One of Christine Kennedy's final acts of home-court magic was oh-so fitting.
Kennedy, a graduating point guard for the UNBC Northern Timberwolves women's basketball team, was in uniform Saturday night at the Northern Sport Centre against the Columbia Bible College Bearcats. Just seconds before she was subbed off the floor for the last time, she dashed into the offensive zone and fed a seeing-eye pass to teammate Erin Beckett, who ended the sequence with an easy two points.
Kennedy and Beckett had executed that play hundreds of times before. Their uncanny level of chemistry started to develop when they were high school teammates at College Heights secondary.
Kennedy, a second-year member of the T-wolves and a fifth-year player in the post-secondary ranks, said she and Beckett had Saturday's scoring play planned in advance.
"She was like, 'OK, we're just going to bring it back to high school and I'm going to go out there and screen and roll,'" Kennedy said with a grin. "I said, 'OK, let's do it.' It always felt like back in high school with her, that's why I'm so happy to be playing with her my last two years."
The dish-and-finish gave the T-wolves an 88-36 lead and they went on to beat the Bearcats 96-36. Kennedy knocked down a game-high 15 points and had six assists.
Kennedy stands only five-foot-three but has always played like a six-footer who refuses to be intimidated by any opponent. Her skills and unmatched leadership qualities led her to an All-Canadian award last season and put her in the running for the Canadian Colleges Athletic Association player of the year.
Kennedy played at Montreal's McGill University for three years before she returned home to join the Timberwolves.
"I'm so happy to actually finish my competitive career back here in Prince George," she said.
Kennedy and Sarah Moxley -- who is also in her last year of eligibility -- were among the guests of honour in a post-game ceremony on Saturday. Kennedy's sisters, Rachel and Ceylyn, joined her at centre court, as did her boyfriend, Colen. Moxley stood beside members of the Clyne family, who took her under their collective wings when she arrived from Ontario for a spring identification camp and came back at the start of the school year.
Moxley, a post player from Sarnia, was an all-star for the Sheridan College Bruins before she came west to suit up for UNBC. In some ways, she said she wishes she had been here the whole time.
"The support since I got here has been absolutely amazing," she said. "I played at Sheridan and it was [in] a huge city and the support wasn't like this. I made some family members here that will be with me for the rest of my life."
Kennedy, Moxley and the rest of the Timberwolves are now preparing for the B.C. Colleges Athletic Association provincial championship tournament, March 3-5 in Abbotsford. If the team wins provincials, it will advance to the CCAA nationals, March 17-19 in Welland, Ont.
