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Owls repeat as valley champs

Host KSS boys curling team wins Okanagan high school title with victory over Westsyde
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The KSS boys curling team celebrates its second straight Okanagn high school boys title. The Owls are: (left to right) Ramsay Murray

Ramsay Murray and the Kelowna Owls made the most of home ice to claim their second consecutive Okanagan high school boys' curling title.

The host KSS rink dispatched of Kamloops Westsyde 12-2 in the final game of the valley championship Sunday afternoon at the Kelowna Curling Club.

In addition to securing the Okanagan banner, the win earns the Owls a return trip to the B.C. finals this spring in Delta.

"It's a big deal for us, we're really happy to be going back to provincials," said Murray, the Owls' skip. "We definitely played better with each game, we kept improving so we're getting a lot better."

Murray, twin brother Ewan Murray, Logan Miron and Bryan Cresswell dominated the boys' draw at valleys posting 4-0 record, including an 11-3 win over Sa-Hali (Kamloops) in the semifinal.

Murray pointed to team chemistry as a key to the Owls' success.

"We're having fun," Murray said. "Right now we know where we need to go so it's helping us be focused. We have good team support and we're helping each other."

As Grade 10 players last spring, the Owls went 2-5 in their first provincial championship appearance.

A year older and more experienced, Murray expects his team to be better prepared this time around.

"I think our expectations are to improve on last year and I think it's going to help us against some of the teams we played," he said. "I think we can prepare better and we know what to expect."

The KSS rink is coached by John Murray.

The B.C. School Sports curling championship is set for March 3 to 5 at the Delta Thistle Curling Club.

Meanwhile, Megan McGillivray's KSS girls' team finished as the runner-up at the valley finals for the second year in a row.

Salmon Arm defeated the Owls 8-2 in Sunday's championship game.

The Kelowna rink also features Katelyn McGillivray, Jenaya Copithorne, Chantal Barrett, and is coached by Bob Harris.

The school sponsor for both KSS teams is Lorne Buna.

The George Elliot Coyotes, skipped by Abbey Otteson, reached the girls semifinals before losing  10-0 to Salmon Arm.