It was closer than the final score indicated but all that matters for the Cedars Christian Eagles' girls basketball team is they're off to the semifinal.
The Eagles outscored the Credo Christian Kodiaks 78-52 in Thursday's quarterfinal in the 2012 single A girls' provincial championship at the Northern Sport Centre to advance to the semifinal today at 7 p.m. versus the Southridge Storm.
Kayla Gordon was the offensive spark for the Eagles dropping 30 points, including 18 in the second half.
"We've never played them before so we just wanted to come out strong," said Gordon, adding the enthusiastic students who were bussed over from Cedars helped create a buzz. "Our school was here to cheer us on so that was really fun."
Feeding off the crowd energy the two teams played a quick turnaround game, taking turns creating offensive chances. Both the Eagles and Kodiaks struggled at times to find the basket, but the team from the Fraser Valley had more difficulty finding the hoop despite second and third chances.
"They play a very fast game and any turnover they would make us pay so we had to take care of the ball," said Gordon. "We were finishing a lot, even though we missed some, but we did make them count and they missed some, struggling a little bit to capitalize."
The Eagles' led 41-24 at the half though the Kodiaks put up a good fight in the first quarter battling to a two-point deficit at 16-18 when Cedars' coach Al MacDonald decided a time out was necessary.
"I think we just got a little bit tired and had a couple of girls in foul trouble early," said Gordon. "After that I think we just regained our composure and won it back on the defence and then it started happening for us on offence."
Gordon stellar on defence
MacDonald credited the 16-year-old forward with leading the Eagles on the court, especially in the second half when the Kodiaks opened the third quarter on a seven-point run to pull within 10.
"She had a solid first half and outstanding second half," said MacDonald. "Defensive energy is one of the strengths of her game and you can see it get contagious with the rest of them. She gets touches and steals and it causes a lot of headaches for the other team."
It was steal and drive down the court by Gordon to the hoop where she sunk the lay up to energize the Eagles in the third quarter. Gordon also had back-to-back steals late in the fourth quarter when Credo was pressing on offence.
"We had a better finish," said MacDonald. "Sometimes what defines the better teams is being able to finish offensively."
Hannah Pudlas put up 16 points for the Eagles - 14 in the first half - a night after leading her team with 27 points in a 79-39 win over the St. John's Eagles. Cedars' lone Grade 12 player, Janene Giesbrecht, had 10 points including a pair of threes.
"We like to think we have some good leadership and scoring and pride ourselves of having multiple players in double figures," said MacDonald. "Whomever [our opponents] focus in on in a given day, the others pick up the slack. It's a nice liberty to have as a coach."
In the third quarter Carolyn de Leeuw put up 10 points for the Kodiaks in a desperate push to even the score. de Leeuw finished the game with 15 points. Laura VanTil had 17 points for the Kodiaks while Kristen Schouten put up nine.
The Southridge Storm earned their place in the semifinal against the Eagles with a 73-57 win over the Mulgrave Titans. The Kodiaks and Titans will play today at 1 p.m. to qualify for the fifth-place game.
Today's 5 p.m. semifinal will match the defending champion, and top seed, Houston Christian Wildcats against the Princeton Rebels. The Wildcats punched their ticket to the semifinal with a 94-53 win over the Cedar Community Spartans. Ruth Hamblin had 26 points for the Wildcats while Allison Seinen had 22.
Other results from Thursday saw the Kelowna Christian Knights beat the Nakusp Cougars 58-29; the Immaculata Mustangs defeat the Fernie Falcons 84-48; the Fort St. James Falcons over the Valemount Timberwolves 69-59; and the Duncan Christian Chargers edging the St. John's Eagles 50-46.
