Prince Rupert’s Rainmakers place 9th at Provincial Championships

The two-time defending title-holders, the Charles Hays Secondary School Rainmakers, attended the BC School Sports Provincial Championships at the Langley Events Centre on March 9 to 12.

Losing their first match to Windsor Secondary 66-53, the Rainmakers won their next three games to place ninth in the tournament.

“It’s definitely hard to have a comeback after that first loss when you know the tournament is kind of over at that point in regards to winning,” Ryan Bishop, assistant coach, said. “But they showed a lot of character by wanting to continue to work hard and try to see a successful end to the tournament. So we’re definitely proud of the kids for how they responded after that first loss.”

The Rainmakers were ranked the seventh out of 16 teams going into the provincial event.

The Charles Hays team played solid defence in their first game against their larger opponents.

“The problem with the game was we, offensively, turned the ball over way too much. Too many unforced errors and that costs us in that game,” Mel Bishop, senior boys head coach, said.

Losing their first match ended their chances of defending their title.

“If you lose in the first round, the best place you can finish is ninth,” the assistant coach said.

Even if the teams who won their first game and then lost their next three games, they would be guaranteed to place at least eight due to the tournament format.

Going into the rest of the tournament, the Rainmakers could relax, refocus, and renew their flow.

“The kids responded in a very positive way for sure,” Ryan said.

In game two versus Southern Okanagan Secondary School, the team kept up their strong defensive play while the team’s top scorers began to net the points they’re used to, ultimately winning 68-46.

The team’s defence was able to mute Southern Okanagan’s strong offence completely. The Okanagan team would score 100-point games in their next two games.

“Our kids are some of the best defenders in the province,” the assistant coach said.

The Rainmakers’ Cole Jones was named player of the game and scored 25 points. He was closely followed by Joe Lewis, who netted 20 points.

In game three, the senior boys picked up another win 72-51 versus Nechako Valley Secondary School.

Lewis was named player of the game scoring 28 points, which included netting eight three-pointers.

Finishing off the tournament, the Rainmakers beat Langley Christian High School 79-64.

Again outsized, the boys stepped up their rock-solid defence and held off their opponent’s full-court press.

The way the team was able to put into practice what they had trained for was impressive, Ryan said.

Jones was again named player of the game scoring 36 points.

“At the end of the day, the kids really responded after that first loss when a lot of [other] teams fold and don’t get to see success for the rest of the tournament,” Ryan said. “It speaks volumes of their character and how hard they’re willing to work. I was very impressed with how hard they did work in the last three games of the tournament to win the consolation finals.”

The provincial tournament marked the end of the season for the senior boy’s team. Moving into next season, the coaches will aim to have the Rainmakers participate in more tournaments on the road to prepare for next year’s provincial event and reclaim their title.

The upcoming season already looks very promising, the assistant coach said. Though there was no practice scheduled, he found the boys hard at work practicing on their on in the gym.

“It’s a positive thing to see moving forward that we got some kids that want to be in the gym and want to improve, and they’re willing to do it right after a big tournament,” Ryan said.

The biggest takeaway from this season is that the Rainmakers will have a team that is keen to learn, improve, and win next season.

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