The Charles Hays Secondary School junior boys basketball team cruised to a comfortable 92-44 victory over Coast Tsimshian Academy on Jan. 13.
The Rainmakers were effective on both ends of the floor, shooting well from behind the three point line on offense and effectively shutting down Coast Tsimshian’s attack on defence.
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“I’m happy with that,” said coach Kevin Sawka. “Anytime you can hold a team under 50 points with 10 minute quarters is pretty good.”
The Rainmakers opened the game strong, taking 26-10 first quarter lead behind from 13 points by Tyler Jones, who did most of his damage in the paint. The team was able to extend its lead to 42-18 at the end of the first half thanks to tough defence, holding Coast Tsimshian to eight points in the quarter.
Sawka said he was happy with how the Rainmakers moved the ball and shot against Coast Tsimshian’s zone, with seven players hitting three-pointers. He said the team has worked on getting out on the fast break more cleanly and the results have been showing up on the scoreboard.
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“They’re good shots,” Sawka said. “I’m not going to say don’t shoot when they’re wide open.”
The Rainmakers outscored Coast Tsimshian 26-14 in the third quarter and 20-11 in the fourth quarter to stretch their lead and secure the victory. Jones finished the game with 18 points while Aiden Leighton added 19.
On Jan. 18-21, the Rainmakers host the annual Coastal Clash tournament in the Charles Hays gym. Sawka said he hopes to refine the team’s offensive timing as the zones competition approaches. He said the team has improved at running its basic sets, but they will work on their timing and ability to read situations as their level of competition grows.
“At this point, it’s mostly all refining,” he said. “Guys are starting to see the same things which is great. We just need to fine tune it now.”
matthew.allen@thenorthernview.com
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