A big win pushed the D.P. Todd Trojans four rungs higher on the provincial ladder.
The local senior girls basketball team entered a weekend tournament in Kamloops in the No. 10 position on the B.C. double-A list. But, on Saturday, D.P. Todd knocked off the fifth-ranked Vernon Panthers 70-69 and that one-point decision landed the Trojans in the No. 6 spot when the new rankings were released on Monday. In B.C., the Trojans are now one ahead of the Panthers and one behind the Nechako Valley Viqueens of Vanderhoof.
In Saturday's victory, Grade 12 guard Danielle Steel drained a winning three-pointer in the final minute.
Tournament games were played at Sa-Hali secondary and South Kamloops secondary.
The Trojans started the event with an 81-52 loss to the South Kamloops Titans, the No. 4 team in the provincial triple-A rankings. After the win against the Panthers, D.P. Todd played the Sa-Hali Sabres and lost 62-49. The Sabres were No. 2 in the double-A division early in the season but slipped to No. 6 after an injury to their star player. She was back in the lineup on the weekend and, for the Sabres, that made all the difference.
"We did not play our best game, but we had our chances," said Trojans coach Reid Roberts. "The shots were not dropping for us like they were against Vernon. I think this was our lowest score for the season."
Steel had 14 points and Jamie Macfarlane was on target for 10.
Piper Hoekstra, a Grade 12 forward for the Trojans, was selected as a tournament all-star.
"Piper had an amazing game against Vernon and a strong weekend all around," Roberts said.
Junior Polars untouchable
The PGSS Polars won every game they played, including one against a provincial power.
At the NorKam junior girls basketball invitational tournament, held in Kamloops on the weekend, the Polars defeated the York House Tigers of Vancouver 31-28 in the championship game. The Polars also beat NorKam 42-29 and Sa-Hali 30-22.
The Tigers garnered an honourable mention in last week's provincial rankings.
"They were not happy with the loss -- not at all," said Polars coach Ray Bourque.
"They do full-court pressure the whole game and we broke their press really well. That was the biggest difference, being able to break their press. We've got some good guards so that helps a lot."
Kelsey Videgain and Jill Cole were two of the PGSS backcourt players who helped the Polars push past the swarming York House defenders. Videgain was later chosen as a tournament all-star.
During the tournament, Sukhpreet Buttar was among the PGSS leaders in point production. She scored 14 against NorKam and 12 against Sa-Hali.
College Heights is hosting a junior girls tournament this weekend.
