Penticton Secondary School Lakers coach Paul Mend likes his team’s chances heading into the AAA Okanagan Valley Championship.
The key is staying healthy leading up to Saturday and his players maintaining consistent play.
The Lakers face the Mt. Boucherie Bears in the semifinal, while the other semifinal match features the Kelowna Secondary School Owls and NorKam Saints.
The winners move on to the gold medal game, while the other two play for bronze and the third and final provincial spot. Kelowna is hosting the provincial championship from Nov. 27 to 30.
“I think the guys are in a good state of mind right now,” said Mend, whose team is ranked sixth provincially. “We are continuing to get better in practice and that’s all a coach can ask.”
The Lakers are familiar with the Bears and Mend said they need to slow them down in the middle. The key is playing well, but Mend stressed the challenge is playing consistently.
On Nov. 6, the Lakers finished league play against the Saints.
The Lakers traveled seven hours to win in 50 minutes as they swept the best-of-five match. Mend, who gave all his players court time, said it wasn’t their best performance of the season.
“A 3.5 hour bus ride can sometimes do that to a team. We controlled each set handily,” said Mend.