Akweks ready for basketball playoffs

The Kahnawake Survival School (KSS) Juvenile Akweks basketball team has now won six straight games, and with just two more separating them from a Greater Montreal Athletic Association (GMAA) championship banner, their chances of winning are starting to feel very real for coaches and players alike.

“For basketball, for boys, no one’s ever been close like this. No one’s ever had a team like this,” said KSS basketball head coach Matthew Kyer.

“We’re extremely proud of this team and what they’ve been able to accomplish.”

KSS’s last two wins, a 59-46 win against Royal Vale on Tuesday at home and a 65-43 win against Rosemont High School on Wednesday, gives the Akweks a final record of 10-2, best in their division.

Kyer said Tehoweren’ha Thunderblanket stepped up big time in the absence of regular starting center Kasyn Moses.

Against Royal Vale, he almost averaged a triple double with blocks, getting 17 points, 10 rebounds, and turning away seven shots.

He did the same against Rosemont High School, getting six points, six rebounds, and 10 blocks.

“When you get over five blocks, that’s amazing. To get 10 blocks, that’s an insane stat line,” said Kyer.

Thunderblanket’s stat line and that of most of the core players on the team shows their versatility.

Captain and starting point guard Jackson Norton, for example, averaged 10.5 points, four assists, and just over six rebounds and six steals per game.

Versatility like that is going to be a huge asset in the playoffs, particularly on the defensive side of the ball, because anyone on the court can match up defensively with anyone the other team is sending out.

“I have small guys who can play big. I have big guys that, if need be, they’ll guard the point guard on the other side,” said Kyer.

“That versatility is what gets us our steals, which is what gives us our points and keeps the momentum on our side most of the game. We control the tempo of the game, which is what makes us a strong team. Our guys being that versatile is the reason we are the way we are.”

It’s versatility, but also depth, with multiple players getting double-digit points in the final two games along with Thunderblanket: Norton had 15 against Royal Vale and 14 against Rosemont; Slade Two-Rivers had 18 points against Royal Vale and 14 against Rosemont.

When some players are having off nights offensively, others step in to provide scoring.

Something else that makes KSS basketball unique? Their multisport backgrounds.

Kyer said he knows basketball is not most of his players’ first sports choices if given the opportunity to only play one, but at KSS and Kahnawake, they have the opportunity to practice many, which is something rarer and rarer in youth sports in general but particularly youth basketball.

“All of the stuff that they do in their other sports, it helps them, it brings it together, and it’s something I’ve really never seen,” said Kyer.

Their first step towards championship glory will come on Monday, February 23, at home against F.A.C.E. School, the fourth-ranked team in their division.

KSS and F.A.C.E. have played against each other twice this season, with KSS taking the first game 65-28 and F.A.C.E. winning their second meeting 48-33.

KSS will have home court advantage through the playoffs, which Kyer thinks will give them a big edge against F.A.C.E.

That’s because their court dimensions are a little different than other schools like KSS, with a smaller court and walls that are closer to the lines of play, meaning that it’s more difficult to hunt for rebounds without going out of bounds.

They also have older rims that can be tricky to shoot on if you aren’t used to them as they bend slightly upwards. F.A.C.E. has a 4-2 home record but is 6-6 for the season as a whole.

Just being at home is a positive, generally speaking.

“Everybody shoots better at home, they feel more comfortable,” said Kyer.

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