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Rainmakers make competitive debut at No Regrets Basketball Tournament

Prince Rupert’s senior boy’s team wins 1 of 4
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Arjan Bains of the Rainmakers senior basketball team during a practice at Charles Hays Secondary, on Dec. 14. (Photo: Norman Galimski/The Northern View)

The Rainmakers made their competitive comeback after the pandemic shutdown of competition at the No Regrets Basketball Tournament on Dec. 9 to 11.

Hosted on South Coast’s North Shore, the senior boys team basketball team won one out of their four competitive games. The Rainmakers lost 73-54 to Argyle Secondary, 91-75 to Dover Bay Secondary, 63-50 to Seycove Secondary and won their final game versus Rockridge Secondary 81-74.

“We came out a little bit slow,” Mel Bishop, Charles Hays Secondary senior boys coach, said.

In their first two games, the Rainmakers were out-sized by their opponents and suffered “badly” on the rebounds by the taller teams, who were able to capitalize on more possession and second shots, Bishop said. After their first day, playing two games, they needed to work on improving defence and blocking ability, the coach said.

Though slow out of the gate, the team began to sync with each other in their later games.

“As the tournament progressed, we did a better job in our defence,” Bishop said, adding he noted the uptick in quality in their half-court defending and zone attacking in their final two games.

Key offensive players for the Rainmakers were Cole Jones, Arjan Bains and Cole Layton, who netted 45, 14, and 10 points each in their final game.

The senior Rainmakers won the BC Boys Basketball Provincial Championships 2A in 2019, before the pandemic shutdowns. Since then, the senior team has lost a whole year of competitive play.

“It kind of hurt [our] program because there’s a lot of springtime skill development and you miss all the spring leagues and off-season stuff. You lose a lot,” Bishop said.

With the rest of the season still ahead of them, Bishop remains optimistic and confident about their chances.

“We have a lot of room for improvement. They’re a good group of kids and they’re receptive to learning and they’re working hard. That’s all you could ask for,” he said.

READ MORE: All Native Basketball Tournament returns

READ MORE: Rainmakers win 2A championship at provincials


 Norman Galimski | Journalist 
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Arjan Bains of the Rainmakers senior basketball team during a practice at Charles Hays Secondary, on Dec. 14. (Photo: Norman Galimski/The Northern View)