The Kwalikum Kondors senior girls basketball team is off to a solid start this season, beating the NDSS Islanders twice in a week.
In action Tuesday night at home, the Kondors squared off against the NDSS Islanders (Nanaimo) for the second time in four days.
With a good idea of what to expect, the Kondors were able to execute their game plan early and were successful from the opening tip off. They would cruise to a 58–37 win over the Islanders, with Jenna Milne, Jordanne Hansen and Maya Gayton all scoring in double digits.
“It’s nice facing the same team,” Gayton said. “You get to know an opponent and what they’re all about when you see them that close and this early in the season.”
“That being said, we’ve got to make sure that we don’t give teams a chance to really see what we’re all about either. But it’s still early, there’s lots of time ahead of us with the season and we’re only going to continue to work and get better.”
Last weekend the Kondors were in action at a tournament in Nanaimo at Wellington Secondary School, where they were victorious over the host Wildcats and beat the Islanders in their second game of the tournament. KSS would lose their third and final game against a very strong, talented Ballenas Whalers team.
“It was a good start for our season,” Kondors senior girls coach Butch Gayton said. “I thought that we played very well in our first two games against Wellington and NDSS.”
“That third game against Ballenas was tough for us, we had a few problems in that one. Ballenas has a very solid, very talented team and they’re going to be very difficult for a lot of teams this season like they’ve been the last few years.”
“But we’re excited with the start we had to our season and we’re going to look to build on it through the month heading into the new year.”
For the Kondors, the month of December brings another tournament this upcoming weekend in Duncan, as they’ll head to Duncan Christian School on Friday for their second tournament in as many weeks.
“Another good test for us,” Gayton said. “Getting a chance to play in some tournaments early on will only make us better. It gives us a chance to see some teams we might not normally play against and it lets us see where we stack up against some top-notch competition. The more games we get under our belts, the more we’re going to get used to each other on the court.”
They’ll also see action in the 2015 KSS Alumni tournament, facing off against former alumni on the girls side of things (see page A36).
“That’s always fun for me.” Gayton said. “Being able to see all the players returning from through the years, it’s great for everyone involved. Our girls know it’s going to be a challenge but it’s also all about having fun.”
In junior action, both the junior boys and girls Kondors came away with wins over the Woodlands Eagles. Ethan Christensen led the boys with 30 points, and Charlotte Palmer led her team with 30 points. The junior boys team is also looking for help with coaching. You can contact Butch Gayton at 250-752-5651 for more information.
