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Cowichan T-Birds set to host AAAA Islands

After splitting their two games at the North Island tournament, the Cowichan Secondary School Thunderbirds will head to the Island AAAA boys basketball championships as the second seed from the North.
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Cowichan’s Jaden Bhopal controls the ball during his team’s game against NDSS last Wednesday. Bhopal led the T-Birds to a win over Dover Bay on Saturday. (Kevin Rothbauer/Citizen)

After splitting their two games at the North Island tournament, the Cowichan Secondary School Thunderbirds will head to the Island AAAA boys basketball championships as the second seed from the North.

The T-Birds beat Dover Bay 78-61 in the Cow High gym on Saturday to offset a loss to Nanaimo District earlier in the week. All three North Island teams were already guaranteed a berth at Islands, but a higher seeding meant facing a lower-ranked team from the South, so the T-Birds still had something to gain.

“From the start, our guys came out with a lot of energy, and played like they had something to prove,” Cowichan head coach Casey Parsons said.

Guard Jaden Bhopal was a key performer for the T-Birds, settling the offence late in the game and putting up 14 of his 20 points in the second half. Brandon Reymerink scored 19 points to go with what Parsons called one of his best defensive efforts of the season. Dawson Tomich also had a terrific outing with a season-high 16 points, including five three-pointers.

Cowichan will also host the Island championships, beginning this Thursday when the T-Bird take on Claremont, the second seed from the South, at 2 p.m.

“Our only other game against Claremont this year took place at the Cowichan Welcome Back Tournament in December, and resulted in an OT loss,” Parsons noted. “Needless to say, you can expect our guys to be fired up, and play a with a chip on their shoulder.”

Two of the eight Island teams will advance to the provincial championships.

Other opening round games include Spectrum (South 5) vs. Oak Bay (South 1) at 4 p.m., Dover Bay (North 3) vs. Belmont (South 2) at 6 p.m., and NDSS (North 1) vs. Mount Doug (South 4) at 8 p.m. All games will be played at the James Street campus gym.

The T-Birds are ready for a challenging tournament.

“With only two teams earnings berths to B.C.’s, getting off the Island is tough,” Parsons acknowledged. “I expect there will be a lot of exciting, competitive basketball over the three days. We hope to see lots of people in attendance.”



Kevin Rothbauer

About the Author: Kevin Rothbauer

Kevin Rothbauer is the sports reporter for the Cowichan Valley Citizen
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