The Royal Bay Secondary School Junior Ravens girls basketball team are currently 35-2 overall and have won both the City of Victoria Championships and the Vancouver Island Championships.
On 28 Jan 2017 the Junior Ravens won an automatic berth to the Provincial Championships by defeating the then #2 provincially ranked St. Thomas Aquinas (North Vancouver) 50-20 in a provincial qualifier tournament. Although the pressure to secure a provincial berth was no longer an concern, winning the City and Island Championships was a goal the girls set out for themselves at the beginning of the year.
The Island Championship final game was a great test for the girls both physically and mentally. Their hard work and effort earned the grade 10 players back to back Vancouver Island titles, which is impressive for a Secondary School that only opened in September 2015.
Lauren Awalt was selected as the Vancouver Island Junior Girls Most Valuable Player. Lauren was also selected as the Vancouver Island MVP last year when she was in grade 9.
Hannah Cormode was selected as a Vancouver Island Junior Girls All-Star. Hannah was also selected as an All-Star last year when she was in grade 9.
With seven returning players from last year’s Island Championship team, which finished 12th in the province, the girls knew their experience would benefit the team this year. In addition, five grade 9s joined the team this year that all played on the Vancouver Island BC Summer Games team in 2016.
Having a deep bench with skilled basketball players is certainly an advantage.
The Royal Bay Junior Ravens are currently ranked 3rd in the province and will compete at the Provincial Championships held at the Langley Event Centre 1-4 Mar 17.Look for a Photo Essay here on ISN to follow
