When the Duchess Park Condors and D.P. Todd Trojans last met, the game ended with the Condors celebrating a city championship.
That banner night was Feb. 15 at the Northern Sport Centre. Now, a little more than a week later, Duchess Park and D.P. Todd are ready for another senior boys basketball battle.
The Condors and Trojans will be on the court today at Vanderhoof's Nechako Valley secondary, host school for the double-A boys zone championship tournament. The game will be the first of the event for both the second-ranked Condors and third-seeded Trojans and it won't be short on intensity. Of that, Duchess coach Dave Holmes is sure.
"I think they feel they can play with us," Holmes said of the Trojans, who were beaten 56-45 by the Condors in the city final. "I think that's going to motivate them to try to break that bubble and get over the hump and continue to find answers for themselves. That's what I would be telling myself."
The host Nechako Valley Vikings are seeded No. 1 for zones. Today, the Vikings will take on the fourth-ranked College Heights Cougars.
The four-team tournament is a qualifier for provincials, March 7-10 in Kamloops. Only the zone winner will advance.
The Vikings, who usually play in front of a large and frenzied crowd in their own gym, have the top ranking for zones based on the fact they beat the Condors twice early in the season. On both of those occasions, Duchess was missing some of its key starters. This weekend, the Condors will have all hands on deck and Holmes hopes that will make a difference.
"This is the first time we'll play [the Vikings] with a full lineup -- well, hopefully we'll play them," Holmes said. "First we have to get past a war with D.P. Todd."
The girls double-A zone championship starts today at D.P. Todd, with the Condors as the No. 1 seed. Provincials are also March 7-10 in Kamloops.
Meanwhile, the triple-A zones for boys and girls will tip off today at Correlieu secondary in Quesnel. The B.C. championship tournament for the boys is March 13-17 in Langley, while the girls provincials will be held March 7-10 in North Vancouver.
At the single-A level, the Cedars Christian School Eagles own the top ranking at the girls zones, which start today in Burns Lake. The Eagles will host provincials, March 7-10 at the Northern Sport Centre.
