At an early stage of a journey they’re hoping will lead to the B.C. School Sports senior AA boys basketball championship in Langley in 2019, the George Elliot Coyotes won all three games at their own Coyotes Court Classic.
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The Coyotes’ 87-79 win over the Kelowna Christian School Knights in the final on Saturday capped the unblemished weekend that also included a 95-43 victory over the Aberdeen Gryphons and an opening-day defeat of the Kalamalka Lakers of Vernon.
Nic Lafontaine scored 27 points while Triston Hearn added 18 points and 18 rebounds in the final against the Knights, ranked No. 1 provincially in the A division.
Honourable-mentions in the AA division, the Coyotes opened the season with a tournament in Kamloops, winning over the Sahali Sabres of Kamloops (80-60) and Barriere (94-60) and dropping a 76-55 decision to AAA Duchess Park of Prince George.
With the addition of several players from the Elliot volleyball team that earned a silver medal at the BCSS provincial championship tournament a week earlier, the Coyotes’ depth proved too much for the opposition on the past weekend.
Head coach, David Lafontaine, said he’s excited about the prospect of the 2018-19 edition of the Coyotes being the first GESS basketball team in recent memory to represent the school at provincials.
“We have the elements of a great team: athletic, unselfish, great size, and Grade 12 leadership,” notes Lafontaine, assisted by his wife Kathy Lafontaine, who began coaching at Elliot four years ago. “We’ve knocked on the door of qualifying for the provincials the past three years, so we believe we’re capable of taking the next step.”
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