RYAN WILLMAN
Arrow Lakes News
Last weekend the Nakusp Secondary Sr. Boys Basketball team stuffed themselves into two vehicles and made their way through Kootenay winter roads to participate in the Sr. Boys Northstar Classic basketball tournament in Kimberly, B.C..
The tournament played host to some familiar rivals of the Nakusp Cougars, including teams from South Slocan, Elkford, Castelgar, Creston, Sparwood and Fernie. The Cougars were still hunting for their first win of the season after a tough showing at the Mt. Sentinel basketball tournament prior to the holiday break.
After six hours of travel, The Cougars tried to shake off the shackles of the road, but came out flat on the hardwood against Fernie in the first half and dug themselves into a 30 point deficit. Cougar coach Seamus O’Connor rallied the boys during the break and sent them back onto the court with a mission to netutralize Fernie’s solid outside shooting and reclaim the game. The Cougars struggled, but ratcheted up their pressure and managed to claw their way to within 14 points with two minutes left in the game, but the early hole was too large to overcome.
Still hungry, the Cougars set up for their second match looking to build off a strong fourth quarter in the previous game. The boys’ momentum carried them though the first quarter against the Trail team with a managable eight point deficit, then stormed on to hold a two point lead going into the half. O’Connor was impressed with the Cougars’ resiliency and pointed out, “The Mclean boys started to work as brothers in the post and dominated the offensive glass for some easy buckets.”
After the half, both teams returned to the court to find a stalemate, but the young Cougars from the nothern most Kootenay town dug out their jam and overcame attrition by earning a two-point lead into the fourth. But the game was far from over as “Trail somehow found some footing and stole back the lead with only 1:30 left in the game,” O’Connor recalled, “but we answered back with some pressure defence and managed some key steals.”
At the end of regulation Broden Mclean forced an overtime showdown with his timely bucket, but the extra effort to force the time tolled on the Cougars, and the game slipped away 61-53 by the close of overtime.
Determined to avoid traveling home empty handed, the Cougars tore into their final game against Elkford and established an early 12-6 lead. “No one could handle the Mclean’s in the post,” O’Connor observed, “and in the second half the game was blown open by back to back threes from Jade Kessler, but it was Caleb Bobicki who earned ‘player of the game’ with his hustle plays.” The Cougars cruised to the final buzzer and celebrated a hard earned victory.
“The boys are getting better every game,” O’Connor said. The best is still yet to come; each game is a stepping stone building up to their home tournament during the Valentine’s weekend and then playoffs in Fernie on Feb. 27 and 28.