The Kelowna Owls outscored the Mt. Boucherie Bears by 10 points in each of the first two quarters and cruised to an 83-72 championship win in the Central Okanagan zone junior boys basketball final this week.
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Unbeaten in league play this season, the Owls improved to 8-0 against Kelowna-area teams and are 19-5 overall going into the Okanagan Valley championship tournament being held in Vernon on Friday and Saturday. They’ll be joined at Valley tournament by the Bears, who are 20-4 this season.
Jayden Lalonde scored 17 points and both Braden White and Ethan Braam added 16 to lead the Owls’ offence in the title game that included 13 baskets from outside the three-point arc.
Johnny Haughton contributed 14 points and Malcolm Greggor — with the help of a trio of treys — finished with 13 points to go along with 10 by Hayden Burton.
Kyle Strohmann and Ethan Williams both netted 16 points for the Bears, who got another 11 from Jake Semeniuk.
Both the Owls and Bears breezed to the championship game by disposing of Grade 9 teams playing the junior A league. KSS defeated the Dr. Knox Falcons 70-39 in one semifinal while Boucherie downed the KLO Cougars 73-38 in the other.
The Owls and Bears will be among eight teams competing for the Okanagan Valley pennant and for one of four berths at the B.C. junior boys championship tournament being held in Langley Feb. 24-27.
In the latest junior varsity rankings published, only the Vernon Panthers (No. 10) are among the top 15 rated teams in the province.
Meanwhile, the Central Okanagan junior girls zone title also went to the Kelowna Owls, who defeated the Okanagan Mission Huskies 58-36 in the zone final at Dr. Knox Middle School this week.
A 24-point performance by Katrina Fink sparked the Owls, who registered their third straight win over the Huskies this season. Japleen Chahal added 10 points to the KSS total while Sydney Obst contributed seven points and Kristina Hardy finished with six.
Makenna Jacklin was the top scorer for the Huskies with 12 points while Jordan Bury chipped in with six points and Devon Felt added five.
The Owls, who have already qualified for the B.C. junior girls championship tournament in Langley Feb. 28-March 3, defeated the Dr. Knox Falcons in their Central Zone semifinal while the Huskies got by the Rutland Voodoos in the other semi.
Both KSS and OKM will represent the zone at the Okanagan Valley championship tournament in Kamloops on Friday and Saturday. Four teams will advance to the provincial tournament.
The Owls are seeded 13th in the provincial rankings published on Tuesday while the Valleyview Vikes of Kamloops are ranked No. 1 in B.C.
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