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Alberni girls wrap up hoops season at AAA Islands

The season is over for the Alberni District Secondary School Armada senior girls basketball team, who went 0-2 at the AAA Islands.

The season is over for the Alberni District Secondary School Armada senior girls basketball team.

The Armada went 0-2 at the AAA Island Girls Basketball Championships last weekend in Nanaimo.

The team lost to eventual second place winner Claremont 78-48 on Friday before losing to Stelly’s in their final game on Saturday. “That’s it, we’re done. Finished for the season,” co-coach Greg Freethy said.

The Armada lost more so than their competition won, Freethy said. “Our defense wasn’t at its best and we gave up a lot of points,” he said. “And our rebounding wasn’t there so they were getting a lot of second and third chances and you just can’t do that.”

The games were identical in one respect, that the Armada came within five points of catching up against both teams, Freethy said. “Once we recognized that the game was out of reach we deflated a bit,” he said.

The team saw pressure, presses and traps but were ready and responded well, Freethy said. “We just gave up too many points, especially on transitions,” he said.

The game against Stelly’s was telling, Freethy said. “They were hot and couldn’t miss. They hit three three-pointers in a row once,” he said. “They were aggressive and rebounded well and we got no second chances.”

The game was telling for another reason as well. Grade 12 players Tia Anderson and Darion Alaire fouled out; Nicole Irg left the game with a hamstring injury; and Chelsea McIntosh was out with a broken collarbone.

“It was the last game of their high school careers,” Freethy said. “It was sad to see it end for them.”

A bright spot was the spark provided by the three junior players Freethy brought up. “They were energetic and enthusiastic, and they played solid defense,” he said. “They’re going to be a nice addition next year.”

There were valuable lessons to be learned with the losses — peaking. GP Vanier looked to have peaked at the North Islands but also placed out of the running at the Island. Claremont and Oak Bay peaked at the Islands. And Dover Bay peaked on time as well, placing third at the Islands.

And if you set a goal, you’ll likely go further than if you set no goal at all. “Our goal was to make the Islands and we did it, we got there,” Freethy said.

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