They were playing their second game of the day, against a quality opponent. The D.P. Todd Trojans found a way to win and kept their hopes alive for a zone title and a berth in provincials.
Friday night at D.P. Todd, the Trojans senior girls basketball team defeated the College Heights Cougars 73-67 in the double-A girls zone championship tournament. In the double-knockout event, both teams entered the game with one loss already counting against them.
Earlier Friday, the third-seeded Trojans took on the second-ranked Williams Lake Thunder and fell 67-51. That contest was physically and emotionally draining but D.P. Todd still managed to hold off the Cougars for the evening win.
"I'm definitely happy with how the girls came out," said Trojans coach Dave Zielke. "One thing about the D.P. Todd girls that everybody's learning is, they never, ever, stop playing. And that's the key to the whole team.
"The last time we played College Heights we lost to them by between 20 and 30 points. And it was the same thing -- we were on our third game and had just played a really tough game against PGSS. This was a very similar scenario and I think my girls just found it within themselves to dig that much deeper."
D.P. Todd opened zones with an 86-21 Thursday win against the sixth-seeded Kelly Road Roadrunners.
The Trojans are the only squad in the six-team tournament without a single Grade 12 player on their roster. Against the Cougars, they were led in all areas by Grade 11 guard Fiona Raymond, who hit for 28 points, dished out numerous assists and was a difference-maker on defence.
"Fiona stepped up her game immensely," Zielke said. "She's been building all year long. She's just a super athlete. She plays both ends of the floor -- defence and offence -- all the time. She never stops and rarely gets off the floor. She plays as a team player and is an excellent role model."
Grade 10 guard Dorion Van Caeseele added 14 points for the Trojans, as did Grade 11 forward Rosie Hamilton.
"I think we played really well," Van Caeseele said. "We kind of fell a little flat at the end of the third, beginning of the fourth, but we kept our heads together. It was a team effort and we finished well."
Chantel Nicholson, a Grade 11 guard for the Cougars, scored 39 of her team's 51 points.
On Thursday, the Cougars lost 78-59 to the fourth-ranked Nechako Valley Viqueens of Vanderhoof. On Friday morning, the Viqueens met the top-seeded Duchess Park Condors and pulled off a 68-53 upset victory.
In Friday night's late game, Duchess played Kelly Road and bounced back with a 90-24 win.
The tournament continues today, with the final scheduled for 6 p.m. If a second final is needed, it will either be held late tonight or on Sunday morning.
The zone champion will advance to provincials, March 7-10 in Kamloops.
