Games away from the 'Kermode Kave' proved to be difficult once again for the Quest Kermodes men's and women's basketball teams.
The trip to Vancouver Island proved to be unsuccessful for the men's team, as they dropped back to back games to Vancouver Island University (VIU) on Friday (Jan. 18) and Camosun College on Saturday (Jan. 19).
VIU opened up a seven point lead in the first quarter and the Kermodes couldn't close the gap, losing 77-64. Cartiea French-Toney led the way for Quest with 15 points, five rebounds and three steals, while Mike Zayas-Duran led the way on the boards with a team high seven. It was a poor night rebounding for Quest, as they were out-rebounded by a margin of 47-25.
The Kermodes battled Camosun the next night and lost a heartbreaker, 75-73. The evenly played game saw Quest have a six point lead at the half but the Chargers battled back and narrowly picked up the win. The pair of losses drops the men's team record to six wins and seven losses on the season and they've now dropped three straight. Despite the setbacks, Quest remains in third place in the Pacwest division.
It was a slightly different story for the women's team, who picked up a win on Saturday against Camosun after the worst offensive output in team history against VIU on Friday.
Quest lost 68-39 to the Mariners on Friday, matching the team's worst ever offensive showing, which also occurred against the Mariners back on Nov. 6, 2010. The Kermodes shot 22 per cent from the field and made a total of eight field goals for the entire game. Courtney Harpur and Delainee Behrns led the way with nine points apiece, with Harpur grabbing a team high eight rebounds.
The Kermodes bounced back the next night with a win against Camosun on Saturday. Quest broke out in the third quarter, outscoring the Chargers 21-8 and cruised to a 59-57 win. The women's team improved to seven wins and six losses on the season and are in fourth place in their division.
The teams will now return home for a pair of games, with Douglas College coming to town on Friday (Jan. 25) and Langara College on Saturday (Jan. 26). The women's games tip off at 6 p.m., with the men getting underway at 8 p.m.
For more information on the teams, visit www.questkermodes.ca.
