Kootenay Chill on fire at Pro-Hops Spring Basketball Tournament
By The Nelson Daily Sports
The Kootenay Chill Club Basketball Team continues its impressive run on the hardwood after finishing 3-0 at the Pro-Hops Spring Tournament this past weekend in Kamloops.
The Chill, consisting of players from the Trafalgar Thunder High School program, posted wins against opposition from host Kamloops, Gibsons from the Sunshine Coast and Kelowna.
Club basketball is played outside the high school season, allowing players and coaches to gain more experience in preparation for the next season beginning in the fall.
Travelling with only eight players, the Chill gained some revenge on a Pro-Hops team from Kamloops that posted a 19-point earlier in the season by winning 56-26.
“After preparing all week to play what we thought was going to be the same team Friday night at the Tournament Capital Centre (TCC), we played their U14 team and dominated start to finish,” said Chill coach Jeremy Phelan.
Kelton Forte paced the Chill attack and was named Kootenay player-of-the-game.
Second game Saturday morning, Kootenay overcame a strong pressure defence to defeat Gibsons 48-39.
“After going up 16 points in the first half, SCBC made a comeback to tie the game at 32-32 late in the second half,” Phelan explained.
“However, we ended up breaking their press and scoring easy baskets en route to the win.”
Phelan said Mateo Katoaka and Nathaniel Pan earned player-of-the-game honours for Kootenay.
In the final game Saturday, Van Kozak provided steady play for the Chill to lead the Kootenay squad to a narrow 40-36 win over DiPP Basketball academy from Kelowna.
Once again, the Chill got off to a quick start going up 16 points in the first half before the DiPP squad made a comeback late in the second half.
Pulling within two points, DiPP put fullcourt pressure on the Chill who easily broke the man-to-man coverage and converted on easy transition.
The win allowed Kootenay to capture the Co-Tournament Championship.
Kootenay is back on the road this weekend, travelling to Kelowna to compete in the Kelowna Minor Basketball Association tournament.
Chill U13 squad finish with 1-2 mark
Kootenay Chill U13 Club team coached by Mike Nagle finished the Pro-Hops tournament with a 1-2 record.
This was the first sanctioned tournament for many of the players.
“The coaching staff and parents were very proud of the squad and the experience gained,” Phelan said.
First game the Chill played the U12 DiPP Academy of Kelowna. After going up by 10 points in the first half, the Chill’s shooting cooled off and ended up dropping a hard-fought game 36-30.
Second game the Chill played Pro-Hop U12/U13 of Kamloops and came away with the win, 46-20, with even contributions from the whole team.
Third and final game, the Chill were up against a young but talented Kamloops Hoops team. The game was back and forth for much of the first half with each team taking leads, until the Kamloops Hoops squad implemented full court pressure.
The inexperienced Chill had trouble getting the ball up the court with turnovers leading to layups in transition. In the end the Chill dropped the game 58-39.
