Just days after they climbed to third place in the provincial single-A boys basketball rankings, the Duncan Christian School Chargers showed they belong there by winning the Campbell River Christian School tournament last weekend.
“This tournament featured five of the northern single-A schools,” Chargers head coach Jim Brandsma said. “It was good to go to this tournament to see what the other single-A schools from the north are like in comparison.”
The Chargers opened with an 81-48 win over Nanaimo Christian, a team they had defeated by a similar 84-48 score just days before.
“Our guys started out slow, but finally started pulling away halfway through the second quarter, and after a wakeup call at halftime, rose to the occasion and had a very good second half,” Brandsma said.
“The guys started talking more and working to get everyone involved.”
Jesse Van Wingerden led the way offensively with 25 points, and Michael Brandsma was close behind with 24. Adam Kapteyn added 17 points and 13 rebounds, and Matt Brandsma contributed 10 points and eight rebounds.
In their second game, the Chargers defeated Maaqtusiis 91-34.
“We had a good pre-game discussion about the type of game we needed to play against them,” Brandsma said. “The guys did not disappoint; they probably played the best defensive game this year, if not in the last two years.”
Michael Brandsma scored another 24 points, while Van Wingerden added 22. Kapteyn and Matt Brandsma each had 13 points, and Brandsma finished with eight steals. Off the boards, Sung Jun Jang had a team-high nine rebounds, while both Brandsmas and Min Seok Kim had eight apiece.
“All of the boys contributed to our success and most of all had a great time doing it,” coach Brandsma said. “This is a defining point in the season where the guys realized they could count on each other and also have fun playing.”
All the teams at the Campbell River tournament will be at the Island Championships, hosted by DCS on Feb. 26 and 27.