Character required... and delivered!

The Brentwood College senior boys basketball team captured its second consecutive south island AA championship on Saturday afternoon. An uncharacteristic first half performance by the team, which saw missed lay-ups, errant passes, missed defensive assignments and a lack of rebounding intensity led to a twelve-point deficit to the talented and athletic Lambrick Park squad. Some tough questions were asked of the players at halftime and, as poorly as the team played during the first two quarters, the team responded with a terrific team effort in the second half. Full court pressure resulted in several turnovers that led to points and a stifling defensive effort prevented Lambrick from getting into any attacking comfort zones. In particular, Jason Kim produced some sparkling moments, including a basket which also drew a foul. This three point play put Brentwood in front for good, although Lambrick did have a chance with four seconds remaining to win the game, but their buzzer-beater attempt didn't hit the mark. Next up for the team is the Island Championships starting next Thursday at Ladysmith Community School. At stake for all eight teams is one of three available berths to the Provincial Championships later this month. Brentwood enters the tournament as the South Island number one seed, and will play either Gulf Islands Secondary School or Esquimalt High School in the first round. Both of these squads are deep and talented and will pose a significant challenge for the team. Practice sessions on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, therefore, will be critical. For Island Tournament information, visit Sportvictoria.com.