Provincial U-17 team wins VEBA tournament

BY JOHN DECOSTE

jdecoste@kentvilleadvertiser.ca

NovaNewsNow.com

The Nova Scotia U-17 boys’ basketball team went undefeated to capture the first of three summer tournaments hosted by the Valley East Basketball Association (VEBA).

The tournament, played July 5 at Horton, was switched from a five-team round robin to four teams playing two games each when a team from PEI had to pull out on relatively short notice.

In the first game, Josh Thomas had 16 points as VEBA 1, the older of two VEBA teams in the tournament, topped the younger VEBA 2 team 82-50. Chris Babin with 11 and Keegan Fiske with 10 also reached double figures for VEBA 1.

For VEBA 2, Jalen Sabean had 14 points, David Hutchinson nine on a trio of three-pointers and Adam McNeil seven.

In the second game, the provincial U-17 team, coached by Tim Kendrick, outlasted Valley Selects, a team of older mostly former Horton players, 84-76.

Julian Smith with 19 points and Harrison Brown with 18 led the provincial team. Joe Kendrick had 23, Jeremy Dunn 19, Lucas Adekola 16 and Allan Dunn 12 for Valley. Horton’s Neal McGill and West Kings’ Thomas Baltzer of Aylesford both saw action for the provincial U-17 team. McGill scored eight points and Baltzer had two.

In game three, the U-17 team topped VEBA 1 105-62. Geoff Doane led five scorers in double figures for the provincial team with 21 points, with McGill and Baltzer each adding six points to their team’s total. Joe Kendrick, who suited up for VEBA 1 for the game, led all scorers with 23 points. Stephen Traynor added 14.

The final game of the day (and the tournament) saw the Valley Selects defeat VEBA 2 by a score of 96-60. Jeremy Dunn had 24, Josh McGill 21 and Joe Kendrick 18 for Valley Selects. Hutchinson had 12 (all on threes) and Travis Pearson 10 for VEBA 2.

Additional tournaments ready to roll

The second VEBA summer tournament is scheduled for this weekend, with the same four teams taking part with the addition of Truro and Sackville.

The third and final tournament goes July 18-19, with seven games involving five teams. Once again, all games will be played at the Horton gym.

Action gets underway at 5:30 p.m. Friday with VEBA 2 taking on Community Y from Halifax, followed by VEBA 1 versus Yarmouth at 7:15.

On Saturday, VEBA 2 will meet Yarmouth at 9:30, followed by Community Y versus Valley Selects at 11:15, Valley Selects against VEBA 1 at 1 p.m., Yarmouth playing Community Y at 2:45 and Valley Selects versus VEBA 2 at 4:30.

This tournament will be run in conjunction with a basketball officials clinic being organized by Roger Caulfield, with officials registered from as far away as Newfoundland. Officials attending the clinic will officiate all the tournament games.