Athletics Blog

The Grade 9 girls’ basketball team capped off their terrific season by defeating a strong Kelowna Secondary team on Saturday afternoon. The win secured a highly respectable 5th place finish at the provincial tournament.  The Cavs only loss came at the hands of Rosedale of Chilliwack who went on to win the championship.

Although the Cavs started slowly and were losing at the end of the first quarter, they rallied and were winning by 5 points by halftime. An early second half foul by Michele Ancrum forced her to the bench with 4 fouls but Rachel Borrill stepped in to dominate at both ends of the floor. Leah Frome was often double and sometimes quadruple teamed often leaving room for Leigh Sawchyn, Hailey Jacobs and Hailey Reeves to score.  Katarina Angus and Natalie Ludwig played well off the bench, contributing stops and offense at key times.  So as usual, it was a fantastic team effort that won the game for Collingwood.  The final score was 37 – 35.  Just another ‘barn-burner’ for Coaches Ayotte and Shirkoff to suffer through.  With all the fourth quarter comebacks and last second wins, it is a wonder that either of them has any hair left although Mr. Shirkoff’s hairline is beginning to match Mr. Hatch’s.

Congratulations to both the team and the coaches for such a tremendous season.  North Shore Champions, 2nd at the V & D’s and 5th in the province.  What a year!

Leah Frome's incredible array of skills made her one of the best Grade 9 points guards in the province.

Final score 37-35 for Collingwood!

The Grade 9 girls’ basketball team received a rude awakening in their first game at the provincial championships, but rallied to win their next two games and will now play for 5th place tomorrow.  Naturally the two week Olympic break was not the best way for the team to prepare for their toughest competition this year.  Despite squeezing in a couple of practices, the team was not nearly sharp enough to beat a highly skilled Rosedale squad from Chilliwack in their first game.

This set up a second game against a very tough Dover Bay team.  Dover Bay is one of the top basketball schools on the island so when the girls entered the 4th quarter only down by 7 points, it was quite an accomplishment.  However, this Cavs team has made multiple comebacks this year so it should be no surprise that they saved their best for last and surged ahead when it counted most and then held on for a 38 – 37 victory.

Collingwood’s third opponent was London-Steveston who they had already beaten this year at the V & D’s.  They began the game with a huge run and at the end of the first quarter the score was 18-4. The second, third, and fourth quarters were very similar with lots of scoring.  The bench played a great deal and the team experimented with a couple of different zones as they romped to an easy victory.  Both coaches have been very happy with the results so far.  As Coach Shirkoff says, ” The girls have been playing unbelievably well with lots of passion, determination, sportsmanship, and grit throughout this tournament”.

The girls play tomorrow at 1:30 at Gleneagle Secondary  It is a strong possibility that they will finish their provincial tournament experience with a 3-1 record, which would be a huge achievement.

The North Shore Champs are showing teams across the province that they're the 'real deal'.

The senior basketball team battled hard but went down to defeat last night to Carson Graham to end their season.  All year, the team worked hard in the belief that they could be the first Collingwood team to qualify for the AAA B.C. Championships, but poor foul shooting, missed opportunities and a rash of players fouling out spelled the end to that dream.

As expected, the teams were very evenly matched and it was a close game throughout.  However, as the referees assessed a myriad of ‘ticky-tacky’ fouls to both teams in the first half, you couldn’t help but wonder if this was going to come back and haunt the Cavs in the second half.  Indeed it did, as Terrence Lewis and Mike Du fouled out early in the 4th quarter.  This took away Collingwood’s size advantage down low offensively, and made it easier for Carson’s quick players to get to the rim for easy lay-ups.

When Jinwhan Kim fouled out late in the quarter, Coach Hill suddenly had to play the last crucial minutes with only two of his starters.  Although James Huebner and Pavan Mehat were still out there, they were unable to conjure up their usual magic.  A series of forced shots with Carson players hanging all over them brought no results for the two Collingwood star players and Carson sealed the deal by making the majority of the free throws they received when the Cavs were forced to foul.

For the Grade 12 players, it was a particularly tough loss as they knew they had come so close to making the B.C. Championships.  James, Pav and Jinwhan have been on the senior team for three years.  James and Pav have carried the team on their back for the past two years.  They have been the most dominant one-two punch in Collingwood history.  Jin has been a terrific point guard who saved his best for last with an fantastic performance that included three clutch 3-pointers and enormous hustle that caused Carson grief throughout the game.  Fellow Grade 12 starters Mike Du and Terrence Lewis only played one year with the Cavs, but they were both outstanding and the team would not have had nearly as much success without Terrence’s hard work on the boards and Mike’s soft hands underneath.  Kudos also have to go to Grade 12’s Matt Sawchyn and Alexander Ludwig who didn’t play much but stuck with the team throughout the year always working hard.

Although the loss was a huge disappointment to Coach Hill, he can look forward to next season as many of his returning players have made enormous strides this year.  It’s always hard to replace five Grade 12 starters, but the team has a chance to be very good if it can exhibit the work ethic that this year’s team did.  Thanks to Coach Hill, Coach Burnett and Coach Sacks who put so much time into the team this year.  Without all their hard work, the team could never have been as successful.

Grade 12 players James Huebner, Pavan Mehat, Jinwhan Kim, Alexander Ludwig and Terrence Lewis pose after their last home game. Fellow grads Mike Du and Matt Sawchyn missed the game as it was during Olympic Break.

Jinwhan Kim's 13 points and multiple steals made him one of Collingwood's best players yesterday.

The senior boys’ basketball team defeated Handworth 84 – 74 last night to eliminate the Royals and to advance to another sudden death game against Carson Graham tonight at 7:00pm.  A win tonight and the Cavs assure themselves of a spot in the B.C. AAA Championships as the North Shore has two berths this year.

The Collingwood-Handsworth contest was a game of streaks.  Collingwood constantly pulled ahead by 8 or 10 points only to see Handsworth pull back into the game usually through some clutch three-point shooting.  The Cavs were on the verge of blowing the game wide open late the second quarter but a dismal last three minutes saw the Royals make it a 1 point game at halftime.

The second half followed much the same pattern as Collingwood intermixed great and awful stretches of play.  While Pavan Mehat was hot throughout most of the game, James Huebner’s foul trouble denied the Cavs their potent one-two punch at important junctures of the second half as Coach Hill had to sit James to try to save him for the the fourth quarter stretch drive.  As a result, it was a very tight game for most of the fourth quarter with the Cavs being fortunate that the Royals missed some easy baskets down low.  Despite having both James and top rebounder Terrence Lewis eventually foul out, the Cavs kept their composure and held onto to their lead.  Eventually, Handsworth had no option but to foul and Pav made them pay with a series of made free throws that allowed the Cavs to post their 10 point win.

Pav ended up with 33 points, while James added 24.  Mike Du was a reliable finisher down low and on the press break and he contributed 14 points.  Terrence Lewis added a tidy 8 points and as usual was a huge presence on the glass.

Carson will pose a much greater challenge to the Cavs.  The teams split the season series, but the Eagles seem to be peaking at just the right time and are the defending North Shore champions so they have big game experience.  It should be a great game at 7:00pm this evening at Argyle.

Pavan Mehat's 33 points has the Cavs one win away from a trip to the B.C. Championships.

Grade 10 student Kadin Burnett's clutch basket late in the 4th quarter was a key moment in yesterday's big win.

The senior boys’ basketball team defeated Sutherland 71 – 66 last Saturday to advance to the North Shore AAA Final Four, but they were stopped dead in their tracks by the Argyle Pipers on Monday night.  Argyle proved why they went undefeated in the North Shore league with a comprehensive 30 point victory over the Cavs.  Collingwood had no answer for Argyle’s great combination of inside power and three-point shooting.  When you combine this with an enormous amount of turnovers, you don’t create a winning formula.

As a result of the loss, Collingwood now faces Handsworth at 6:00pm tonight.  The winner stays alive in the double-knockout format and will face the loser of the Argyle-Carson game.  The loser is done for the year.  Collingwood has a 1 – 1 record against Handsworth this year, but the players know it will take a much better effort than in the past two games if they want to be playing on Thursday night.  Coach Hill will be hoping that the all the rust that accumulated over the two week break will now be gone.

While no one had a particularly good game against Argyle, there were some terrific performances in the Sutherland game.  Pav Mehat led the way with 30 points, 5 assists and 5 rebounds, while James Huebner added 22 points and 5 rebounds.  Terrence Lewis had a great game on the boards with 12 rebounds and 6 points.  Mike Du was not his usual sharp self as he was recovering from jet lag from his return trip from China, but he did make two crucial foul shots down the stretch.  All these players will have to be outstanding tonight if the Cavs want to keep their dream of making the B.C. Championships alive.

The Cavs will need a big game from Terrence Lewis tonight in order to beat Handsworth.

The senior boys’ basketball team finished their regular season with a loss to Carson Graham on the first Saturday of the the Olympic break.  This loss turned out to be crucial as they now find themselves in the #4 vs #5 playoff game just to make it into the final four.  This game will take place at Collingwood at 1:00pm this Saturday. 

The Cavs will be playing either Sutherland or Howe Sound.   While Collingwood has defeated Sutherland twice already this year, Howe Sound is unknown entity since they did not play in the North Shore league, but instead played exhibition games and are now challenging for a playoff position, which is their right.  The Sounders play the Sabres on Friday night, which will allow Coach Hill a chance to scout them in case they win.  Despite being off school for two weeks, the Cavs have continued to practice and should be ready for Saturday’s encounter.

Pavan Mehat will be counted on for big numbers if Collingwood is to advance to B.C. AAA Championships for the first time.

Collingwood has qualified three wrestlers for the provincial championships being held in Abottsford on March 4 – 6th.  Mackenzie Mills, Chris Garton and Mitch McKenzie have all qualified.  For all three wrestlers, this is a tremendous accomplishment.  It is always hard to advance through the Lower Mainland Zone Championships to the B.C.’s so Mackenzie, Chris and Mitch should be very proud of themselves.  The two week Olympic break has therefore become a working vacation as they have been training throughout it to be ready for tough competition that lays ahead.

Mackenzie Mills often uses his brute strength to overpower opponents.

Chris Garton(left) and Mitch McKenzie(right) are looking forward to their first trip to the B.C. Championships.

The Grade 9 girls’ basketball team played their hearts out but they came up one basket short in a 42 – 40 loss to McMath in the Vancouver and District final.  Collingwood played some terrific basketball but a horrible third quarter saw them lose the lead that they had so wonderfully built in the first half.  They entered the fourth quarter down by two and although they matched McMath basket for basket, they could not get the stops they needed at key moments and thus the Wildcats held on for a slim victory.  Leah Frome led the way with 18 points and multiple assists.

On a bright note, Collingwood has qualified for the Grade 9 Provincial Championships on the basis on of their 2nd place finish in the V & D tournament.  They will be playing from March 4 – 6th at Gleneagle Secondary in Coquitlam.  This will be very exciting for the girls and a chance to see how they stack up against the best teams in the province.

Natalie Ludwig's huge improvement this year has given the Cavs another valuable weapon off the bench.

The Grade 9 girls’ basketball team defeated the Burnaby Central Wildcats 56 – 35 yesterday to earn a spot in the Vancouver and District final.  Collingwood stormed out of the gate and could have put the game away early but a series of missed lay-ups and botched two-footers allowed Central to stay within reach at the end of the first quarter.  By halftime, the Cavs had stretched their lead to 10 points and when they scored the first three baskets of the second half, it looked like Central was finished.  However, when Collingwood lost their focus for a short three minute span, the Wildcats cut the lead to 7 points and it looked like they might make a game of it.  In the end, the Cavs regained their poise and finished the game with a 14 – 4 point run.

One of the keys to the victory was the great scoring balance the Cavs exhibited.  Leah Frome led the way with 18 points, while Leigh Sawchyn and Michele Ancrum kicked in 10 points.  Hailey Jacobs and Hailey Reeves added 8 points each.  When the team has five players scoring like this, it is very hard to beat.

Collingwood now faces a formidable opponent in the McMath Wildcats.  McMath has speed, skill and enormous height so the Cavs will have to play their best to compete.  The final is at 7:30 tonight at Collingwood.

The Cavs will need big games from Leah Frome and Katarina Angus if they hope to win the V & D championship tonight.

The Grade 9 girls’ basketball team moved into the Vancouver and District semi-finals with a convincing 62 – 38 win over Steveston.  Leah Frome and Michele Ancrum led the way with 18 points each.  Leah’s strength, speed and terrific hesitation dribble allowed her to get to hoop almost at will, while Michele was hitting the boards hard and picked up most of her points in the paint.  Hailey Reeves also had a great game as she kicked in 12 points.  Many of these also came from inside the paint as Hailey is starting to develop some nice moves down low.

The team now moves on to play the Burnaby Central Wildcats.  The game is at 6:00 tonight at Collingwood.

Hailey Reeves reaches for a rebound, while Hailey Jacobs and Serena Sun look on.

Michele Ancrum's 18 points helped lead the team to victory over Steveston.