By Sean Hatchard
Just a couple of seasons ago, Atong Ater and Hue Vo were banging bodies in the paint.
They were part of an intense junior high school basketball rivalry — the soft spoken and high scoring Ater with Jean Vanier Catholic Intermediate and the flashy floor leader Vo with the Immaculata High Grades 7 and 8 team.
But how the times have changed.
The two standout guards have moved on to the junior girls high school level and are teaming up for their second season together on the Immaculata Saints, spurring the squad to a solid National Capital Secondary Schools Athletic Association campaign.
“She was the best player on her team and I always remember telling my teammates to double-team her,” Vo, a Grade 10 spark plug guard, says of Ater’s days at Jean Vanier.
“She was very good and tough to play against, but now it’s so much better to have her on my own team.”
Ater, who moved on to Immaculata last year upon graduating from Jean Vanier, says Vo is a much better teammate than opponent.
“It’s different playing with her now, but it’s good because we both have different skills that we bring to the team,” Ater says.
“She brings such a great attitude to the team and has so much passion for the game.”
The dynamic duo seems to be working.
Immaculata won six of its first eight games, good enough for a two-way tie for third place in the nine-team East Conference as the regular season winds down Nov. 8
Vo plays the point guard position, a leadership role which requires her to call the team’s plays and distribute the ball with precise passing.
Though she is the smallest player on the Saints’ roster, she isn’t afraid to drive the lane and can also shoot from the outside.
Vo’s favourite passing target is the shifty Ater, often seen streaking down the wing before receiving a pass from Vo on her way to an easy layup.
Ater also dominates the boards and is clutch from the foul line.
Immaculata head coach Leanne Clarke has high hopes for both Ater and Vo as they lead their team into the playoff round, which begins in mid-November.
“They’re strong leaders and that’s important with the young team we have here,” the coach says.
“Hue (Vo) does such a good job bringing the ball up the court and she could score 20 points a game, but she is always looking for someone to pass to,” Clarke adds.
“Atong (Ater) is an amazing defender and has been averaging at least 18 points per games. She is without a doubt our number one scorer.”
The Saints hope to equal last season’s strong finish when they made it to the league’s final four, where they lost to Bell High School in the city semifinal.
“We should be able to get back to the semifinal again with this team,” the 15-year-old Vo says.
“Our defence has been really great so far and that is the really big key for us … we just have to pick up our offence.”
Clarke, who is in her third year as bench boss at Immaculata, says she likes the experience her team possesses.
The majority of the team has played together for the past three seasons.
“You don’t see our players out on the court yelling at each other when things go bad because that definitely doesn’t help out,” Clarke says.
“We have a strong group of friends who hang out off the court too.”
While Immaculata is only operating a junior team this season, the school will enter a team in the senior girls league next year.
Clarke is carrying a large roster of 17 players to give them experience and playing time before the jump to the senior level next season.
But Clarke says it has been hard to take Ater and Vo off the court because of their importance to the team.
“They’re really the two leaders of this team and we’ll be counting on them come playoff time.”