For the young Okanagan College basketball program, a berth into this year鈥檚 league playoffs was in itself a small victory.
Both the men and women squads advanced to the post-season in just their second year in the Pacific Western Athletic Association (PacWest), marking a bright path for the young program.
Program head coach Dino Gini said that though both teams didn鈥檛 reach the podium, the finish paces a bright future for the Okanagan College program.
鈥淲e will take the positives from these playoffs and raise the bar and get to the next level next year,鈥� Gini said.
鈥淵ou can count on it.鈥�
READ MORE: Rockets lose defenceman for season after shoulder surgery
The men finished fourth in the tournament but picked up their first-ever playoff win in school history with a massive comeback in the quarter-finals against the Capilano Blues in an 84-82 win.
Down 17 points, the Yotes went on a 15-0 run with less than four minutes remaining. Led by guards Eric Marbury and Jeff Tubbs, OC stole the lead in the dying minutes and outscored the Blues 29-18 in the final quarter to advance to the semi-finals.
鈥�(It was a) great gut check and great show of heart from our team,鈥� said Gini.
鈥淓xtremely proud of them, they kept on grinding and found energy and big plays in the last four minutes.鈥�
In the semis, the Yotes came up short against the No. 2 seed VIU Mariners in an 88-80 loss. Okanagan College found themselves down early and though they fought hard towards the comeback, the Mariners outlasted the onslaught to end the Coyotes鈥� post-season.
鈥淲e had the opportunity (to win) and we could taste it, but that is something we will bring with us next year,鈥� said Gini.
Marbury was named to the PacWest 2nd All-Star team at the end of the tournament, in which the Douglas Royals were named champions.
READ MORE: Big White hosts its largest race event in history
In their own first-ever post-season appearance, the Okanagan College women squad came up against a high-powered Douglas College team in a 77-54 loss.
The Coyote鈥檚 Sapna Deo led with 14 points as OC was knocked out of the PacWest playoffs.
Rookie Jordan Kemper was selected to the All-Rookie PacWest team, a milestone for the young Coyotes team and one of the most improved programs in the PacWest this season.
To report a typo, email:
newstips@kelownacapnews.com.
@麻豆精选CapNews
newstips@kelownacapnews.com
Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.
