The Howe Sound Sounders senior boys basketball team is fighting for its playoff life as the basketball season nears its conclusion.
Howe Sound qualified for a four-team double knockout final tournament by posting a 65-56 win over Rockridge last Thursday (Feb. 14). Despite a slow start against Rockridge, Roberts said it was star player Avi Arellano and his bench that led the team to victory.
"I can't say enough about how our bench stepped up," he said in an email. "Xeyus [Arellano] played monster minutes filling in for Norby [Richter], and Vince [Parangue] and Brenden [Bantayen] gave much-needed rest to the other starters, all in all a total team effort."
The Sounders fought back from a 20-10 deficit after one quarter and trailed 42-38 at the half, but fought back. Avi Arellano led the way with 21 points, 11 rebounds, three assists and two steals, while Tyson Thompson grabbed a team-high 16 rebounds.
The Sounders advanced to the final four, but struggled against Elphinstone in the opening game of the final tournament. A slow start saw Howe Sound trail 16-3 after the first quarter and were down 32-17 at the half. Roberts said the team tried to regroup for the third quarter, but couldn't get its game together.
"I told my team we needed a big push to start the third, but it didn't materialize," he said. "We took stupid fouls and played poor defence, the result of which was a 20-point deficit just six minutes in."
The end result was a 68-48 setback for Howe Sound, which means if the Sounders lose one more game, the season is done. Arellano led the way with 20 points, while Thompson and Tarn Brar grabbed nine rebounds apiece.
Howe Sound takes on Windsor Secondary on Monday (Feb. 18). Details from that game were not available to The Chief at press time. For more details on the Sounders' season, check next week's edition of The Chief.
