The cheers of the crowd gathered in the gym of the Salmon Arm Secondary Sullivan Campus could be heard clear down the hallway and out into the street as the SAS Golds defeated Kelowna Christian School (KCS) in a landslide 92-49 victory during the opening game of the Golds’ Invitational Tournament.
During the first quarter, the game was looking like it would be a close one. Neither team seemed to be able to edge out a significant lead, and the ball travelled up and down the court as possession was flipped by a series of good defensive plays on both sides. Both teams managed to snag a few points, but the game was far from decided after the first quarter came to an end.
Related: SAS Golds take fifth in Vernon basketball tournament
Coming into the second, it was much the same story. The Golds started to edge out a bit of a lead by the end of the quarter, but the game was still very much in limbo with only a few points separating the two teams.
After halftime and a short intermission, however, the Golds got their feet under them and started to take control of the game in a big way. A series of great three-point shots from Golds’ players, along with great passing and quick footwork, saw the Salmon Arm squad extend their lead over KCS by double digits before the end of the third quarter. Despite a few well-timed interceptions by the KCS team, solid defence by the Golds kept the scoreboard tilted well in Salmon Arm’s favour.
By the beginning of the final quarter, it was looking like Salmon Arm had the game locked down. The Golds seemed to fall into a nice rhythm and made a series of cross-court passing plays that resulted in multiple layup points for the home team. Solid defensive work kept the ball largely out of the Golds’ zone and allowed them to comfortably extend their lead over the entire second half of the game, ending in a 92-49 victory the Salmon Arm team.
Related: SAS Golds go 3-1 in No Regrets basketball tournament
The Golds have been having a good season so far this year, with multiple tournaments under their belt including a 3-1 record in the No Regrets tournament in Edmonton, and a fifth-place overall finish in the Fulton Maroons Corporate Classic tournament in Vernon. In league play, their most recent game this week was a 93-76 win against the Kelowna Secondary School Owls, a top-ten team in B.C. The win against the owls puts the Golds in first place in the B.C. high school league, and coach Aaron Smith says this was the first recorded win by the Golds over the Owls since the early 2000’s.
The Golds’ Invitational Tournament continues at the SAS Sullivan Campus on Saturday, Jan. 19, with games running from 9:30 a.m. to 6:15 p.m, and matchups will be determined by each team’s performance during their Friday games. On Sunday, Jan. 20, at 1 p.m., the Golds will host the Penticton Lakers for a regular league game at the Sullivan gym.