Kali Loewen led the Pen High 9s to a Laker Invitational championship victory with a 10-point performance.
The Lakers defeated Vernon Secondary School 44-29. Also providing offence for the Lakers were Emma Terris with nine points, while Kalli Doell and Jennifer Hayman chipped in eight points each. Emma earned the player of the game.
“It’s always nice to play under the pressure of a championship-type game and to see how players perform,” said Lakers co-coach Chris Terris. “Winning always breeds confidence, which is important for any group of athletes but particularly young players.”
Chris said that Emma had a big weekend and responded when asked to handle the ball more. Loewen has also become a force every game and Chris said she’s just scraping the surface of her potential.
The Laker 9s opened the invitational with a 52-38 win over the Mt. Boucherie Bears. Loewen scored 11 points. Kayley Davies earned player of the game.
“We usually bring Kayley off the bench because she brings such consistent energy and aggressiveness,” said Terris. “She provides a real spark.”
The Laker 9s then cruised past Princeton 68-28 in the semifinal. Doell led with 14 points.
“The most pleasing part of the weekend was that we got progressively better individually and collectively,” said Chris.
What Terris liked about the players’ performances is that he described it as a great weekend to raise their performance level.
Emma, Liev Elder and Kinsey Corday all had significant leaps forward. Before the winter break in Langley, it was Mckenna Clarke and Rylee Mcdonald making big strides.
The Laker 9s are 4-0 in league play and 10-4 overall.
“Collectively, the girls took another leap forward this weekend. Our depth gives us an ability to put a lot of pressure on teams and wear them down. The key now, like most young teams, is to become more consistent.”
The Lakers host Similkameen on Thursday in league play then travel to Vernon for VSS Junior Girls’ tournament next weekend.
