AMHERST – The Amherst Regional High School Vikettes basketball team won the Division 2 regional championship in dominating fashion Wednesday night with a 76-25 win over the Hants East Rural High School Tigers.
“We played Hants East in December and I knew they had improved since then, and knew they were going to come out and play hard but our girls kept their heads up and played harder,” said Vikettes coach Gillian Ellis after the game. “They play hard together and it showed tonight.”
Natasha Gouchie led the Vikettes with 22 points in the Nova Scotia Schools Athletic Federation contest, followed by Lauren MacEachern with 14, Paige Lewis with nine, Lauren Chitty and Alexa Thompson with eight each, Mia Furlong with six, Ashley MacEachern and Maitland Terrio with two points each, and Danielle Young with one point.
With the win the Vikettes have qualified for the provincials, which are March 1-2 at Central Kings Rural High School in Cambridge.
“We’ve been talking all year about communicating on defence and staying positive, and we’re just trying to keep the team dynamic strong and keep a cohesive unit together (going into the provincials),” said Ellis.
Ellis said she’s very proud of the team.
“We preach the team stuff and the positive attitude, and a lot of girls don’t get it at this age, but this is a special bunch and they get it and they understand it,” said Ellis. “They’re skilled basketball players but they get the other stuff.
“They know how important it is to be part of a team and what it takes to win basketball games.”
More pictures from the game can be seen on the slide show section at www.cumberlandnewsnow.com
dmathieson@amherstdaily.com
