by Smiely Khurana
The Fraser Valley boys basketball squad lost 56-29 to Fraser River on Saturday.
The game started with incredible passes by the Fraser Valley boys, putting them in lead 4-2. That quickly changed however, as the teamwork within the Fraser River squad strengthened their play getting them 24 points over Fraser Valley’s 11 points at halftime.
Although Fraser River kept the lead, both teams continued to fight for the ball and the pressure was evident throughout the game. Fraser Valley player Brodie Kelly didn’t give up on the ball even after getting it taken away from the opponent team multiple times.
Fraser River’s passing strategy involved strong use of teamwork.
“Oh, come on! Let them play!” Valley coach, Shawn Kelly yelled to the ref. Eventually, his calls and comments lead him to be kicked out of the game in last period with 7 minutes remaining in the game.
Fraser River boys definitely did not slow down in the last couple minutes. They continued racing down the court, not giving up on the ball. Fraser Valley also put all of their efforts in, however they fell short , losing 56-29.
After the game, Kelly was asked his opinion on the game regardless of him getting kicked out in the last period.
“I think its tough for the kids to play when its last place, and so our boys had a hard time getting motivated,” he shares. “The kids battled hard, but it just didn’t work out.”
When asked about his overall experience, Kelly said “We’re not a single-school team, we got kids from all over. Something I told them during one of our team breaks was that its so much fun to watch them develop and grow cause they’ve gotten so much better in the last three months. Overall, it was a great experience.”
Dindo Cobarrubias, head coach of Fraser River, had a similar response to the experience the team had at the Games.
“I’m happy for the kids because I want them to enjoy this experience. It’s a one-in-a-lifetime experience and I’m glad they can look back on this and say they had a blast at the BC Summer Games.”
The games continue Sunday morning, with the gold medal games taking place at 9:45 a.m.