The SESS Senior Boys basketball team participated at the 1A provincial championship at the Langley Event Centre from March 8 to March 11, capping off a successful four-and-a-half month season.
The boys played hard, finishing ninth out of sixteen teams.
Unfortunately, a heartbreaking loss in the first game put our boys on the consolation side of the draw.
The boys rattled off three straight resounding victories, redeeming the initial loss and demonstrating their capability to play with the best.
The experience gained by the younger players will undoubtedly help and motivate them next year.
SESS should be very proud of being only one of two schools finishing top 10 at both soccer and basketball provincials.
The team is very appreciative of the contributions from community donors. Unfortunately, there was a small window of opportunity for fundraising, but the local supporters understood this and generously contributed to the successful playoff run of our team.
We would like to acknowledge the support of the following local businesses/organizations in making this exciting trip more affordable for our players.
Major donors: Mariposa Fruitstand ($500), KGI ($500), TL Timber ($300), Keremeos Legion ($300), Keremeos Royal Purple ($300), Cawston Marketplace ($200), Keremeos Home Hardware ($200). Also donating: Vesper Transport, Keremeos NAPA, Valu Plus Foods, Valley First Credit Union, Keremeos Pharmasave, Big Root Organic Farms, Dr. Harold Potash Dentistry, Chilco Orchard, and Sonja VandenHoek and Chris Johnson with some delicious baking. Thank you very much to all of you from our team.
Our team is also very grateful to Lucky Boparai for volunteering to drive the team bus. His willingness to accommodate a flurry of ongoing activities made this trip an even more enjoyable experience for all.
The team wishes to also recognize the Boparai and Bengag (Mariposa Fruitstand) families for providing two team dinners at the hotel. Your generosity is truly commendable. Thank you also to Brandie Zebroff for organizing/cooking team breakfasts, team manager/trainer Sandra Simpson for helping out all season, Colleen Carlson for her fundraising efforts, recent SESS grads/players Misha and Riley for helping coach during the playoffs, and the few, but boisterous fans who came along to cheer us on.
Thank you to the school for facilitating this memorable trip, especially Wendy Hunt and Debbie Wilkinson at the school office for their patience and understanding. Thank you to our Athletic Director Scott Tremblay (and Lukas Toth earlier in the season) for looking after team sports at SESS.
I can attest that the boys represented the school and the community well, competing fiercely, but with class on and off the court. We can all be proud of them.
