The Howe Sound Sounders senior boys basketball club suffered its first AA division loss of the season on Tuesday (Jan. 15), but bounced back with a dominant effort on home court on Thursday (Jan. 17).
The Sounders took on the St. Thomas Aquinas Fighting Saints on Tuesday and the game was evenly played until the fourth quarter, when the Saints took over and finished with the 75-62 win.
"The turning point in the game was with three minutes left in the third," said Sounders head coach Ron Roberts "STA deployed a 3-1-1 zone press, which was very effective in exploiting our greatest single weakness - turnovers. They continued the pressure in the forth period and built a big lead."
Roberts said the Saints were a disciplined team and the best opponent the Sounders have faced all season. Avi Arellano led the way for Howe Sound with 27 points, 11 steals, eight rebounds and seven assists. Randeep Grewal also had a strong game for Howe Sound, with 21 points and seven rebounds.
The loss dropped Howe Sound's record in AA play to two wins and one loss on the season and they sit tied for third place in their division.
The Sounders returned to the court on Thursday, with a game in the Sea to Sky League against the Whistler Secondary School (WSS) Storm. Howe Sound easily disposed of the Storm, crushing them 90-32, despite several starters not in the lineup.
"I applaud these guys for coming down and giving us a game," Roberts said of WSS. "They're a smaller school, but I've still got to work my guys out. I subbed in a out freely and a win like this gives our guys confidence. We will need our bench in big games and games like this helps them along in their development."
Howe Sound was led by sharpshooter Gurjot Gil, who scored 21 points and was a threat all night from downtown. Tyson Thompson contributed with 23 points and grabbed 14 rebounds, while point guard Vince Parangue had a team high six assists to go along with 14 points.
It was the junior boys time to shine earlier on Thursday, as they picked up a 69-10 win over Whistler. Head coach Max Roy said he was pleased with his team's efforts in the win.
"We've really improved from the start of the year," he said, noting the team has a season record of five wins and two losses. "I'm happy with how we played tonight, but we still need to work on not missing some of the easy lay-ups, that's been a problem for us all year."
Alberto Barnetche led the way for Howe Sound with 14 points in the win. For more information on the teams, visit www.howesoundsecondary.bc.ca.
