The basketball season is over for the Summerland Secondary School senior boys Rockets basketball team after a loss against the Princess Margaret Secondary School Mustangs last week.
The game ended in a 66-51 decision for the Mustangs, who overcame a 12-point deficit.
Andrew Baron, coach of the Rockets, said this year’s basketball team was young, with just three Grade 12 players.
In addition, several of the players had not played basketball before this year.
The team this year was small. During some games, Summerland had only seven players.
Some of the outstanding Summerland players this season included Rylan van der Meulen and Ryan Antonovich, both Grade 12 players.
In at least 10 games, van der Meulen scored more than 30 points. His highest scoring game saw him contribute 37 points.
Antonovich had shown remarkable improvement from last year, Baron said. He was a consistent player for the Rockets.
For next year, Baron anticipates a strong performance from the Rockets.
“Next year, many of our players will be in Grade 12,” he said.
He added that the middle school basketball program has improved in recent years and is now developing strong players who will come into high school competition in the coming years.
“You need coaches at the younger levels to develop the skills,” he said.
