The Summerland Rockets Grade 9 girls basketball team jumped two spots in Basketball B.C.
The Rockets were ranked No. 8 heading into the 16-team provincial championship hosted by the Britannia Bruins in Vancouver and placed sixth. They lost the fifth-sixth place game 32-22 against last year’s Grade 8 provincial champs, Lord Tweedsmuir Panthers of Surrey.
“We came out against a very fast Tweedsmuir playing overly aggressive on defence and unsettled on offence. They are a very athletic squad and we did not settle in very well in the first half,” said Rockets head coach Tama Corday.
Olivia Harrold had the job of containing an all-star point guard, keeping her to single digit points.
“Olivia is one of the best defenders in the province, her quickness and tenacity are unparalleled, we always know she can hold the other team’s top scorer in check on her own,” said Rockets assistant coach Jason Corday.
The Rockets trailed at the half 19-8 and got an offensive spark in the second half with Grade 8 Lexi Corday scoring eight points and Karrah Rolefsema (named player of the game for her strong defensive efforts) adding six points.
Lexi Corday
Corday was named to the provincial all-star team, the only Grade 8 to receive the honour.
In their opening game, the Rockets took on Richmond champion RC Palmer Secondary Griffins winning 60-17. Corday, named player of the game, put up 18 points with 10 steals and grabbing nine boards. Grade 8 Brinay Burdick scored 10. The Rockets advanced to the second round to face top seed St. Thomas Aquinas Fighting Saints, who won the championship.
The Fighting Saints were undefeated and boasted a six-foot-three ultra-athletic post and a six-foot-one forward with great skill. Burdick earned player of the game in a 56-24 loss. Against Port Coquitlam’s Heritage Woods Kodiaks, the Rockets won 48-38.
Burdick scored 11 points in the first half and finished with 20. Navi Hughes and Alyssa Robinson played key defensive minutes for the Rockets. Robinson was named player of the game as she stepped up when her teammates got into foul trouble. Jaqueline Mansiere chipped in eight points and Corday had 10 to go with eight assists and seven steals.
“We couldn’t be happier with our girls,” said Tama. “They competed with maximum effort against the biggest and best schools in the province, and turned many heads along the way. Moreover, they are truly the most amazing group of girls Jason and I have worked with. These young ladies have it all — heart, effort, intensity, talent, determination and grit. They are the tightest knit group we have ever seen, on any team we have coached.”
