play their home opener at 5 p.m. against the Cowichan Thunderbirds, followed by a boys' game between Dover and Ballenas at 7 p.m. In senior AA girls' action, the NDSS Islanders host Ballenas at 5 p.m. and the Ladysmith 49ers host Isfeld at 5 p.m. There is an all-Nanaimo matchup at Woodlands at 7 p.m., with the Eagles senior AA boys hosting the Blazers.
sports@nanaimobulletin.com