If continuity is a key, the Wolverines head coach may have unlocked the formula for success.
“This is a special group to me,” said head coach Trevor Bligh regarding the Edward Milne Community School’s Junior A boys basketball team. “I’ve had most of these kids since the second and third grade, and that’s something that’s never happened before in 29 years of coaching.”
The team marks the first Junior A squad to grace the court since the school’s establishment in 1947. Currently in their second season, the Wolverines hold a record of 2-2 in league play, placing them fifth among 11 teams.
“Our goal is to be in the top four for the playoffs,” Bligh said. “We have lots to improve on, but it’s definitely attainable.”
Following a first-place triumph at the Icebreaker Tournament held by EMCS on Dec. 8-9, the team secured a commendable third-place finish in the 12-team War on the Shores Tournament at Shawnigan Lake School on Dec. 15-16.
“That bodes well looking ahead,” remarked Bligh. “Grade 9 Waylon Johnson, a six-foot-two-inch wing, and Grade 10 post, six-foot-eight-inch Malkai Hills, are performing exceptionally.”
While the Senior AAA Boys’ Wolverines started their season 1-2 in league play, Bligh remains focused on the playoffs.
The losses were close games, with the Wolverines falling by six points to both Mount Douglas Secondary School Rams and Stelly’s Secondary School Stingers.
“We’ve been in every game so far and beat Mt. Doug in the Icebreaker Tournament early in December. With seven more games to go, I like our chances to be a high seed going into the Island playoffs at the end of February,” Bligh said.
The Totem Tournament in Port Alberni on Jan. 11-13 will serve as a gauge for the team’s prospects moving forward.
“It’s the oldest (high school) tournament in Western Canada and sometimes draws 1,500 fans,” Bligh said. “It will be a good test to see where we’re at. The play of our forwards has been a strength. We need to work on our guard play, and have been doing that over the Christmas break.”
Grade 12 players Sonny Rogers and Rainen Spurr in particular are playing well above expectations, he added.
Bligh also praised the work of coaches Ryan Fuhr and Steve Spurr for the team’s improved play.
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