KELOWNA, B.C. - The 2013 Okanagan Basketball All-Star Game welcomed a number of skilled high school players from across the Okanagan valley to the UBC Okanagan gymnasium Saturday. The "Furnace" held four All-Star games, including Junior teams for both Girls and Boys, and Senior teams for each as well. Exciting competition from the Okanagan's best drew spectators from around the Valley to come and support their players for the event that is now in its fifth year running.
Summaries of each game are below. See the bottom of the page for photos of each team.
Junior Girls
What began as a close game throughout the first half became a pull-away win for the Dark team as they won 54-31 versus the Light team.
Okanagan Mission Secondary's Claire Smeltzer was the Dark team's Player of the Game and finished with a game-high 10 points. Three of her teammates each recorded seven points in Princess Margaret's Danielle Ruocco, Kelowna Secondary's Paige Briscoe and Kalamalka's Jordan Karol.
The Light team's Player of the Game was Rebecah Salway who finished with six points that were all recorded in a strong second quarter. Princeton's Samantha Simons added five points while Immaculata's Amanda Grant chipped in four as well in the effort.
Junior Boys
The Light team held a lead for most of the game until the Dark team locked down on defense for the fourth quarter to pull out a 54-51 win.
Summerland's Abishek Lekhi was the Dark team's Player of the Game with a game-high 15 points. Mount Boucherie's Quincy Johnson added eight and Jeff Tubbs scored seven as well.
Dr. Knox's Matt LaFontaine was the Light team's Player of the Game behind a 10 point outing. Teammates Moises Blandon (Okanagan Mission) and Vinayak Pendharkar (Kelowna) scored six and five points each, respectively.
Senior Girls
Continuing a trend for the day, the Dark team ended up running away with this one as they downed the Light team 68-54.
Princeton's Julia Reichert was the Dark team's Player of the Game with 14 points, though her defense in the interior continually hampered the Light team's scoring efforts. Kiana Lalonde (Kelowna Secondary) led all scorers with 21 points alongside Reichert. South Kamloops' Maya Olynyk rounded out the winning team's double-digit scorers with 10.
Vernon Secondary's Jenna Marrion was Player of the Game for the Light team, posting 12 points. Teammates Ashley Truman (Mount Boucherie) and Jaeda Stanhope (Kelowna Secondary) pitched in eight and ten points, respectively.
Senior Boys
Capping off the night, the Senior Boys Light team held off a late rally from the Dark team and pulled away to a 96-80 finish with an Alex Hart dunk at the buzzer to put the icing on top.
Hart (Immaculata) was the Light team's Player of the Game with a game-high and day-leading 29 points as he dominated from everywhere. Teammates Joe Davis (Westside) and Parminder Sidhu (South Okanagan Secondary) dropped ten and nine points, respectively, in the effort alongside Hart.
Kelowna Secondary's Joel Burma poured in 21 points to lead the Dark team en route to Player of the Game honors. Kelowna Christian's Ryan Lintell added 13 while Kelowna Secondary's Cooper Simson chipped in eight points in the loss for the Dark team.
Team Photos
- Junior Girls Dark team. Back row (from left to right): Coach Megan Faust, Natasha Reimer (Penticton), Jordan Korol (Kalamalka), Danielle Maclellan (Clarence Fulton), Claire Smeltzer (Okanagan Mission), Sadie McDonald (South Kamloops). Front row (left to right): Danielle Ruocco (Princess Margaret), Hannah Bergman (Valleyview), Emma Johnson (Immaculata), Paige Briscoe (Kelowna), Anna Rice (Vernon).
- Junior Girls Light team. Back row (left to right): Coach Ros Huber, Samantha Simons (Princeton), Megan Blair (Princess Margaret), Riley Oien (South Kamloops), Selma Kusterica (Kelowna), Danya Lincoln (South Kamloops). Front row (left to right): Amanda Grant (Immaculata), Jaedyn Penkala (Immaculata), Rebecah Salway (George Elliot), Dayce Knopf (Vernon), Jade Mackie (Okanagan Mission).
- Junior Boys Dark team. Back row (from left to right): Tye Kitzman (Fulton), Max Morgan (George Elliot), Avery Walline (Okanagan Mission), Quincy Johnson (Mount Boucherie), Kohl Linder (Princess Margaret), Parker Simson (Dr. Knox). Front row (left to right): Corey Ang-Hamilton (Fulton), Dylan Hare (Kelowna), Colin McGrath (Kelowna Christian), Colton Vankamp (Princess Margaret), Jeff Tubs (Mount Boucherie), Reid Sellars (South Kamloops), Abishek Lekhi (Summerland).
- Junior Boys Light team. Back row (left to right): Rashaun Raulkas (Kelowna), Brayden Koop (Mount Boucherie), Michael Burnham (George Elliot), Connor Mitchell (Okanagan Mission), Moises Blandon (Okanagan Mission), Brayden Klippinstein (Similkameen), Coach Mitch Goodwin. Front row (left to right): John Garvie (Vernon), Vinayak Pendharkar (Kelowna), Evan Cane (North Kamloops), Brandon Isaac (Clarence Fulton), Michael Gini (Immaculata), Matt LaFontaine (Dr. Knox).
- Senior Girls Dark team. Back row (left to right): Anna Frenkel (South Kamloops), Cassidy Kapaiwai (Kelowna), Julia Reichert (Princeton), Maya Olynyk (South Kamloops), Kiana Lalonde (Kelowna), Coach Bobby Mitchell. Front row (left to right): Brooke Rempel (Salmon Arm), Olivia Johnson (Immaculata), Emily Clarke (Penticton), Brooke Briscoe (Kelowna).
- Senior Girls Light team. Back row (left to right): Trice Tuaiti (Salmon Arm), Jaeda Stanhope (Kelowna), Ashley Truman (Mount Boucherie), Quinsy Leier (Vernon), Lauren Kreuger (Kelowna Christian), Coach Brian Grant (Immaculata). Front row (left to right): Carly Corrado (Kelowna), Angie Marshall (Princeton), Jenna Marrion (Vernon), Hailey Lambert (Rutland), Mary Rice (Vernon).
- Senior Boys Dark team. Back row (left to right): Michael Rouault (Fulton), Alex Josipovic (Mount Boucherie), Jordan Farmer (Penticton), Austin Labonte (North Kamloops), Ryan Lintell (Kelowna Christian). Front Row (left to right): Keith Errington (Rutland), Elijah Hillis Gold (South Kamloops), Cooper Simson (Kelowna), Jas Sahota (Princess Margaret), Joel Burma (Kelowna).
- Senior Boys Light team. Back row (left to right): Josiah Joseph (Mount Boucherie), Joe Davis (Westside), Alex Hart (Immaculata), Evan Yarrow (Okanagan Mission), Jeremy Bosher (North Kamloops), Jacod Adams (South Kamloops). Front row (left to right): Malcolm Hlady (Kelowna), Mauro Patterson (Princess Margaret), Parminder Sidhu (South Okanagan), Evan Helgason (North Kamloops), Syke Terbasket (Keremeos), Ethan Klukas (Kelowna Christian).
Other media links:
Penticton Western News - Okanagan’s best basketball players shine
Vernon Morning Star - Vernon hoop stars shine in Okanagan games