Athletic Roundup

January was a busy time for our competitive sports teams. The hockey program was very active in the month of January including a series of league games and a trip to Vancouver for the St. George’s tournament. The senior team started off the month with a closely fought game against Francis Kelsey in which we were able to take the win. We then played in our Showcase game against St. George’s losing in the dying seconds of the third period. The hockey program then travelled to Vancouver with a senior team, junior team, and a mixed junior team made up of half Brentwood and half Saints players. The senior team placed 3rd in the round robin and played Saints in the semi final; it was a tie game but in a devastating shootout loss Saints advanced and we got third. The mixed junior team played well and was quick to form chemistry with their new teammates from St. George’s as they took third place while the all-Brentwood junior team took home 4th. We are now looking forward to the Ross Cup in which the whole program will compete. Mason S, Privett ‘18, Captain of Hockey The month of January has been extremely eventful for the Senior Girls basketball team. Jumping right back into the loop of things, the girls hosted the Ogilvie Invitational Tournament, travelled to St. Michael's University School to play in the Victoria Police Tournament before finally attending the much-anticipated overnight tournament in Comox hosted by Mark Isfeld. After a tough loss in their first game, the girls rallied together for a strong win, earning them a well appreciated sleep in, before a late night team dinner. To end their stay in Comox, the team played Ladysmith in a nail-biting game. After a slow first half, the girls came into the third quarter facing a twenty point deficit. Half way through the third quarter Brentwood had tied it up. It was now neck and neck: both teams played great basketball. In the last two minutes of the game Brentwood was down three points. We had the ball at half with seven seconds left on the clock; a swift and successful play with a basket narrowed the gap even more. Spectators on the sidelines were jumping out of their seats, coaches were pulling out their hair and the benches were going crazy. Unfortunately, Ladysmith played strong defense in the last seconds of the game and Brentwood lost by one point. Fortunately, the girls had a strong home victory over Francis Kelsey the following Tuesday to cheer them up. The girls headed to UVIC on Friday for a chance to watch both the women’s and the men’s teams play, in a wonderful learning opportunity, with courtside seats. There are still a few league games left and playoffs are looming as the first round will occur at the start of midterm break. Chidinma A, Alex ‘17, Captain of Girls Basketball The Junior Girls basketball team has also had an excellent month. They are a young team with many Grade 8s and 9s getting important playing time and it has been amazing to see how much these girls have improved. They are coming off an excellent showing at the 12 team ISA tournament where the team finished 5th. Meanwhile, the Junior Boys basketball team won an impressive bronze medal at the ISA tournament and are currently sitting in first place in league play. Unfortunately, the boys had a major setback when Jeff M broke his leg at GISS. Jeff continues to inspire the team from the sidelines but everyone will need to be ready to step up to fill his size 15 shoes! Our squash team has also been busy playing in a number of Victoria based tournaments and the team had a nice showing at the ISAs at Shawnigan Lake last weekend. There is no question it has been an excellent start to the year. Action will heat up in February and March as all our basketball teams will commence their playoff runs and the hockey program will host The Ross Cup Tournament.