Bballnationals Day 1: Round 2

3:45pm Games

Capilano vs Edmonton Grads

In the start of the 2nd round, Capilano and the Edmonton Grads faced off on Centre Court. Capilano was playing its first game of the day while the Grads were looking to bounce back after a tough loss to the Fusion in round one. In the end, the Albertans came out on top 66-44.

Edmonton pushed the pace from the outside, striking early and often to put Capilano back on it’s heels. Capilano managed to get some good perimeter shooting, but it didn’t come consistently enough for it to make a huge impact on the outcome.

“I thought the girls might get down after a horrible loss in the first game” said Edmonton Grads head coach Gerald Bleau. “Came back and we started making the baskets that we didn’t make in the first game. Got the confidence going and pulled it out.”

Aphia Ward of the Grads had 21 points in her victory. Both teams play bright and early tomorrow at 10:00 am.

Vancouver Fusion vs Burnaby Ballers

The Ballers, after a good victory over UFV, couldn’t quite make it two in a row over the Vancouver Fusion, losing 61-58.

It was even more impressive considering the age difference between the two teams. The Ballers are made up mostly of college freshman, while the Fusion were much older.

Jessica Jones had 19 points for the Ballers, while Rachel Fradgley had 18 for the Fusion.

UFV Open vs Big Country Athletics

Big Country were playing in their first game of the day but they didn’t seem to show it. They played it tight against UFV Open, but lost 63-58.

Big Country play the Ballers tomorrow, while UFV plays the Edmonton Grads fresh off their first win of the tournament.

Edmonton Suns vs VK Basketball U13

In their second game of the day, VK Basketball U13 took an early lead on their opponent, the Edmonton Suns, scoring an insane 39 points to their 6 in the first half.

The next half saw much of the same domination, with VK winning the half yet again. They claimed their second win of the day with a final score of 53-14.

# 21 Marina Radocaj led with 11 points, while # 5 Tia Rowell and # 14 Alexis Hart each scored 8 for their team.

Both teams come back to the LEC tomorrow for Day 2 matchups.

ASB vs VK Basketball U12

In their second matchup of the day, both teams hit the court with one goal: to win. Coming off a loss in their first game, each club played with a whole lot of heart on the floor. ASB took the lead in the first half 18-8, but VK wasn’t ready to take an L just yet.

The next half was fast-paced and action-packed, boosting the VK U12s up on the scoreboard. They eventually took the lead for the first time all game.

With just five minutes to go, VK led 29-27.

However, the battle was not over. ASB called a time out that seemed to wake up their players. The team’s D shut down VK’s next ball possession and hit their next layup to tie the game at 29 a piece.

Both teams hit vital 3s to bring the score to 32. With a foul shot and another layup, VK took the lead 35-32 with under a minute to go.

Though both sides gave it everything they had, the VK U12s came out on top with a final score of 37-32 over ASB.

The two teams return to play their next round of games on Day 2.

Vic-City Swish vs Big Country Basketball

Big Country Basketball came out very strong in the first half compared to Vic-City Swish, leading the scoreboard 26-13.

It seemed as though the squad from Victoria could make a comeback in the second, though. They put up 23 points and came within just 8 points of Big Country.

Big Country Basketball ultimately claimed their second win of the day with a final score of 44-36 over Vic-City Swish.

Catch both teams back on the courts for Day 2!

5:00pm Games

Edmonton Suns vs Big Country

It was wire to wire, and it was the first overtime game of bballnationals. The result was an Edmonton Suns victory that seemed improbable late but ended up coming true.

The Suns were down by five late. But, they managed to tie it up literally as the final buzzer sounded. From there, they controlled the overtime period and ended up winning 49-45.

“I think we just had confidence in ourselves and each other” said Player of the Game Tanissa Murason-Correia from the Edmonton Suns. “We really trusted each other [on the court.]

Both teams finish day one of the tournament 1-1. Their day two starts tomorrow at 11:15 am.

Stormhawkes vs VK U15

No doubt about this one, as the VK U15 team easily won 77-10 over the Stormhawkes. It was hard to tell which was more impressive — the points VK put up on the board, or the ones they did not allow their opponents to score.

“We played in the States and got killed, so that gets you ready” said VK U15 coach Paul Langford. “When you come back to Canada, you’re not use to the reffing, and there isn’t as much physicality. We got beat up real bad in the States so this is kind of like a breath of fresh air.”

Grace Elliot had 22 points for VK. The Stormhawkes play tomorrow against the Edmonton Suns at 11:15, while VK gets a late start time at 3:00 pm.

BC 250 U14 vs Split Second U15

The Okanagan vs the Lower Mainland. It’s a classic battle in BC amateur sports, and in this rendition the Okaganan came out on top. BC 250 defeated Split Second in the final game of the day for both teams.

The early 250 press seemed to confuse Split Second, as they were constantly turning the ball over. It was a defensive effort throughout, and both teams battled for the entire contest.

“We came out really strong and we played solid defence in the first [half] said Player of the Game Elana Corrado from BC 250. “Kept them quiet and we just took our chances.”

Both teams start their day tomorrow at 11:15 am.

Winnipeg Wolves vs SVIBA

In the first half, the Winnipeg Wolves showed us their teeth and grit on the floor by making a run on the scoreboard and leading their opponent by 13-9 early on. Wolves # 5 Annika Goodbrandson led with 9 points.

SVIBA decided to bite back, though. They pressured Winnipeg on both ends and eventually took the lead 19-15 heading into the second half. South Van's # 32 led the first half with 10 points for her team.

The second half boasted more of a comeback for SVIBA, who won their first game of the tournament with a score of 45-29 over the Winnipeg Wolves.

Both teams are back in action at 7:30pm!

VK Carkner vs Edmonton Grads

VK’s # 43 Emily Sussex opened up the scoring with a beauty layup, followed by two points at the foul line to give her team a 4-point lead early on.

The Edmonton Grads hit back with 3 points of their own, proving early on that both these teams came to play with purpose in their second matchup of Day 1 at Bballnationals.

VK continued to pressure the Grads and hold them to far less points than their own, going up a whopping 22 at the end of the first.

They led 39-17 heading into the second.

In the next half, VK Carkner did not stop putting up points. In fact, they ended off the game with a monstrous 81-42 win over the Edmonton Grads.

Coach Mike Carkner had this to say after the game:

“It’s been good. The kids have been really energetic and they played really well as a team. We've had lots of good ball movement and our speeds been great. It's been fun."

Catch them at 7:30pm when they take on VK Gardner—the other half of VK’s U14 squad.

Stormers U15 vs VK Gardner

With VK Gardner coming in for their first game of the tournament and the Stormers U15 hoping to get their first win, this game was bound to have some highs and lows on both sides of the court.

VK showed their strength early in the first sinking most of their possessions. # 8 Brooke Kenal led her team with 7 points.

Heading into the second, VK Gardner was up 27-19.

Throughout the duration of the game, the Stormers kept clawing at their competition, inching closer on the scoreboard. But with each bounce and pass, the VK girls continued to keep their lead by at least 10 points at any given moment.

Eventually the VK girls would take their first W on the day with a final score of 62-42 over the Stormers U15—proving that their U14 squad definitely deserves to play up.

The VK Gardner girls take on their very own VK Carkner 14s at 7:30pm. You don't want to miss it!

6:15pm games

VK U17 vs Swoosh

There was no doubt about this game. VK scored early and often, beating Swoosh 77-31.

VK had it all — speed, skill and size. Swoosh just couldn’t keep up. Although it was close early, VK opened the floodgates and proceed to rain down on the Swoosh.

“I thought it went pretty well” said Player of the Game Karsen Look afterwards. “We ran the floor well and we were talking more than usual which is good.”

Grace Killens had 13 points for VK while Killard had 11 for the Swoosh. They play later at 8:45 in the final games of Day 1.

Edmonton Grads vs Triple Threat Orange

The Edmonton Grads were the first to put up points, going up 3-0 to start the game. # 10 Casey Gorieu led her team in scoring with 11 points in the first; while the rest of the squad continued to sink their shots, too.

Triple Threat Orange made a slight comeback before the end of the first; taking the score to within 10 points and making the Grads work hard for their points.

Edmonton led 28-18 at the end of the first half.

While Triple Threat continued to try and pressure their opponent, it wasn’t going to be enough for the Vancouver team. The Edmonton Grads defeated them with a final score of 59-25.

Calgary Warriors U16 vs VK Basketball U16

After epic wins earlier today, the VK U16 girls were ready to test their skills against the Calgary Warriors U16 team—who is also currently undefeated.

But playing against this VK team would not be easy. The squad came out guns blazin’ and went up by a staggering 20 points with just under 10 minutes to go in the first half.

# 6 Marin Lenz led her team with 10 points, locking the score at 43-15 heading into the final 16 minutes.

Much of the next half followed suit, with VK Basketball U16 dominating offensively and on D, too. The girls are now 2/2 on Day 1, shutting down the Calgary Warriors U16 girls with a final score of 87-33.

Both teams hit the paint for their last game of the day at 8:45pm.

Jr. Heat vs SWOOSH

With redemption after a loss to VK on their mind, the Jr. Heat girls came out hot in the first half leading on the scoreboard 31-11.

While SWOOSH put up a good fight in the next half, they unfortunately fell short of the win against Jr. Heat.

The Heat clutched up and claimed their first win of the tourney with a final score of 56-17.

SWOOSH plays again at 8:45pm tonight and Jr. Heat is back at it on Day 2!

CBA U16 vs Calgary Storm

A defensive battle throughout, CBA and the Calgary Storm at one point only could muster one point over two minutes. But, two big threes from CBA late swung the momentum in their favour, and they won 52-46. It was shaping up to be another overtime game, but it was not meant to be.

Katie Cossarini had 17 points for CBA. For the storm, Sirache had 17 as well.

Manitoba Magic vs Triple Threat Black

Another game, another big victory for Triple Threat Black. They recorded their second straight 20+ point victory so far at bballnationals, defeating the Manitoba Magic 63-36.

“I think we just push tempo right from the beginning” explained player of the game Cassiel Penalosa. “Not expecting much, just going in seeing new teams, and just playing our game from the start.”

Triple Threat’s ball movement was something to behold. They seemed to have an uncanny ability to make that extra pass and that allowed them to rack up the points.

Gigi Gasper had 16 points for Triple Threat, a game high for either side. Catherine Marquez had 12 for the Magic.

7:30pm Games

VK U15 vs Edmonton Suns

VK is looking like the team to beat in the U15 division. They defeated the Edmonton Suns 84-27 and finished perfect on the opening day. The Suns will try and bounce back tomorrow against the Stormhawkes.

VK just proved too fast and too skilled for the Suns. Their ability to quickly transition the ball from defence to offence gave the Edmonton team fitz all game.

For VK, Grace Elliot had 24 points, while Nadeen Wu had 20. Myriam Kone had 11 for the Suns.

Split Second U15 vs Stormhawkes

Split Second didn’t give the Stormhawkes a second to think in the first half. They held the Stormhawkes to a goose egg and eventually took the game 68-15.

“I think we kept the tempo high and kept it fair” said Split Second’s Rain Thomas afterwards. “We just need to keep playing and improving all of our skills and working together.”

Split Second’s defence was airtight, not allowing the Stormhawkes any opportunities. Of course, they managed to capitalize on their own as well.

Katie Marsh had 14 points for Split Second, and teammate Alexa Kusel had 10.

Big Country vs LSA U15

It was close early. Langley was just leading by one early on. However, back to back threes from Langley seemed to give their team the momentum, and they didn’t give it up, winning 61-42.

“We got down on D really good and we ran the floor good” said Player of the Game Mackenzie Cox. “We ran our offence properly” [and] I think we can have a little bit more energy and pull out some more wins to get us to the final.”