The Shuswap Middle School Grade 8 boys basketball team went undefeated this past weekend on their way to hoisting the championship at the Vernon Secondary School tournament.
SMS played solid team basketball to make it to the final by defeating Fulton Secondary 53 to 23 in their first game on Friday night.
Evan Smith led the team with 14 points, Silas Hecker added nine, Carson de Vries chipped in eight and Gavin Limber received player-of-the-game honours for his tough play inside the paint.
In their second game, Shuswap defeated Seaton Secondary 49 to 42.
Smith led all scorers with 22 points, while Alton Neid hauled in eight rebounds and Ben Ollinger received player-of-the-game honours for his aggressive play on defence.
In the final on Saturday, SMS faced off against Kettle Valley Railway Middle School from Penticton.
This was the third meeting between the two teams this year in tournament play; the previous two meetings saw KVR come out on top – with both tournaments taking place before the Christmas break.
Shuswap led most of the game thanks to tenacious team defence and strong interior play provided by Limber, Neid, Hecker, Ollinger and Daniel Wyss.
All five SMS “bigs” did a great job to contain the four extremely athletic bigs from KVR.
Smith provided Shuswap’s scoring punch from outside, hitting six triples from behind the arch and ending the game with 24 points. Jackson Mayes received player-of-the-game honours for his consistent play at both ends of the court. SMS won the game 47 to 43.
On Feb. 14 and 15, SMS will host the second annual Barry Dearing Invitational Tournament, with teams from Vernon and Kelowna.
SMS is undefeated in league play this year, and will play VSS at home tomorrow at 5 p.m., as they look to secure home-court advantage for the playoffs.
