Clan claim third

The Correlieu senior secondary Clan boys basketball team had a good showing at their own tournament with a third-place finish in the seven-team tournament thanks to an exciting 82-80 win over Prince George senior secondary Polars.

Top spot in the tournament went to Columneetza Cougars of Williams Lake with a convincing 83-59 win over the Vanderhoof Vikings.

The tournament started off well for the Clan as they dribbled to an 85-53 win over the Kelly Road secondary Runners.

Despite a slow start and some early foul trouble, the Clan opened up a 25-16 lead on the Runners after the first quarter of play.

The Correlieu boys sneaker squad then tightened their laces and stretched their lead to 39-22 by the half thanks to some strong outside shooting and good defense.

“We passed the ball and we had some good defence,” a pleased Clan coach Dustin Clauson said.

“We finally executed our offence.”

Also working for the Clan was a quick transition game, thanks in large part to the play of point guards who turned the ball up court quickly either on the dribble or with strong passes.

“We forced a lot of turnovers,” Clauson said.

Those turnovers, Clauson explained, were the result of strong defensive play.

The final two quarters were much the same, with the Clan dominating the Runners on both offensive and defensive boards.

The one thing missing from the game, Clauson said, was scoring from inside the key.

“We made some good [outside] shots, but they aren’t all going to go in,” he said.

“We have big guys that can jump we need to use our size inside.

“We need to work it in the paint and get some rebounds.”

The Clan then hit a speed bump when they faced the Columneetza Cougars. The Cougars won the game 72-64 and relegated the Clan to the consolation game against the Prince George Polars.

The Clan now turn their sights on the AAA zone qualifier in Fort St.John, Feb. 24 – 26.