CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. – The Charlottetown Rural Raiders are looking to get out and run.
The boys’ basketball coach wants his team to be active on defence to help provide some easy baskets on the other end of the court.
“I think that’s when we play our best, when our defence is active and we’re creating offence out of our defence,” Trent Whitty said Tuesday.
The team will look to use that style tonight when it opens play at the 35th Confederation City Classic.
They host the Bluefield Bobcats at 7 p.m.
The Raiders girls’ team is also playing the Colonel Gray Colonels tonight at 5:30 p.m. in a game that was moved from Thursday due to the winter storm forecasted for this week. There are 20 teams (10 boys and 10 girls) competing in the tournament. More on the girls’ tournament in tomorrow’s edition of The Guardian.
Whitty said the Confederation City Classic provides an opportunity to play teams they don’t regularly see. The Raiders meet Riverview from Cape Breton on Thursday and Amherst, N.S., on Friday.
“We’re looking forward to getting back on the court after the (Christmas) break and hopefully play well, that’s the main thing,” Whitty said. “If you can win the first one, you’re setting yourself up pretty good for later on. If you lose the first one, it doesn't mean you can’t win, it just means you’re in a bit of a hole that you have to get out of.”
Whitty and his coaching staff will rely on a quartet of Grade 12 players to lead the way and provide veteran leadership in their third Confederation City Classic. Those players are Zack Wall, Josh Bourque, Louis Monaghan and Gabe Penalver.
The Raiders have had a good first half of the season despite dealing with injuries and sickness.
Grade 11 Parker Roche sustained a hairline fractured of a bone in his leg at the first of the season. He continues to progress and could be ready to rejoin the team at the end of the month.
Schedule
A look at this week’s schedule for the 35th Confederation City Classic basketball tournament at Charlottetown Rural High School.
Boys
Divisions
Rodd Royalty Inn – Three Oaks, C.P. Allen (NS) and Riverview (NB).
Heckbert Studio – Colonel Gray, Miramichi Valley (NB) and Cobequid Educational Centre (NS).
Holland College – Charlottetown Rural, Amherst (NS), Bluefield and Riverview (NS).
Today’s Game
7 p.m. – Bluefield at Rural.
Thursday’s Games
5:30 p.m. – Miramichi Valley at Colonel Gray.
5:45 p.m. – Riverview (NS) at Rural.
7:30 p.m. – C.P. Allen at TOSH.
7:30 p.m. – Amherst at Bluefield.
Friday’s Games
9:30 a.m. – Miramichi Valley vs. Cobequid, at Gray.
11:30 a.m. – C.P. Allen vs. Riverview (NB), at Rural.
1:30 p.m. – Riverview (NS) vs. Bluefield, at Gray.
1:45 p.m. – Amherst at Rural.
5:45 p.m. – TOSH vs. Riverview (NB), at Rural.
7:30 p.m. – Cobequid at Gray.
7:30 p.m. – Amherst vs. Riverview (NS), at Queen Charlotte.
Saturday’s Games
9:30 a.m. – Semifinal at Queen Charlotte.
9:30 a.m. – Semifinal at Holland College.
11:15 a.m. – 3 vs. 3 at Gray.
11:30 a.m. – 2 vs. 2 at Holland College.
11:30 a.m. – 3 vs. 4 at Bluefield.
Bronze medal game
3 p.m. – at Gray.
Gold medal game
3:30 p.m. – at Rural.
Girls
Divisions
Holland College – Charlottetown Rural, Oxford (N.S.), Amherst (N.S.), Colonel Gray.
Peake&McInnis – Kennebcasis Valley (N.B.), Bluefield and Sackville.
Source For Sports – Three Oaks, Fundy and Bernice Naughton (NB).
Today’s Game
5:30 p.m. – Colonel Gray at Charlottetown Rural.
Thursday's Games
1 p.m. – Amherst vs. Gray at UPEI.
1:45 p.m. – Rural vs. Oxford at Rural.
5:30 p.m. – TOSH vs. Fundy at TOSH.
5:30 p.m. – Kennebecasis Valley vs. Bluefield at Bluefield.
7:30 p.m. – Oxford vs. Amherst at Gray.
Friday’s Games
9:30 a.m. – Kennebecasis Valley vs. Sackville at Rural.
11:30 a.m. – Bernice MacNaughton vs. Fundy at Gray.
3:30 p.m. – Oxford vs. Gray at Gray.
3:45 p.m. – Rural vs. Amherst at Rural.
5:30 p.m. – Bluefield vs. Sackville at Gray.
7:45 p.m. – TOSH vs. Bernice MacNaughton at Rural.
Saturday’s Games
9:30 a.m. – Semifinals at Charlottetown Rural.
9:30 a.m. – Semifinals at Colonel Gray.
9:30 a.m. – Third vs. fourth at Bluefield.
11:30 a.m. – Second vs. second at Rural.
11:30 a.m. – Third vs. third at Queen Charlotte.
1 p.m. – Bronze medal game at Gray.
1:30 p.m. – Gold medal game at Rural.
