In an all-Kelowna final, the Rutland Voodoos downed the rival KSS Owls to capture the Clarence Fulton junior boys basketball tournament.
Despite battling a bout of the flu, the Voodoos, comprised of Grade 10 players, outlasted the Owls 76-70 in a tightly contested final Saturday in Vernon.
In a championship game that saw 10 lead changes, tournament MVP Isaac Young paced the Rutland attack with 22 points and 11 rebounds.
Prabhtej Deol, the player of the game in the final, added 17 points and three steals, while Brandon Porter chipped in with 12 points.
Nick Burnham scored 16 points for the Owls. Jasper Buechi was Kelowna’s player of the game.
RSS opened the tourney Friday with a 64-37 win over the host Fulton Maroons. Deol scored 14 points, Young had 12 points and eight boards, while Porter and Austin Shreeves contributed 10 points apiece.
In the semifinal Saturday morning, the Voodoos defeated the George Elliot Coyotes 47-31.
Young had another big game for Rutland, with 16 points and 13 rebounds. Jeff Lwowski had eight points and four blocks, while Shreeves was solid defensively with seven blocks and five steals.
Nic Lafontaine had nine points for Elliot.
“This was a great team win,” Voodoos coach Jeff Balkenhol said of the tournament title. “Everyone saw the floor. The flu season has hit us hard but our decision making on the court was good enough to produce a championship.”
Along with Young’s MVP honours, Brandon Porter was named a first-team all-star, along with the Owls’ Nic Burnham.
The Voodoos are coached by Jeff Balkenhol and Chris Werry