In the opening round (names and tallies are somewhat approximate as scoresheets are periodically illegible), held in Langley: …………………………………………………… The top-seeded Langley Walnut Grove Gators dusted the 16th-seeded Cranbrook Mount Baker Trojans 97-30 after leading 28-5, 47-11 and 77-14 at the quarters. Gator Kiera Pemberton scored the first 10 points and 30 in the first half, which dominating the defensive paint, as the favorites rolled to the easy win. “I just try to do whatever I can for the team,” Pemberton told Varsity Letters. “She just does so much,” said Gators coach Darren Rowell. “Obviously, the scoring is what everybody focuses on. But she does so many intangible things – such a great teammate and she just has lots of fun and joy out there.” Gator Tia Rowell said “it was nice to have everybody involved. A lot of them played their best ball of the season. A few of them really came on in the second half and made some good contributions.” Kiera Pemberton paced the Gators with 44. Tia Rowell added 19, including four treys, Kyanna Knodel 17, Sarah Cowley 5, Emily Clark 4, Madison Pinch 4, Abby Adams 2 and Avery Sorenson 2, while Anna Koo was scoreless. Jasmine Bailey scored 9 to pace the Trojans (coach Alan Nutini). Calissa Haine added 4, Charlotte Harpelle 4, Emily Chippett 3, Alexis Thielen 3, Maddison Scriver 3, Kyri Ross 3 and Chloe Quaife 1, while Nataniah Ranjan, Paige Tilley and Janessa Thompson were scoreless. …………………………………………………… The 6th-seeded Kelowna Owls clocked the 11th-seeded Tsawwassen South Delta Sun Devils 72-42 after leading 24-9, 40-21 and 52-38 at the quarters. Owls guard Avery King told Varsity Letters that “we came in and showed we had the intensity that we wanted. We have four girls who have played together our whole lives so we have really good chemistry. Every single person on the team has a part that they play and we can build off that.” Mav Chahal paced the Owls with 19. Avery King added 18, Ryenn Schutz 14, Sarha Litrico 6, Emma Pinkerton 4, Havana? Martinez 3, Mackenzie Henderson 3, Tennyson McCarthy 3 and Keira Eves 2, while Morgan Clark, Laila Ausenhus, Sumer? Newell, Amelie Guignard and Maya Guarasci were scoreless. Kaija Rutledge scored 19 to pace the Sun Devils (coach Sharon Butler, coach Anne Howlett). Kira Denney added 13, Kira Millette 4, Emma Turner 3, Katrina Staley 2 and Rachel Rosser 1, while Olivia De Albuqerque, Mackenzie Campbell, Maggie Gower, Amelia Holifield, Silvia Castaneda and Marina Munoz were scoreless. …………………………………………………… The 9th-seeded Victoria Claremont Spartans dispatched the 8th-seeded Vancouver Sir Winston Churchill Bulldogs 67-60. The score was knotted at 13 after one quarter. The Bulldogs led 36-28 at the half. The Spartans led 57-49 after three quarters. Spartans 5-5 point guard Adia Pye scored 11 by attacking off the dribble as Claremont erased a deficit with a 17-0 run in the third quarter. She also notched a critical rebound leading to a Kate McNichol layup after the Bulldogs had closed to within three with four minutes to play. “If there’s a loose ball, I’m diving for it,” Pye told Varsity Letters. “Basketball’s not like rugby with the full-on contact, but I do like the physical aspect of it.” Spartans coach Darren Reisig said “Adia is fantastic, but she can’t do it all herself. “She’s skilled and she’s physical and that’s a good combination for girls basketball. She’s a tough one to deal with.” Reisig lauded Iva Kalabric’s work in the post and perimeter shooting of Carys Clarke. “Her shooting is so clutch for us. Over the year, she’s developed so much. She’s a big asset for us.” Adia Pye paced the Spartans with 27. Carys Clarke added 17, Iva Kalabric 10, Maya Creswick 9, Kate McNichol 2 and Rory Rothinie 2, wile Sierra Lise, Victoria Lorens Lopez, Abby Schuetze, Matilde Donolato, Emily Stocks and Katarina Kalarbric were scoreless. Emily Zhang led the Bulldogs with 17. Stefanie Hart added 15, Louise Dykstra 12, Amaya Hrbinic 6 and Elly Drazic 2, while Lenzy Aiob, Tasia Landry, Sophia Reimer, Jena Smith, Wendy Liu, Gwen Orchard, Ramaya Shaw and Avani Kaila were scoreless. …………………………………………………… The 4th-seeded Abbotsford Yale Lions whipped the 13th-seeded Coquitlam Dr. Charles Best Secondary Blue Devils 75-49. The score was knotted at 14 after one quarter. The Lions led 37-25 at the half and 55-37 after three quarters. The Lions took command with a 16-5 run that featured a trio from beyond the arc by Maggy Curtis, late in the third quarter. “They gave us everything in that first quarter (14-14 tie). We took a couple of punches,” Lions coach Bobby Braich told Varsity Letters. “I think we responded. Senior leadership, I’ve got eight Grade 12s on my roster, they had to dig down deep. This time last year, we might have maybe let that game slip away, but we clawed back. I think our press was very effective. … I think we’re an improved team with our systems. We have more buy-in just in what we’re about, our team identity. Our horses will show up and play the game they need to play.” Curtis said “for us, we depend a lot on our defence. Offensively, we need to start moving the ball a lot better, looking to get inside and then dishing out. And not just one pass and a shot.” Maggy Curtis led the Lions with 27. Jay Hildebrand added 14, Ella Bonn 8, Ava Hepner 8, Rebeca Demeter 6, Samara Mason 4, Caleigh Reimer 3, Hannah Singh 3 and Addia Currie 2, while Lana Dueck, Simran Dhesi and Sofia Molina were scoreless. Jessica Parkinson paced the Blue Devils with 13. Josefina Rodriguez-Suarez added 10, Malaya Barroso 9, Denise Mendoza 6, Avin Jahangiri 6, Niva Lightfoot 2 and Hannah Brar 2, while Eloise Herdman, Chloe Yang, Mahdiva Adnan, Samantha Ray-Viera, Mai Inoue, Maddy Day, Nisha Parhar and Hope LeBlevec were scoreless. …………………………………………………… The 5th-seeded Delta Seaquam Seahawks stomped the 12th-seeded Victoria Reynolds Roadrunners 85-47 after leading 31-11, 43-18 and 74-30 at the quarters. Seahawks coach Lucky Toor told Varsity Letters that “everyone’s got nerves and a lot of pent-up excitement coming into Game 1. And we just had to channel that energy in the right way for quarter one. That was our focus and I felt like we did that.” Nyssa Sunner said the youngsters on the team, having won a provincial championship at the junior high level, “know how to play and they have that winning mindset already. It’s not like we don’t know what we’re playing against. I think we’re ready. We’ve played club (basketball) together and our chemistry is really good.” Nyssa Sunner paced the Seahawks with 23. Camryn Tait added 17, Sydney Roufosse 12, Syra Toor 11, Neelum Sidhu 10, Jocelyn Panganiban 5, Anika Dass 3, Callie Brost 2 and Sukhman Brar 2, while Priya Toor and Sareena Binng were scoreless. Saige Parfitt paced the Roadrunners with 17. Skyler Lubben added 13, Bella Graves 13, Bianca Nixdorf 2 and Ava White 2, while Chloe Go, Leah Parsons, Maya Choi, Elecia Poy, Amelia Aris, Mimi Nyirantazimiza, Amelia Busby and Kotono Nozaki were scoreless. …………………………………………………… The 2nd-seeded Burnaby Central Wildcats mauled the 15th-seeded Prince George Polars 92-30 after leading 35-0 early and 35-3, 57-16 and 83-23 at the quarters. “We kind of looked at this game as a scrimmage,” Wildcats coach Chris Ducharme told Varsity Letters. “We had a game plan, so I was holding them accountable, not to the game itself, to the game plan. Just things that we need to know we’re detailed with and we need to execute.” Ankita Chopra paced the Wildcats with 20. Jade Huynh added 17, Vobia Kalome 11, Mina Faiz 10, Jayla Huynh 10, Samantha Quan 7, Valentina Brida 7, Jaya Kooner 6, Sophia Morton 3 and Ella Ricketts 1, while Simran Minhas and Pauline Hotze were scoreless. Brooke Macdonald scored 13 to lead the Polars (coach Troy Werrett?). Ashton Rogers added 8, Kaidence Wheeler 5 and Parker Rogers 4, while Queenie Alorro, Shennoa Jael, Matava Auxi, Brace Maser, Carah Layton and Sara Chisan were scoreless. …………………………………………………… The 7th-seeded Kelowna Okanagan Mission Huskies spanked the 10th-seeded Port Moody Heritage Woods Kodiaks 88-47 after leading 16-15, 43-31 and 66-35 at the quarters. The Huskies closed out the first half with a 18-2 run and then dominated the third quarter 22-4 during the rout. “They really brought it tonight in terms of their intensity,” Huskies coach Meghan Faust told Varsity Letters. “Especially Presley (Hopf), who got injured there at the end, she was just ferocious. … (Defensive effort) was something we’ve really strived to do. … We love to run, we love to push the ball,” said Faust. “We have the numbers and we have such a deep bench that I can run anybody in there at any time. Everybody can handle the ball. It’s such an asset to the team.” Huskie Kanani Coon said “at the beginning of the year we talked about our team identity and our biggest thing was family and transition. I mean, we know we’re a quick team, we know we’re fast so we use those strengths to our advantage.” Kanani Coon paced the Huskies with 28. Presley Hopf added 21, Payton Friesen 9, Jada Burden 6, Maya Andruchow 5, Maya Sandhu 4, Ayla Mulleny 4 and Yura Nagao 2, while 3 points were unallocated, and Asia Borg and Kyla Lambrie were scoreless. Rhyanne Head scored 11 to pace the Kodiaks (coached by Andrew Lloyd and Mike Parkins). Anita Tavazsi added 10, Izzy Lloyd 10, Kate Mean 8, Bahar Ebrahimi 4, Annika Turpin 2 and Ella Nielsen 2, while Ava Taylor and Surveen Chadra were scoreless. …………………………………………………… The 3rd-seeded Port Coquitlam Riverside Rapids blasted the 14th-seeded Langley R.E. Mountain Eagles 85-56 after leading 32-10, 51-21 and 67-41 at the quarters. The Rapids tandem of post Jorja Hart and point guard Avery Sussex scored often and easy in transition. “Good for Jorja to run the floor like that and for (Sussex) to find her,” Rapids coach Paul Langford told Varsity Letters. “We call it Sedinery. They’re not sisters, but sometimes you just wonder how they know where each other are.” Sussex said “I’m really fortunate to have someone like Jorja. She’s just so fast. If she’s running the floor, I’ll get it to her somehow.” Jorja Hart paced the Rapids with 26. Avery Sussex added 15 (also reported as 23), Alexis Hart 11, Natalie Curley 7, Annabelle Neufeld 4, Grace Park 4, Nicole Hughes 4, Rae Roycroft 2 and Olivia Wheatley 2, while Charlie Jacobsen was scoreless. Ava Hart scored 21 to lead the Eagles (coach Sydney Wilde). Mackenzie Dalphond added 17, Shylah Ahn 9, Mackensey Beale 3, Riley Aure 2 and Hanna Gilbrich 2, while 2 points were unallocated and Alyzea Loptson, Nicole Jeon, Christiana Twumasi, Lydia Moussa, Serena Madray, Izabella Webb, Sarah Ghazi and Blessie Jeal Aledo were scoreless.
In the quarterfinals, the 4th-seeded Abbotsford Yale Lions defeated the 5th-seeded Delta Seaquam Seahawks 77-67 after leading 20-15, 44-24 and 58-46 at the quarters. But Camryn Tait and Sydney Roufosse rallied the Seahawks with within 61-57 in the fourth quarter before Jay Hildebrand and Ella Bohn drained treys, Maggy Curtis an and-one and Samara Mason a driving layup to give the Lions a 71-63 lead. The Seahawks trimmed the margin to 71-67 with under a minute to play but Mason nailed 6-6 from the line to ice the Lions win. “When you get to 20, you feel comfortable,” Lions coach Bobby Braich told Varsity Letters. “But I said to them at halftime, no lead is safe in high school basketball!” Samara Mason paced the Lions with 20 (also reported as 22). Maggy Curtis added 19, Jay Hildebrand 18, Caleigh Reimer 9, Hannah Singh 6, Ella Bohn 3 and Lana Dueck 2, while Addia Currie, Rebecca Demeter, Simran Dhesi, Sofia Molina and Ava Heppner were scoreless. Sydney Roufosse scored 16 to pace the Seahawks (coach Lucky Toor, coach Jim Sidhu). Nyssa Sunner added 15 (also reported as 16), Camryn Tait 15, Neelum Sidhu 12 (also reported as 14), Syra Toor 5 and Callie Brost 4, while Jocelyn Panganiban, Priya Toor, Serena Binng, Annika Dass and Sukhman Brar were scoreless.
The top-seeded Langley Walnut Grove Gators dispatched the 9th-seeded Victoria Claremont Spartans 79-72 in overtime. The Gators led 19-18 after one quarter. The Spartans led 36-31 at the half and 56-54 after three quarters as their box-and-one defence, with Rory Rothnie shadowing Gators Kiera Pemberton, proved highly effective, while point guard Adia Pye kept effectively attacking off the dribble. With the score tied at 56, the Spartans ripped off a 7-0 run capped by a trey from Carys Clarke and an and-one by Pye. But Rothnie, Iva Kalabric and Pye fouled out down the stretch and Pemberton scored 8 in the final minute to knot the score at 72 after regulation. The Spartans led by seven with two minutes to play but Kiera Pemberton notched a layup with four Spartans around her to force overtime. With three starters having fouled out, the Spartans were scoreless in the extra session. Spartans coach Darren Reisig said “I’m super proud of our team. We had a plan to start, we stuck with it, and we deserved better than the result. Hard to get into some of those calls – pretty lopsided in the fourth quarter, but you can’t control that I guess. We played hard.” Gators coach Darren Rowell said “oh my goodness, their physicality. That’s a hard match-up for us, these really physical, big teams. They’re really good, they’re physical, and they’re tough. … I think the spark was a little bit of our pressing. We’re not a team that typically presses, but we caused them some problems in the backcourt entering the ball. I think that energy carried over to both our defensive rebounding and some offensive stuff at the end of the game.” Kiera Pemberton paced the Gators with 46. Kyanna Knodel added 16, Tia Rowell 7, Anna Koo 4, Abby Adams 4 and Avery Sorenson 3, while Emily Clark, Sarah Cowley and Madison Pinch were scoreless. Adra Pye scored 25 (also reported as 27) to lead the Spartans. Iva Kalabric added 17 (also reported as 23), Carys Clarke 16, Abby Schuetze 8, Emily Stocks 3 and Rory Rothnie 3, while Maya Creswich, Jiessa Lise, Victoria Lorens-Lopez, Matilde Donoto, Kate McNichol and Katerina Kalabric were scoreless.
The 2nd-seeded Burnaby Central Wildcats defeated the 7th-seeded Kelowna Okanagan Mission Huskies 83-74. The Wildcats led 21-15 after one quarter. The Huskies led 35-33 at the half on a buzzer beating layup from Payton Friesen. The Huskies built their lead to seven before Jade Huynh notched four treys to give the Wildcats a 62-61 lead after three quarters. Jade Huynh was a force for most of the affair, while younger sister Jayla hit a pair of critical treys and two free throws to score Central’s last eight point as they hung on for the win. Jade told Varsity Letters that she was “super proud” of Jayla, as “she as able to step up when the team needed her and clutch up for us.” Jayla Huynh noted that “you miss 100 per cent of the shots you don’t take. … Coach (Chris Ducharme) said to me, ‘Now you have to get in rhythm.’ Once he said that, I was just focusing in and knowing just to trust my shot. Even though my shot wasn’t falling in the first half, I had to trust it. It’s kind of like, fake it until you make it. If you see it and you believe it, eventually it can happen.” Jade Huynh paced the Wildcats with 38. Jayla Huynh added 22 (also reported as 23), Ankita Chopra 16, Vobia Kalome 4 and Sophia Morton 3, while Jaya Kooner, Mina Faiz, Ella Ricketts, Samantha Quan, Valentina Brida, Simran Minhas and Pauline Hotze were scoreless. Kanani Coon scored 23 to ace the Huskies (coach Meghan Faust, coach Devon Felt). Presley Hopf added 19, Faith Hunter 17, Payton Friesen 7, Ayla Mulleny 6 and Maya Andruchow 2, while Maya Sandhu, Asia Borg, Jada Burden, Yura Nagao and Kyla Labrie were scoreless.
In the last quarterfinal, the 3rd-seeded Port Coquitlam Riverside Rapids dispatched the 6th-seeded Kelowna Owls 59-46. The Owls led 21-13 after one quarter. But the Rapids held the Owls scoreless for seven minutes as they drew within 26-24 at the half. The Rapids led 41-38 after three quarters and iced the win in the final frame as Avery Sussex scored 10, including a late trey that stemmed an Owl rally. Rapids post Natalie Curry was a force in the defensive paint, blocking eight shots. “Honestly, in most cases, I think I like blocking shots better (than scoring baskets),” Curley told Varsity Letters. “This game, I wasn’t on offensively, so to pick it up on defence and to block shots. … I can hear the crowd, and it feels like a burst of energy.” Rapids coach Paul Langford said Curley and Sussex were dynamic, on opposite ends of the floor. Curley “didn’t have her best offensive moves today, but she’s a rim protector. It made them totally shoot from the outside, and we started to put some pressure on. … Our kids are getting better and understanding that the game’s not over after the first quarter – we can still come back. They worked hard and did what they needed to do.” Avery Sussex paced the Rapids with 27. Annabelle Neufeld added 14, Natalie Curley 9, Jorja Hart 7 and Grace Park 2, while Alexis Hart, Charlie Jacobsen, Rae Roycroft, Nicole Hughes and Olivia Wheatley were scoreless. Mav Chahal scored 19 to pace the Owls (coach Peter Guarasci). Ryenn? Schutz added 10, Emma Pinkerton 7, Tennyson McCarthy 4, Avery King 4 and Sarha Litrico 2, while Havana? Martinez, Morgan Clark, Laila Ausenhus, Mackenzie Henderson, Keira Eves, Sumer? Newell, Amelie Guignard and Maya Guarasci were scoreless.
In the semis, the top-seeded Langley Walnut Grove Gators clipped the 4th-seeded Abbotsford Yale Lions 68-55. The Lions led 13-9 after one quarter. The Gators led 35-27 at the half and 56-47 after three quarters. Gators coach Darren Rowell told Varsity Letters that post Kiera Pemberton was “just so sensational. They do everything to stop her. They know her game inside out and backwards. She started slow, but she’s incredibly patient and she just wears people down. … She grinds and she’s super tough and some of the shots she makes – she’s contested, she’s tough and somehow she still finishes. I can’t say enough about her quiet, incredible competitiveness. … Her understanding of the game, she’s athletically gifted, but she can adapt to the game. And what starts as a challenge early, she finds all the cracks (in the defence) by the end of game. She sees things other people don’t see. It’s really impressive.” Pemberton said “it was tough. They had, like, three people on me the entire game, someone fouling me in my face. But it feels so great now to be in the final. I’m so proud of our team.” The Gators built their lead to as many was 15 before the Lions rallied within seven, only to have Gator Kyana Knodel block a pair of Maggy Curtis shots. “Those two blocks were big and she really held (Curtis) in the second half,” said Rowell. “She did an amazing job. She’s really emerged as a real star in the province for Grade 11s.” Knodel said “defence wins championship, it’s a big part of basketball. I just wanted to try my best, work my hardest and see what I could do. It feels really great getting to where we are from the beginning of the season. So much improvement.” Kiera Pemberton paced the Gators with 41 (also reported as 42), along with 14 boards. Kyanna Knodel added 12, Tia Rowell 6, Anna Koo 4, Avery Sorenson 3 and Abby Adams 2, while Emily Clarke, Sarah Cowley and Madison Pinch were scoreless. Maggy Curtis paced the Lions with 23. Jay Hildebrand added 11, Ava Heppner 10, Samara Mason 6, Ella Bohn 3 and Hannah Singh 2, while Addia Currie, Rebecca Demeter, Lana Dueck, Simran Dhesi, Sofia Molina and Caleigh Reimer were scoreless.
In the other semi, 3rd-seeded Port Coquitlam Riverside Rapids defeated the 2nd-seeded Burnaby Central Wildcats 56-44. The Wildcats led 16-14 after one quarter. The Rapids led 31-29 at the half and 47-35 after three quarters. The Wildcats dominated in the first half, as the Rapids appeared sluggish. But the Rapids began posting up 5-7 point guard Avery Sussex in the paint in the second half and she repeatedly took advantage of the smaller Wildcat guards as Riverside notched a 23-6 run. In an earlier game against the Wildcats, “we ran it once against them and it worked, but really, we didn’t play well in that last game,” Sussex told Varsity Letters. “So we tried it again tonight and we succeeded. So we just kept working with it.” Wildcats coach Chris Ducharme said “part of playing in this game is the environment, it’s the pressure. … You can coach it all you want on the sidelines, and talk about the game plan. … things are going to fall apart. Our game plan was to front (Sussex) in the post, and change the angle of those (entry) passes. We knew she was coming in there to put our smalls in the post, (but) our smalls couldn’t play behind her. But again, possession after possession, they kept standing behind her when they needed a swim to get in front of her, and front that. If we do that and start putting her (deeper) under the hoop, she leaves (the paint). We know that if we did that, she would leave within a second or so. There had to be four or five possessions where we didn’t make that (adjustment), and I think that even though they heard it… it’s the knowing and doing and executing. (Riverside) got us out of our rhythm and they stuck with that stuff.” Rapids coach Paul Langford said “Avery is a handful anyways, so you’re thinking about how you’re going to guard her inside, and then her post moves are good. She is very efficient. She had 15 (points) in the first half and did not play well, and that’s the sign of a pretty good kid.” Avery Sussex paced the Rapids with 27. Natalie Curley added 12, Jorja Hart 11, Olivia Wheatley 4 and Annabelle Neufeld 2, while Grace Park, Alexis Hart, Charlie Jacobsen, Rae Roycroft and Nicole Hughes were scoreless. Jade Huynh paced the Wildcats with 17. Ankita Chopra added 14, Jayla Huynh 9, Vobia Kalome 2 and Sophia Morton 2, while Jaya Kooner, Mina Faiz, Ella Ricketts, Samantha Guan, Valentina Brida, Simran Minhas and Pauline Hotze were scoreless.
In the bronze medal, the 2nd-seeded Burnaby Central Wildcats defeated the 4th-seeded Abbotsford Yale Lions 68-63. The Lions led 19-16, 40-26 and 49-43 at the quarters. Ankita Chopra paced the Wildcats with 21. Jade Huynh added 19, Sophia Morton 11, Jayla Huynh 8, Vobia Kalome 5, Ella Ricketts 2 and Samantha Guan 2, while Jaya Kooner, Mina Faiz, Valentina Brida, Simran Minhas and Pauline Hotze were scoreless. Jay Hildebrand led the Lions with 22. Defensive player of the tournament Samara Mason added 15, Maggy Curtis 12, Ava Heppner 6, Hannah Singh 6 and Caleigh Reimer 2, while Addia Currie, Rebecca Demeter, Lana Dueck, Simran Dhesi, Sofia Molina and Ella Bohn were scoreless.
In the final, the 3rd-seeded Port Coquitlam Riverside Rapids clocked the top-seeded Langley Walnut Grove Gators 70-52 after leading 17-13, 38-24 and 59-45 at the quarters. Avery Sussex told Varsity Letters that losing by two in the tournament final a year earlier motivated the Rapids. “It was the experience that we had last year, losing by two to a team we’ve always beat. It just brought us so much more energy, so much more … want. We were so nervous last year in our first time, but this year, we knew we needed that energy. We knew we brought it (in the semifinals) against Burnaby Central, so we brought it back again tonight and everything worked out so well. … Amazing … finally, it took us long enough. I am so happy.” Rapids coach Paul Langford said his troops were also motivated by a loss in the Fraser Valley finals to Burnaby Central. “Our kids were in shock they weren’t the Fraser North champs. Our kids did not like that loss. Central is a great team and I told them ‘You have to work harder’.” Langford said stopping Gator guard Kiera Pemberton was a challenge. “I thought to myself ‘My God, triangle-and-one doesn’t work, box-and-one doesn’t work, playing her physical doesn’t work, laying off her doesn’t work,’” he said of the game’s most tried-and-true ‘junk’ defences. … Everybody was asking me ‘What are you going to do?’ … Finally, I just said to them ‘We’re going to outscore them’.” The Gators started the match in a triangle-and-two but after Jorja Hart picked up her second foul within five minutes, “I just thought ‘We can’t do this anymore,’” Langford said and ordered his troops to resort to a box-and-one. … It didn’t matter (who focused on Pemberton). I think we used Grace (Park), Olivia (Wheatley), Rae (Roycroft). They all took turns.” It slowed down the Gators and took them our of their rhythm. “We had three more defences we were going to throw at them, but I was really happy with the last one,” added Langford. “And when we started building the lead, I think it just put more pressure on their shots.” Gators coach Darren Roweel said “not that she had to shoot first every time, but we really wanted to key in on her, and they did a good job of preventing that from happening. But we didn’t do a good job of having complimentary players step up and chip in. We didn’t have a lot of additional scoring which really hurt us today. … It was partly because of their aggressiveness, and because we were not quite able to rebound as well as we’d hoped. We got it down to 11 (55-44 with 2:28 left in the third quarter on a pair of Pemberton free throws), and I thought ‘Oh man, maybe there’s a bit of spark here, but we had trouble getting going offensively and they had a lot of complimentary scoring. … Obviously Avery (Sussex) was sensational all game. But then Jorja (Hart) had a bunch of threes and Annabelle (Neufeld) some threes, and Grace (Park) came in and hit a three. Nat (Curley) was strong the whole game. I thought for the first half we did a good job on Avery, but she really exploded in the second.” After winning his first provincial title, a sobbing Langford said “sorry, I’m crying. But I cried when I finished 11th too.” Langford used four different starting line-ups in the tournament. “I am a superstitious guy, a crazy-ass guy,” he said in his own defence. “I told myself ‘I lost three of these damn championships. I got to change it up’.” Player of the game Avery Sussex paced the Rapids with 23. Jorja Hart added 14, Annabelle Neufeld 12, Natalie Curley 9, Grace Park 6 and Olivia Wheatley 6, while Alexis Hart (who did not play after tearing an MCL in the semis), Rae Roycroft, Charlie Jacobsen and Nicole Hughes were scoreless. North Dakota-bound Kiera Pemberton paced the Gators with 38. Kyanna Knodel added 9, Abby Adams 2 and Avery Sorenson 2, while Emily Clark, Anna Koo, Tia Rowell, Sarah Cowley and Madison Pinch were scoreless.
The all-tournament team featured MVP Kiera Pemberton (Walnut Grove); Avery Sussex (Riverside); Jorja Hart (Riverside); Ankita Chopra (Burnaby Central); Jay Hildebrand (Yale) and Jade Huynh (Burnaby Central).
The 2nd-team featured Mav Chahal (Kelowna); Natalie Curley (Riverside); Kyana Knodel (Walnut Grove); Aida Pye (Claremont) and Nyssa Sunner (Seaquam).
The bronze medalist Burnaby Central Wildcats: Jade Huynh; Ankita Chopra; Jayla Huynh; Sophia Morton; Vobia Kalome; Ella Ricketts; Samantha Guan; Jaya Kooner; Mina Faiz; Valentina Brida; Simran Minhas; Pauline Hotze; coach Chris Ducharme; assistant Peter Van Den Hagen
The silver medalist Langley Walnut Grove Gators: Kiera Pemberton; Tia Rowell; Kyanna Knodel; Sarah Cowley; Emily Clark; Madison Pinch; Abby Adams; Avery Sorenson; Anna Koo; coach Darren Rowell; assistant Juanita Rowell
The champion Port Coquitlam Riverside Rapids: Avery Sussex; Jorja Hart; Annabelle Neufeld; Natalie Curley; Grace Park; Olivia Wheatley; Alexis Hart; Rae Roycroft; Charlie Jacobsen; Nicole Hughes; co-coach Paul Langford; co-coach Jeremy Neufeld