The Skeena Junior girls’ Grade 9 and 10 Wildcats basketball team worked its way to the top spot at the northwest zone championships in Prince Rupert Feb. 17-18.
Wildcats coach Gary Peden said the tournament was a good one, with five teams in attendance and a lot of strong competition.
"The girls worked really hard it was awesome," he said, of the event.
The Wildcats won their first two games against Bulkley Valley Christian School from Smithers and Charles Hays Secondary School from Prince Rupert.
A third match proved challenging as the Wildcats were defeated by Charles Hays, resulting in another game to determine the tournament winner.
With a game score of 26 – 25, Skeena came through for the win in the finals, a game which Peden described as pretty close.
“I was very proud at how they came back after that one loss,” Peden said, noting that often after a loss teams can shut down. But that didn’t happen this time.
“They rebounded well and showed a lot of heart, grit and determination,” said Peden.
Peden said the team has decided not to attend provincials because of the high cost of travel, but he is very proud of the players’ efforts, saying they were never outworked on the court all season long.