GREENWICH - Horton’s JV girls’ basketball team didn’t enter provincials as the tournament favourites, but that didn’t stop them from emerging as champions.
Eight junior varsity teams from throughout the province visited the Greenwich-based high school in pursuit of a provincial banner in late February. The Griffins, however, weren’t prepared to let the hardware leave their home court without a fight.
The home team went 3-0 in provincial showdowns, starting off with a victory against Riverview that punched their ticket to a semifinal match against Citadel.
“We lost to them in the regular season but we beat them in the playoffs, which was pretty exciting,” said head coach Keith Andrews.
“We made a game plan in the playoffs.”
The Citadel win meant the Griffins would face another tough opponent, C.P. Allen, in the championship game. They went into the game knowing they had yet to beat C.P. Allen this season.
“We weren’t favoured to win going into it, which made it more exciting,” said Andrews.
They focused on shutting down the opposing team’s offensive forces, and managed to secure a win in a nail-biter game decided by only three points.
“We won it on the defensive end… pressure is a big thing for us,” said Andrews, noting that the final score was 45-42.
The Griffins were 17-14 in season play, but ended the year with a winning streak.
“They were very eager to learn. They worked very hard in practice and they made quite a large commitment, which I was very impressed with,” said Andrews.
“It’s my 30th year coaching and it was one of my favourite seasons.”
