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In their final preparation for the upcoming National Club Basketball Championships, the UBC Okanagan U17 Heat girls served notice they should be considered solid contenders for a Canadian title.
The Heat won all four games to claim top spot at the Big Country Summer Classic tournament in the Kitchener-Waterloo, Ont. area on the past weekend.
A gritty 51-49 victory in the final game over the host Tri County Soldiers completed the unblemished record of the Heat who had trailed by four points with 1:06 remaining.
Naomi Kent’s three-point basket with six seconds left put the finishing touch on the comeback win. The Kelowna Christian School product got the opportunity to play the heroine when teammate Kelsey Falk of Vernon battled for an offensive rebound and passed it out to her.
The Heat defence came up big in the final seconds as Melania Corrado (OKM Huskies) came through with a key steal, shot the gap and dribbled for the remaining time to seal the win.
Playing their third game of the day, the Heat showed plenty of fight despite being tired and somewhat beat up. The B.C. representatives led 30-26, but fatigue showed in the second half as they faded and trailed in the late stages.
Falk scored 16 points, grabbed 12 rebounds and had three blocks in the title win while Jaeli Ibbetson (KSS Owls) finished with 15 points, 10 boards and five assists.
The UBCO juniors opened the tournament by knocking off the Big Country Alumni, made up of first- and second-year university players from Ontario.
Falk and Ibbetson again set the pace with 16 and 13 points respectively while Kent chipped in with 10.
A second game saw the Heat cruise to a 60-38 win over the Big Country U17s, led by Ibbetson’s 21 points and Falk’s 17. Both contributed eight rebounds. Jordan Kemper (KSS) had a team-high nine rebounds, five of which were on the offensive side.
Up against a UTM team from Toronto, consisting of 18 to 20-year-old college players, the Heat still prevailed, winning 58-40.
Anchored by a stingy defence, the Heat led 34-21 by the half and maintained the margin throughout the final two quarters.
Ibbetson’s 13 points set the pace for the Heat while Katrina Fink (KSS) added 12 points to go along with 11 by Kent.
Heat head coach, Bobby Mitchell, said the trip to Ontario — in the planning since the end of last summer — was an opportunity for the team to be exposed to different teams and a chance to display their talents in front of a variety of university coaches they would normally not see.
The Junior Heat team also visited Niagara Falls and the CN Tower in Toronto and had university campus tours at Waterloo and Guelph.
“It’s a different approach, but one that was great for our group,” said Mitchell, also the new interim head coach of the UBCO women’s team.
A busy spring and early summer of basketball — that included two Prairie Elite Basketball League tournaments in Alberta and several invitational tournaments — has led up to the national club championships at the Langley Events Centre Aug. 2-6.
“It’s been very tough schedule for the girls this season and there have been a number of situations that have prepared us for whatever will come our way at Nationals. The team is excited to prove themselves at the national level.”
Mitchell added he’s proud of the team and its accomplishments, not only on the trip to Ontario, but throughout the club season.
“This team is so close on and off the court it truly is like a family atmosphere on a daily basis.”
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