For the Âé¶¹AV Owls, there are two sides to the coin in hosting the 2017 Interior Savings
The support and comfort of playing at home is tempered by the pressure and expectations of being the two-time defending champs.
Regardless of the outcome, °¿·É±ô²õ’ head coach Harry Parmar said it all adds up to three days of hype and excitement his players and the KSS student body are sure to embrace.
â€Àá³Ù’s an exciting week, the student body gets ramped up and the school is just ±ð±ô±ð³¦³Ù°ù¾±³¦,†said Parmar, now in his 10th season as °¿·É±ô²õ’ coach. â€Àá³Ù’s great for our kids (players), ³Ù³ó±ð°ù±ð’s a lot of interest in this event and they get to be part of it.
â€Àá³Ù’s just a matter of them controlling that excitement and emotion a bit and just going out, playing the games and really enjoying ¾±³Ù.â€
The Owls, who won the event in both , will open play Thursday at 7 p.m. against the South Kamloops Titans, the second-ranked AAA team in B.C.
In what is arguably one of the strongest fields in recent memory, the draw also features the top three ranked 4A teams in µþ.°ä.—W²¹±ô²Ô³Ü³Ù Grove, KSS and Oak Bay.
²Ñ²¹²Ô¾±³Ù´Ç²ú²¹â€™s No. 1 team, the Oak Park Raiders, will be joined by the Regina Campbell Tartans, the top-ranked team from Saskatchewan, and the Raymond Comets, the No. 2 team from Alberta.
At the top of the °¿·É±ô²õ’ wish-list is a meeting with Walnut Grove in the final and a chance for some payback. The No. 1-ranked Gators have beaten KSS in all three meetings between the schools this season.
Still, with the quality of teams on this ²â±ð²¹°ù’s draw, Parmar said ³Ù³ó±ð°ù±ð’s no guarantee that either KSS or Walnut Grove will be in ³§²¹³Ù³Ü°ù»å²¹²â’s championship game.
â€Àá³Ù’s just ±ô´Ç²¹»å±ð»å,†Parmar said of this ²â±ð²¹°ù’s roster of competing teams. â€Àá³Ù would be nice for us to see (Walnut Grove) but you ³¦²¹²Ô’t take anything for granted.
“W±ð »å´Ç²Ô’t know exactly how good some of those other teams are, but you have to assume by their rankings that ³Ù³ó±ð²â’r±ð really good. Anything can happen and ³Ù³ó²¹³Ù’s what makes it a great ³Ù´Ç³Ü°ù²Ô²¹³¾±ð²Ô³Ù.â€
As is the case every year, the Western Canada tournament marks the beginning of the home stretch and a springboard for the Owls, who will be looking to defend their B.C. 4A boys provincial title in March.
“T³ó±ð goal is to get better every possession, progress throughout the week and be a better team when ¾±³Ù’s ´Ç±¹±ð°ù,†he said. “H´Ç±è±ð´Ú³Ü±ô±ô²â it will prepare us well for ·É³ó²¹³Ù’s to ³¦´Ç³¾±ð.â€
Full tournament passes are $10 for students, $20 for adults and $75 for courtside seats.
±á±ð°ù±ð’s a look at the opening day of action:
Thursday, Feb. 2
1:45 ±è.³¾.‸é±ð²µ¾±²Ô²¹ Campbell Collegiate vs Walnut Grove
3:30 ±è.³¾.—O²¹°ì Park Raiders vs Oak Bay Oaks
5:15 ±è.³¾.‸鲹²â³¾´Ç²Ô»å Comets vs Semiamhoo Totems
7:30 ±è.³¾.â€ÖÀ´Ç³Ü³Ù³ó Kamloops vs Âé¶¹AV Owls
Championship ²µ²¹³¾±ðâ€ÖÀ²¹³Ù³Ü°ù»å²¹²â, Feb. 4 @ 7 p.m.