The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

Organizers have even tried to change the name to the Spirit of Waterloo game a couple of years ago, but that‘s just an euphemism for what‘s really going onâ€"a fight for backyard bragging rights. Iwo of the principals in Putting rivalries aside for chance at a national title ighâ€"school rivalries H(an be heated, none more so than the one between the Bluevale Knights and the WCJ Vikings 166 Park St., Kitchener h Staff But if you‘re expecting a scene out of Mean Girls, feaâ€" It‘s a friendly competition that has gone on since the two 17â€"yearâ€"olds played hasâ€" ketball together as Grade 8s on the same developmental team. again this fall for their respective basketball teams. that annual grudge match are WCIT‘s Kaila Montgomery and Bluevale‘s Rebecca Moss who will renew those rivalries Nw Moss has already been to a nationals as a member of Ontario‘s Underâ€"15 team. That team reached the finals before losing to British Columbia in overtime. Moss would like a shot at another title, although she admits there is a lot of pressure on a fairly young squad. There are only four 17â€" yearâ€"olds on the club, includâ€" ing Montgomery and Moss, and most of the players are firstâ€"year participants. Orgaâ€" mizers of the event didn‘t That‘s _ good news for the coachâ€" a ing staff _ of Ontario‘s Juvenile girls team who selected both of the promising â€" local basketball talents for the Underâ€"17 team looking to defend it‘s juvenile girls national basketball title for a sixth straight year next week in Quebec. It‘s a title that was won twice in the past two year‘s by Waterloo‘s May Kotsopoulos, who is presently attending the Uniâ€" versity of Vermont on a basâ€" ketball scholarship, and speaks to the strength of the women‘s game locally. C turing Lindsay Lohan, there‘s no takers here. There‘s only mutual admiration for the other player‘s basketball talâ€" ents. There‘s times we find were guarding each other," said Moss. SPORTS "We‘ve been playâ€" ing a lot of basketâ€" ball together this summer and last, and we really comâ€" plement each other in our styles of play." game s over we‘ll say ‘Hi‘ and joke around and stuff. It‘s only competiâ€" tive on the court." "I love playing with Rebecca," said M on tg o mery. "There‘s always that competitiveâ€" ness where we each want to win when we‘re playing each other. But when the "He pushed me around a lot and it taught me how to push people back," said Montgomery. â€" It‘s a game that she develâ€" oped playing on the family driveway against older brothâ€" ers Mik and Jaan. Montâ€" gomery admits she didn‘t have a lot of success going up against big brother Jaan, who is almost sevenâ€"feet tall and is away on a basketball scholâ€" arship at Binghampton Uniâ€" versity in Binghampton, N.Y. But it did make her stronger and faster. "May‘s been bugging me that we have to win it again E. this year," said ~ Montgomery igé about her forâ€" a mer â€" Vikings teammate. Both players » also bring E*\ something difâ€" ferent to the o club. _ Montâ€" gomery brings some presence to the team under the basket and will be playâ€" ing the low post for much of the tournaâ€" ment. Although she has a pretty good outside game, the team is counting on her to use her quickness and long sixâ€"footâ€"frame to score inside. have _ one game that is a ‘gimme‘. we‘re going to have to work really hard, but 1 think we can pull it off." Nova Scotia there is a lot of pressure and we are a very young team," said Moss. "I really think if we play well as a team, and prac tice really hard, we can ‘ pull it off. imake it any easier for the No. Uâ€"ranked team going into the tournament by putting them in the same pool as perennial powers like B.C., Quebec and We don‘t "I‘m kind of inâ€"between," said Moss, about the guard or lt\an athletic ability she comes by honestly with dad Jack pushing the cardio end of things, while mom Rina, ironically enough, is a physâ€" ed teacher at WCL coadhes Moss is also a gifted scorer who has a great stroke from outside. But it‘s her athletiâ€" cism and her ability to defend both smaller and bigâ€" ger players that excites her "Playing against guys is totally different gameâ€"it‘s lot more physicalâ€"he taught me a lot." Moss is also Kaila Montgomery "It‘s important to have an allâ€"around game," said Moss. Not that Moss isn‘t ready to step up and hit the big shot. She‘s been the Knights‘ leadâ€" ing scorer since joining the team in Grade 10.Her success comes without hard work, "You can teach people how to score and read the defence, but it‘s more imporâ€" tant to know how to move and stuff." small forward spot she can play. "It‘s really defence that wins games, and I think it‘s the most important part of the game Continued on page 19