After a slow start to the season, the Port Alberni Black Sheep have picked up their third win in a row.
The Black Sheep beat the Nanaimo Hornets 40-10 during their final home game of the season on Saturday, Nov. 13.
The first half was “very tight,” said Black Sheep head coach Jas Purewal, ending with a halftime score of 15-10.
“We just didn’t have our timing right,” said Purewal. “Good credit to Nanaimo, they put us under a lot of pressure. In the second half we were able to tighten it up a little bit. The scrums got better as the day went on.”
It was a “huge win” for Port Alberni, said Purewal, as the team has a strong rivalry with Nanaimo.
Scorers for the Black Sheep were Sam Nakuna (two tries), Mat Kelly, Ryan Turner, Maxx Bodaly (two tries) and Ty Shannon (one try, two conversions and two penalty goals).
Veteran player Anthony Selva had a good game, said Purewal, and the Sheep are happy to have him back after he missed a few games due to injury.
Younger player Aaron Badovinac also had a good day with some steals and “good quality tackles,” said Purewal.
“[Badovinac] is another young guy who’s been with us a couple years and has been slowly improving and improving,” said Purewal. “Every week it seems that he’s getting a better feel for the game.”
Next weekend the team is off to Comox for a rematch against the Kickers. The team has an “outside chance” of getting into the Times Colonist (TC) Cup final, said Purewal. The TC Cup season was shortened this year due to COVID-19, which means the Black Sheep will only be playing six games, and they started the season with two back-to-back losses.
“It’s tough when you get started off so poorly,” said Purewal.
elena.rardon@albernivalleynews.com
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