Nuxalk Nation U17 boys won fourth place out of 27 teams at the Junior All Native Basketball Tournament in Terrace last month.
“We also won sportsmanlike team and Jacob Vaa got an all-star,” said coach Sony Legault. “We went 4-2 and it had been a while since a U17 Nuxalk Nation team finished top four.”
One of the funnest aspects of attending the tournament was watching the boys bond, Legault added.
Assisting Legault with coaching was Duncan Edgar, a former Nunanta U17 player.
Players included Eli Hall, Danny Legault, Evan Gabriel, Manny White, Nate Schooner, Ashton Andy, Noah Clellamin, Kayden Parr, Jacob Vaa, Dakota Sampson Tweedie, Brayden Schooner, Sebastian Evans Windsor and Latrell Pootlass.
This year’s tournament was hosted by the Nisga’a Nation with venues at the Terrace Sportsplex, Skeena Middle School, Caledonia Senior Secondary and Thornhill Gymnasium.
More than 1,200 athletes on 88 teams in four divisions descended on Terrace for the tournament, playing a total of 148 games.
In the U17 boys it was the Syilix team from the Okanagan Nation Alliance who prevailed winning 70-67 in the final game against Vancouver.
With files from Thom Barker
Don’t miss out on reading the latest local, provincial and national news offered at Coast Mountain News. Sign up for our free newsletter right to your email here.