The Caledonia Kermodes boys basketball team travelled to Prince George over the winter break to compete in four games, with two games against the #3 ranked AA Duchess Park Condors.
The first game on the night of Thursday, Jan. 3 went into overtime to settle the score. The Kermodes were a little sluggish coming off the bus but were able to keep pace with the Condors throughout the first half – this despite the loss of senior starting guard Patrick Kurek due to injury.
The close game saw 11 lead changes, and the Kermodes were down 34-31 at the half but fought back to take a 46-45 lead into the final quarter. Cal looked to have it all sewn up in the final stages of the game and the Condors went to fouling which proved fruitful as Kermodes had a chance to seal the win – but then shot a paltry 2 of 8 from the charity stripe in the final frame while the Condors went 7 of 8. With 10 seconds left, Kermodes had a 69-66 lead and possession of the ball.
Then, an untimely turnover lead to a quick 3-point shot with little time left on the clock. The Condors took that momentum in to the OT and hit their first three shots, while the Kermodes turned over the ball on their first two possessions. Overall, it was an entertaining game for the fans. The Kermodes were lead offensively by Reegin Maki with 25 points and Marcus MacKay with 21 points. The Condors were lead by BC team player Montell Lindgren with 35 points and Nathaniel Pawluk with 28 points. Cal did a poor job on their post defence – the only bright light being the fact they had a rematch set for the Saturday.
On day two, the Kermodes had two games scheduled. One in the morning against DP Todd Trojans and another in the afternoon against College Heights Cougars.
In the first game the Kermodes met a feisty Trojan crew who played a very aggressive game. Over 50 fouls were called in the game – quite unusual. But in the end the Kermodes prevailed with a 66-58 victory. Reegin Maki lead the Kermodes with 28 points while Kynan Finnie and Marcus MacKay added 14 and 13 points respectively.
In the afternoon game, the Kermodes rested many of their sick or injured players and came through with a victory, outscoring the Cougars 68-52. Kermodes were lead by Marcus MacKay with 27 points, Kynan Finnie with 13 points and Levi Crist with 10 points.
In the final game of the four-game tour the much desired rematch with the Condors came to be. The Kermodes were very hungry to put in a better showing than the first game – and did just that. Defensively Ethan Anderson and Kynan Finnie combined to hold Condor post standout, Nathaniel Pawluk, to 16 points while Brennan Jay, Reegin Maki, and Marcus MacKay were able to reduce the offensive output of BC team Player Lingren to 24 points.
Once again it was a very entertaining game that had five lead changes in the first half before the Kermodes took control. Kermodes led 38-34 at the half and did not relinquish the lead after that. Every time the Condors tried to make a run the Kermodes snuffed it out. Kermodes, once again, were led offensively by Reegin Maki with 33 points and Marcus MacKay with 25. Maki was fighting bronchitis but that didn't stop him from having a breakout series of games.
It was a good way to start the new year with hopes of preparing them for a very challenging tournament in Abbotsford starting today and going until Jan. 12. Kermodes take on the #2 ranked AAAA ranked Oak Park Raiders of Winnipeg, Manitoba in their first game of the tournament. The tournament also features a highly ranked Fairfax Lions team from Los Angeles and 4 BC teams ranked in the top ten in the AAA polls of British Columbia.
Next home games for the Kermodes will be Jan. 25-26 at the Caledonia Gym.