The Alberni District Secondary School Armada junior girls basketball team will compete as the number two seed at the North Island championships this weekend.
The Armada earned the seeding after going 1-1 at the Area Three Zone tournament hosted last Saturday at ADSS.
The Armada beat the GP Vanier Towhees 44-17 but then lost a 48-46 nail biter to the Mark Isfeld Ice in their second tilt.
Against Isfeld, Armada guard Julia Hudson poured in 18 points and guard Cheyenne David hit 11 points from the perimeter. Avery Snider and Shimen Fayad scored 15 poits each for the Ice.
The Armada practiced during the week but didn't play any games and the rust took the edge off their timing, head coach Nick Seredick said.
“We got off to a slow start but really picked it up and hit our stride in the second half,” he said.
The Armada took a 16 to 12 lead at the half. But the Ice blitzed them with a press defense in the third quarter that caused turnovers, which they converted into a 23-22 lead.
The Ice held a razor thin 41-39 lead with one second left on the clock when the Armada's Julia Hudson tied it at 41-41 and sent the game into overtime.
Hudson started the OT with a three pointer but Isfeld responded with four points of their own. Hudson tied it 46-46 but an Armada foul and two completed foul shots gave Isfeld a 48-46 win.
“They're ranked No. 20 in the province and we haven't beaten them this year,” Seredick said of Isfeld. “This was definitely one of the best games I've been involved with.”
Rebounding and zone defense by the Ice was the difference in the Isfeld win. “You can't give up second chances with rebounds without an impact,” Seredick said. “We moved the ball round the perimeter against their zone, slashed to the hole, and Cheyenne David hit shots from the outside.”
Julia Hudson and Denae Edgar were lead point getters on the weekend. But Seredick singled out the defensive effort of Heather Kennedy as also being key to the teams effort.
Next up for the juniors is the North Island championships at Mark Isfeld, where the Armada will meet either Wellington or Dover Bay secondaries from Nanaimo in their opening game.
reporter@albernivalleynews.com