It was an emotional weekend for the Okanagan College Coyotes basketball teams as they played their first league games at home since before the pandemic.
February 22, 2020 was the last time that both the men’s and women’s teams played regular season games on their home court. After nearly two years, it was an understatement that the teams were excited to be playing on their home court. Unfortunately, fans weren’t able to attend the games.
The men’s team split their games against the Camosun College Chargers. On Friday night, they fell 80-77. The Coyotes were down by 20 points in the third quarter but fought back to get within one but ultimately couldn’t complete the comeback. Freshman Omon Edobar finished with a team-high 26 points while Austin Swedish added 12.
“Without going into the detail this was an emotional game and I am very proud of coach Brent and our players, they showed a ton of character,” said coach Dino Gini.
Omon was the story on Saturday night as well as he hit the game-winning shot with 1.3 seconds left to lead the men to their first win of the season, 75-73. He had 28 points, a team-high once again. Ajay Gill contributed with 14 points off the bench. The defense played great in the second half, allowing just 32 Camosun points.
With the split, the men now sit sixth in the Pacwest standings with a 1-5 record.
Coyotes Women’s Team
The women’s team lengthed their winning streak to four in a row after sweeping the Chargers this weekend. In the 59-50 victory on Friday night, Paloma Niz Velazquez finished with a team-high 19 points off the bench.
It was more of a dominant effort on Saturday, as the women won 85-60. Soliel Winding led the way with 21 points while Jordan Kemper had 18 of her own.
Defense was the stronger part of their women’s games against Camosun. Over the course of the two games, the Coyotes combined for 85 rebounds, 26 blocks and 43 steals.
The Pacwest named Coyotes’ Elizabeth Henne the Female Basketball Athlete of the week for her efforts in the games against the Chargers. She was dominant defensively as over the weekend, she had a combined 22 rebounds, 11 steals and 13 blocks. Offensively she added a total of 11 points and five assists.
With their 4-2 record, the women sit fifth in the Pacwest standings. The current four-game winning streak is the longest in the program’s history.
Both Coyotes team will head down to the coast this upcoming weekend to take on the Columbia Bible College Bearcats on Saturday (Jan. 22) and the Capilano University Blues on Sunday (Jan. 23). The women tip off at 6 p.m. Saturday night while the men start at 8 p.m. Game times on Sunday are at noon for the women and 2 p.m. for the men.
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jordy.cunningham@kelownacapnews.ca
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