The Grand Forks junior girls basketball team headed to Vernon on the weekend for a tournament at Clarence Fulton Secondary.The Wolves got to see some tough competition as they battled a pair of big Kamloops schools.First up, GFSS faced a big and strong Valleyview Vikes squad. The Vikes used their superior size and pressure defence to go up 19-2 after one quarter.The Kamloops squad pulled back the reigns and a little and GFSS relaxed and managed to score a few baskets before going down 46-14.“We’re just not used to that level of competition,” said coach Craig Lindsay. “They had two talented posts that were a half-foot taller than anyone we had. Plus they have more kids to pick from and get chances to play pretty much all year round. It’s just a different level.”Lindsay said that playing against strong competition is the main reason the team travelled outside the Kootenays for the tournament.“We won’t see teams like that around here,” he said. “It was tough losing by that much. We haven’t lost by more than 12 all season. But it really gave our kids a good look at what it takes to play at that higher level. It’s about speed and aggressiveness as much as anything.”The Wolves lost their second game 40-16 to another Kamloops squad, Westsyde. This one was a little closer as GFSS trailed by only 15-8 at half-time but just couldn’t keep up with the quicker North Okanagan team.“Our defence was rock solid in the first half, we just struggled to make shots,” said Lindsay. “But they just kept coming at us and eventually they started making shots and pulled away.”The Wolves played a familiar foe in their second game, Mount Sentinel from South Slocan. After losing to the Wildcats by two in their last game in early January, GFSS were looking for revenge. The teams played another close one, but this time Grand Forks came out on top 34-31 led by 11 points from Alyssa Makortoff and seven from Keyra Stoochnoff.Simone Chernoff led Mount Sentinel with 10 points.“We played solid defence and passed the ball really well,” said Lindsay. “It was a nice win over a well coached squad. Last time we played them, they really shredded our press. This time we were able to force turnovers and get some easy baskets off the press.”Lindsay said the Wolves also did a strong job rebounding.GFSS travels to Trail on Wednesday for a rematch with the J.L. Crowe Hawks.

Grand Forks Gazette