It was Senior's Day at the 'Kermode Kave' on Saturday (Feb. 9) but Delainee Behrns stole the show with a memorable fourth quarter performance to complete an incredible comeback for the Quest women's basketball team.
It was the last ever home game for Behrns and she might as well have been wearing a superhero cape for the final quarter.
The Kermodes were down 53-32 to Camosun after three quarters but never gave up and on the back of Behrns, won the game 67-62 in overtime.
We knew we had it in us, she said after the game. We knew it was never over but 23 points was a lot to come back from.
After being held pointless in the first half, Behrns exploded for 18 in the second half, including the tying three point shot with 4.8 seconds left to send the game to overtime. Behrns is Quest's point guard and known for her skills distributing the ball but said she felt the need to step up against the Chargers.
Dany [Quest head coach] always tells me it's in my capability to take over and I figured it was working today, she said. And when the crowd got into the game it really pumped us up.
It was particularly nice for Behrns because her mother and father from Saskatchewan were in the building, taking in her very final game in the 'Kave'. Head coach Dany Charlery was pleasantly surprised with his team's comeback.
I think early on we were trying to figure Camosun out and trying to get motivated, he said, noting that the Chargers were fighting for their playoff lives. We were trying different things all game to break through but the tempo changed in the fourth and we got some energy.
Charlery said the game on Saturday was similar to Friday's (Feb. 8) 61-45 loss to VIU but without the strong play at the end of the game. Katrin Sandbichler led the way on Friday with 13 points and 14 rebounds.
The weekend of action puts Quest at 11 wins and eight losses on the season and they sit fourth in the Pacwest. The 11 wins is a team record and also ensured the team will finish above .500 for the first time ever. Quest can finish as high as second or as low as fifth depending on next weekends results.
For the men, it was one of the best weekends ever for the program. For the first time ever, the men's team beat VIU 85-76 on Friday and then took down Camosun 88-77 on Saturday.
Head coach Sean Shook was pleased with his team's play on what turned out to be a historic weekend for his squad.
This was a huge step for this program, he said. We've never beaten VIU and we've never beaten a nationally ranked team before. From where we were a year ago, the turnaround has been great.
Friday saw guard Cartiea French-Toney and Big Jesse Norris score 19 points apiece, with Norris also picking up 10 rebounds and five assists. Shook also praised the efforts of Dylan Kular and Mike Zayas-Duran.
Zayas was outstanding against VIU, he said. He's not the biggest guy out there but he's so good defensively with his long arms and athleticism. Norris was a beast against VIU and Kular was huge with 14 points off the bench. The nice thing is we're getting contributions from everyone.
Quest and Camosun played an even game on Saturday but the Kermodes pulled away in the fourth, outscoring the Chargers 30-19. Jose Colorado led the way with 28 points, while French-Toney had a solid all-around game with 17 points, seven rebounds, six steals and four assists.
After the team finished with only one win last year, Shook said it's rewarding to see the turnaround.
We've got a few guys on the team who took it in the shorts 16 times last year, he said, referencing the squads 1-16 record last year. But they've meshed well with some of the young guys we brought in this year.
He also thanked the Quest fans, pointing out that Quest had an impressive 8-2 record in the 'Kave'.
Our students show up and they're loud and enthusiastic, he said. Our guys really like playing here and it shows.
The Kermodes sit in third place in the Pacwest with a record of 10 wins and nine losses and will finish either third or fourth depending on next weekend's results. The teams will go on the road, with games against Douglas on Friday (Feb. 15) and Langara on Saturday (Feb. 16).
Quest honoured departing women's seniors Delainee Behrns, Rachel Poon and Soraya Jung, as well as graduating men's players Brodan Thiel and Big Jesse Norris following the women's game. For more details on the ceremony, check the print edition of The Chief.
