(BOYS) Mt. Boucherie Bears shutout West Van Highlanders in third quarter as they take first win in tourney

December 6, 2019
Written by Scott Leigh, Handsworth Grad ‘06

West Van Highlanders v. Mount Boucherie Bears

The classic Bear v. Highlander battle in the mountains. The home town Highlanders are looking to put on a show for the fans, after a disappointing opening round loss yesterday. 

Fancy Clancy, #1 for the Bears, gets to work quickly for the Bears with some penetration, earning him two shots from the charity stripe, followed by a deep three on consecutive possessions. An early 9-0 lead for the Bears. If you are an avid reader of my game stories, you will know this is feeling awfully familiar to the previous game which flirted with an early shutout. Once again I likely jinxed the possibility of the unprecedented basketball shutout, as the boys in plaid look to work their way back into this game. Lots of aggressive play in the early part of this game has led to 8 total fouls in the first 5 minutes of play. Big man Kyle Strohmann, #12 for the Bears, is not afraid to shoot the deep ball as he strokes a 3 with ease. Fellow big man James Koehle has been effective in the early part of this game, both knocking down jumpers and finishing inside. These Bears seem to have an endless supply of 6’4 players coming off the bench, making it difficult for the smaller Highlanders to find open looks. At the end of the first quarter the Bears are up 23-11.

West Van is going to need some of their shots to start connecting; so far they have not been able to find their rhythm offensively. With a size difference of this magnitude, the Highlanders are going to have to toughen up and focus on their boxouts defensively, while hoping they catch fire at the other end of the court. Rodrigo Iruretagoyena, #14 for the Highlanders, has been able to use his size and get to the line here in the second quarter. Consistent three point shooting from Mount Boucherie continues to stifle any possible comeback attempt from the Highlanders. No matter the size, all of the Bears look comfortable behind the arc. Dean “the King of Cool” Martin, #20 for the Highlanders, knocks down back to back 3s late in the second quarter in an effort to get this game back into a competitive range before the half. The relentless attack from Mount Boucherie has earned them a 47-28 lead at the half. 

Halftime Fact: Bears are considered carnivoran mammals of the family Ursidae. Also, bears, and more specifically the polar bear, can reach speeds of up to 40 km/hr. 

Halftime Fact: West Van has not changed their style of red plaid basketball shorts since the opening of the school back in 1952 (unconfirmed fact).

To start the half the Bears are looking to continue to apply pressure with a 3/4 court press dropping back into a zone D. Owen Labadie, #2 for the Bears, seems to be the heartbeat of this squad so far today. He is in control of the pace of play and finding his teammates at the opportune times for easy points. When required, Labadie has been able to create opportunities for himself comfortably within their offensive sets. Similar to the first half, the pressure is a lot to handle and has enabled the Bears to extend their lead to as many as 31 points in the early parts of the second half. The foul-a-thon is extended into the second half, with players running into foul trouble early in this half and slowing down the pace of play. The Highlanders were shutout in the third quarter - at the end of 3 the Bears are up 70-28. 

West Van was in over their heads early in this game. This has been an opportunity to get great experience against a high level out of town team. Hopefully they can use this experience to their benefit moving forward in their season. Not an experience you are hoping for as a team, but an opportunity to grow for the better nonetheless. Mount Boucherie was fast out the gates tonight, and never slowed down. A very well played game by the Bears out of West Kelowna. The Bears were certainly the victor of this battle in the mountains.

Final Score: Mount Boucherie 92 : West Van 45.

No Regrets.