Kamloops Team Handball drew first blood in its warmup to the Battle of B.C.
Kamloops went into Abbotsford and won 13-8 and 18-14 on Saturday. The games were warmups for the Battle of B.C., which will bring teams from Abbotsford, Vancouver and possibly Seattle to the Tournament Capital Centre on April 13.
“It was fun to win our first two matches of the season,” said Peter Hilton, president of Team Kamloops, in a news release. “They are good warm-up matches to the highlight of our season, which is the Battle of B.C. . . .”
Cam Rich led Kamloops’ offence with eight goals, while Quinn Bjordal hammered home seven. Ryan Gill scored six times, Mixon Madland, Jamie Niederaufner and Stuart McColl each counted three goals, and Flo Simon, with two, and Hilton, with one, rounded out the scoring. Dan Bott was the winning goaltender.
“We have lost a number of our European players who have returned home,” Hilton said, “but we have recruited a number of Canadian players in our last two seasons, most of whom are new to the game of handball, and they are getting better each and every practice.”
Kamloops Team Handball, which was founded in 2009, is open to new players. It practises on Thursdays, 8:30 p.m., at the TCC. To join, call Peter at 250-314-4050.
The Battle of B.C. is scheduled to run between noon and 4 p.m., on April 13.
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The Sa-Hali Sabres finished 15th at the Grade 8 girls basketball championship in Pitt Meadows on the weekend.
The Sabres, playing against Lower Mainland competition for the first time, dropped three games to open the tournament, before knocking off the Kelowna-Dr. Knox Falcons in their final game.
Sa-Hali opened with a 35-28 loss to the Surrey-Holy Cross Crusaders, the No. 7 seed. Sawyer Hawgood had nine points in the loss.
The Sabres faced the No. 2 Vancouver-Sir Winston Churchill Bulldogs in their next game, losing a heartbreaker 26-25. Kara Brink had 16 points and was player of the game.
Sa-Hali went on to lose 45-35 to the Vancouver-Little Flower Academy Angels, the No. 6 team. Caet McCorkell had 12 points in the loss.
The Sabres wrapped it up with a 34-23 victory over the Falcons. Player of the game Katie Ludvig had 10 points.
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Jessica Hewitt of Kamloops helped Canada’s women’s relay team win a silver medal at the world short track speed skating championships in Debrecen, Hungary, on Sunday.
Hewitt, Marianne St. Gelais of Ft. Felicien, Que., Valerie Maltais of La Baie, Que., and Marie-Eve Drolet of Laterriere, Que., finished the relay in four minutes 15.106 seconds. China was first, in 4:14.104, with Japan third in 4:15.680.
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Sun Peaks skier Elli Terwiel didn’t qualify for the second run in the slalom at a World Cup skiing event in Ofterschwang, Germany, on Sunday.
Terwiel finished 39th after the first run so didn’t make the second one. Canada’s Marie-Michele Gagnon was fourth, with Slovenia’s Tina Maze taking first.
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The Kamloops Volleyball Club Black Demons split four weekend games in Rutland.
The Black Demons knocked off the Kelowna Red Kougars in two sets (25-23, 25-11) to open the series. Lauren Mark and Liberty Wendland had two kills apiece, and Cassandra Jackson had one.
Kamloops went on to drop a two-set (25-22, 25-18) decision to the Vernon Inferno. Wendland had four kills, Sidney Taki, Madeleine Frame, Jackman and Kelsey Brumbaugh also had kills and Jackman and Mark each hit an ace.
The Black Demons lost in two sets (25-10, 25-16) to the Kelowna Kryptonite. Kira Higo, Taki and Jackman had kills, and Wendland had two.
The Black Demons bounced back to knock off the Kelowna Black Kougars 25-17, 25-16. Frame had four kills, Taki had three and Mark hit one.
