Gurlal Dhaliwal advances with the ball for the Rattlers as the Osoyoos Secondary School’s senior boys basketball team came back from behind to beat Aberdeen Hall Preparatory School 73-66 Friday. This was the Rattlers’ opening game in the two-day Desert Classic tournament. (Richard McGuire photo)
The Osoyoos Rattlers senior boys basketball team missed out winning the tournament they host each year by a single point in their Desert Classic tournament this past weekend.
Instead, the Osoyoos Secondary School (OSS) team finished the tournament in second place of eight teams, narrowly losing 80-79 to Kelowna Christian School in the final game.
“It was a hard-fought battle,” said Coach Casey Brouwer. “We got into a little bit of foul trouble, however, the boys kept the game close. It all came down to the final seconds, back and forth for both teams.”
The Rattlers won their first two games – 73-66 over Aberdeen Hall Preparatory School and 69-45 over Heritage Christian School.
Their first game against Aberdeen was a nail biter to the final seconds. At one point in the game the Rattlers trailed by 12 points at 43-31.
Brouwer called a couple of timeouts to give his players a mix of strategy and pep talk and whatever he said seemed to work.
The Rattlers closed the gap so that in the final minutes the two teams flipped back and forth with narrow leads.
Then, warning his players not to take fouls and not to give up possession of the ball, Brouwer got his players chanting “Our house” as they pulled in front to a comfortable lead.
“Overall it was a great weekend of basketball,” Brouwer said. “Our guys played with a lot of heart. In all three of our games, the boys had to step up and work together. This team has more unity than any of the past teams I have coached.”
Brouwer said he was grateful to see so many fans pack into the bleachers to cheer on the Rattlers.
The Rattlers head to Kelowna Christian School this weekend for that school’s home tournament. They follow that with a tournament in Penticton on Dec. 17 and 18.
Two more tournaments will follow in January before the playoffs.
The Rattlers play their next home game against Princeton on Jan. 13 at 6:15 p.m.
RICHARD McGUIRE
Osoyoos Times
Benson Cheng of the Rattlers senior boys basketball team jumps to toss the ball at the net in Friday’s game against Aberdeen Hall Preparatory School. The Osoyoos Secondary School team was down 12 points at one time, but came back from behind at the very end to win the game 73-66. This was the first game for the local team in the two-day Desert Classic tournament held at OSS. (Richard McGuire photo)
Benson Cheng of the Rattlers senior boys basketball team advances with the ball in Friday’s game against Aberdeen Hall Preparatory School. The Osoyoos Secondary School team was down 12 points at one time, but came back from behind at the very end to win the game 73-66. This was the first game for the local team in the two-day Desert Classic tournament held at OSS. (Richard McGuire photo)
Phil Cabanada leaps to toss the ball in Friday’s game against Aberdeen Hall Preparatory School. The Osoyoos Secondary School team was down 12 points at one time, but came back from behind at the very end to win the game 73-66. This was the first game for the local team in the two-day Desert Classic tournament held at OSS. (Richard McGuire photo)
Benson Cheng of the Rattlers senior boys basketball team jumps to toss the ball at the net in Friday’s game against Aberdeen Hall Preparatory School. The Osoyoos Secondary School team was down 12 points at one time, but came back from behind at the very end to win the game 73-66. This was the first game for the local team in the two-day Desert Classic tournament held at OSS. The Rattlers went on to win their second game by a convincing 69-45 over Heritage Christian School, before losing their final game by a single point, 80-79, to Kelowna Christian School. They still managed to pull off second place in the tournament. (Richard McGuire photo)
Gurlal Dhaliwal tries to score for the Rattlers as the Osoyoos Secondary School’s senior boys basketball team came back from behind to beat Aberdeen Hall Preparatory School 73-66 Friday. This was the Rattlers’ opening game in the two-day Desert Classic tournament. (Richard McGuire photo)
Rattlers Coach Casey Brouwer gives some final pointers during a time out in the final minutes of Friday’s game against Aberdeen Hall Preparatory School. The Osoyoos Secondary School senior boys basketball team had been down 12 points, but at this point the two teams were virtually tied. Brouwser must have been successful in motivating the team — they scored some points in the final minutes to win the game 73-66. (Richard McGuire photo)
Justin Davis advances with the ball for the Rattlers as the Osoyoos Secondary School’s senior boys basketball team came back from behind to beat Aberdeen Hall Preparatory School 73-66 Friday. This was the Rattlers’ opening game in the two-day Desert Classic tournament. (Richard McGuire photo)
Justin Davis advances with the ball for the Rattlers as the Osoyoos Secondary School’s senior boys basketball team came back from behind to beat Aberdeen Hall Preparatory School 73-66 Friday. This was the Rattlers’ opening game in the two-day Desert Classic tournament. (Richard McGuire photo)
