In the opening round, held in Langley: …………………………………………………… The 2nd-seeded Langley Christian Lightning bombed the 15th-seeded Kamloops Westsyde Whundas 95-35 after leading 22-7, 41-19 and 77-23 at the quarters. Mackennna Gardner paced Langley Christian with 33. Hailey Van Roekel added 13, Taelor Coxford 11, Lainey Shelvey 10, Ava Krepp 8, Kate Vanderzalm 8, Kathryn New 8, Sora Ondera 2 and Jenna Van Roekel 2, while Vedette Gale was scoreless. The Lightning hit 39-92 (.424) from the floor, 13-40 (.325) from the arc and 4-8 from the line, while garnering 40 boards, including 23 on the offensive glass, 17 fouls, 14 assists, 10 turnovers and 19 steals. Kenya Reid paced Westsyde with 21, along with 12 boards. Jamie Maartman added 8, Rachel McInnis 2, Taelar Hansen 2 and Caleigh Silversides 2, while Hannah Lal, Kayte Hawkings, Morgan Taylor, Maiya Morrow, Caitlyn Gilbert and Olivia Businius were scoreless. The Whundas (coach Jeff Sidow, manager Emerson Hansen) hit 11-47 (.234) from the floor, 0-6 from the arc and 13-25 (.520) from the line, while garnering 24 boards, including 7 on the offensive glass, 8 fouls, 1 assist, 31 turnovers and 6 steals. …………………………………………………… The 10th-seeded Burnaby St. Thomas More Knights pounded the 7th-seeded Prince George Duchess Park Condors 72-39 after leading 21-6, 36-18 and 53-26 at the quarters. Brooklyn Monks paced St. Thomas More with 26, along with 10 boards. Gigi Gaspar added 12, Shiloh Corrales-Nelson 11, Emma Stewart-Barnett 6, Madison McRae 4, Aurafel Domingo 4, Bella Gaspar 3, Cassiel Penalosa 2, Jessica Zhang 2 and Amanda Knezy 2, while Cassia DiGirolamo and Chelcie Castro were scoreless. The Knights hit 29-97 (.299) from the floor, 2-22 (.091) from the arc and 12-32 (.375) from the line, while garnering 45 boards, including 24 on the offensive glass, 20 fouls, 15 assists, 16 turnovers and 27 steals. Jasmin Schlick paced Duchess Park with 8, along with 17 boards. Rebecca Landry added 8, Brynn Dergousoff 7, Talisa Ferguson 5, Hannah Loukes 5, Karynn Hampe 3 and Litsanna Thanos 3, while Jayda Pigeau, Grace Caillier, Courtney Bouwman and Kristine Yutuc were scoreless. The Condors (coaches Wade Loukes, Craig Douglass, Louise Holmes) hit 15-56 (.268) from the floor, 0-7 from the arc and 9-25 (.360) form the line, while garnering 51 boards, including 16 on the offensive glass, 23 fouls, 4 assists, 41 turnovers, 1 block and 6 steals. …………………………………………………… The 3rd-seeded Chilliwack G.W. Graham Grizzlies dusted the 14th-seeded Vancouver Little Flower Academy Angels 92-56 after leading 21-10, 47-22 and 67-41 at the quarters. Julia Tuchscherer paced G.W. Graham with 30, along with 16 boards. Deanna Tuchscherer added 26, along with 12 boards, Sydney Owens 13, Aliza Dueck 11, Kennedy Hall 6, Megan Owens 4 and Sydney Ma 2, while Taylor Wright, Chloe Mitchell, Love Le, Nicole Campbell, Paitra Hall, Kennedy Campbell, Kemry Warren and Madison Zillwood were scoreless. The Grizzlies hit 42-73 (.575) form the floor, 6-11 (.545) from the arc and 2-6 from the line, while garnering 53 boards, including 16 on the offensive glass, 11 fouls, 12 assists, 25 turnovers, 1 block and 9 steals. Kayla Canama paced Little Flower with 17. Maya Landero-Van added 10, Allison Kuzyk 8, Ceili McCabe 7, Alexis Fong 6, Ashley Velasco 6 and Ava MacFarlane 2, while Hanna Garcia, Elise Lim Dickens, Sharon Luk, Isabel Jalandoon and Brook Hamilton-Wong were scoreless. The Angels (coaches Bob Mackay and Eric Van, manager Shelisse Durity Wingson) hit 23-84 (.274) from the floor, 6-23 (.261) from the arc and 4-7 (.571) from the line, while garnering 25 boards, including 15 on the offensive glass, 10 fouls, 2 assists, 16 turnovers and 15 steals. …………………………………………………… The 6th-seeded Vernon Panthers clipped the 11th-seeded Whistler Storm 64-54. The Storm led 17-15 after one quarter. The Panthers led 28-25 at the half and 46-35 after three quarters. Kelsey Falk paced Vernon with 36, along with 20 boards. Kelsey Watts added 15, Sarah Butler 9, Ashley Budgen 3, along with 11 boards, and Callie Bertram 1, while Claire Baycroft, Emma Baycroft, Emi Durfeld, Sarah Crerar, Olivia Sawka and Abby Hackman were scoreless. The Panthers hit 19-65 (.292) from the floor, 5-16 (.313) from the arc and 21-36 (.583) from the line, while garnering 50 boards, including 14 on the offensive glass, 11 fouls, 5 assists, 20 turnovers and 12 steals. Ayden Kristmanson paced Whistler with 21, along with 15 boards. Jenna Tobias added 18, Nevada Knapton 7, J.J. Deane 4 and Pietra Kamstra 4, while Lauren Wentzel, Abby Unruh and Ali Brucks were scoreless. The Storm (coach Alan Kristmanson, assistant Otto Kamstra) hit 19-84 (.226) from the floor, 9-37 (.243) from the arc and 7-14 from the line, while garnering 34 boards, including 10 on the offensive glass, 24 fouls, 6 assists, 16 turnovers and 7 steals. …………………………………………………… The 4th-seeded Vancouver Brittania Bruins clocked the 13th-seeded Courtenay G.P. Vanier Towhees 86-60 after leading 21-4, 51-27 and 65-45 at the quarters. Surprise Munie paced Brittania with 31. Shemaiah Abatayo added 23, Jasleen Bahia 14, Iftu Taju 11, Tamia Edgar 5, along with 10 boards, and Kristianna McKnight 2, while One Dang, Laiana Padolina, Annie Le, Jewel Leeson, Brooklyn Humchitt and Margaret Dixon were scoreless. The Bruins hit 36-86 (.419) from the floor, 4-22 (.182) from the arc and 10-15 from the line, while garnering 35 boards, including 16 on the offensive glass, 16 fouls, 10 assists, 12 turnovers and 18 steals. Emily Calder led G.P. Vanier with 13. Brielle Speed added 8, Erica Stoll 8, Ashlyn Speed 7, Samantha Rebitt 6, Kirstin Johnson 6, Claire Barnie 6, Julia Jungworth 4 and Aikira Le 2, while Roslyn Jackson, Lanasia Parsons and Alexis Parsons were scoreless. The Towhees (coached by Kaid James) hit 26-73 (.356) from the arc, 4-19 (.211) from the line and 4-15 (.267) from the arc, while garnering 49 boards, including 20 on the offensive glass, 11 fouls, 5 assists, 31 turnovers and 7 steals. …………………………………………………… The 8th-seeded North Vancouver Seycove Seahawks thrashed the 9th-seeded Victoria Lambrick Park Pride 67-39 after leading 15-3, 32-20 and 46-27 at the quarters. Player of the game Emma Bradshaw, 13 months removed from a torn ACL, told Varsity Letters that “it’s been really difficult, ACL injuries are never easy. But I have had an awesome team keeping me positive through it and you need that. You can’t do this without a support system of family and friends.” Seahawks coach Darcy Grant said “full credit to the senior leadership who took it to heart that we didn’t get back last year. They worked incredibly hard to get here. And we really missed Emma last year. It’s been a long road for her, but she has worked her butt off. She is still working to get back but to have her out there was a huge lift for our team. She is learning to deal with playing with the injury, learning to be a different player. And her ability to shoot it is what sparked us in the second half.” Chelsea Bradshaw paced Seycove with 21. Emma Bradshaw added 15, Jill Bowering 15, along with 13 boards, Sofia Bergman 9, Sydney Bradshaw 6 and Maddy Coffin 1, while Jessica Whyte, Kayla Robinson and Tavie Johnson were scoreless. The Seahawks hit 27-70 (.386) from the floor, 2-11 (.182) from the arc and 11-15 (.733) from the line, while garnering 38 boards, including 12 on the offensive glass, 17 fouls, 15 assists, 12 turnovers and 9 steals. Destiny Hanson led Lambrick Park with 12. Kwyn Neal added 9, Allie Brinton 6, Allison Bobroske 4, Madi Adams 4, Annie Shelestynski 2 and Megan Eilertsen 2, while Stella Brupbacher, Hallie Holland and Abigail Hazard were scoreless. The Pride (coaches Gary Baker and Pat Griffin, managers Rachel Bobroske and Charlie Baker) hit 13-64 (.203) from the floor, 4-20 (.200) from the arc and 9-13 (.692) from the line, while garnering 36 boards, including 13 on the offensive glass, 10 fouls, 3 assists, 21 turnovers and 4 steals. …………………………………………………… The 5th-seeded North Vancouver St. Thomas Aquinas Fighting Saints whipped the 12th-seeded Smithers Gryphons 82-23 after leading 25-5, 45-13 and 66-18 at the quarters. Gemma Cutler paced St. Thomas Aquinas with 18. Jessica Clarke added 11, Caelan Prescott 11, Jane Darby 10, Pasley VanderMye 9, Olivia Thorpe 8, Sophia Panzetta 6, Kristinn Black 4, Stefanie Bordignon 4 and Allison Conejar 1, while Guia Panopio, Maria Cune, Olivia Maglieri, Caleigh O’Flaherty and Rebecca Clarke were scoreless. Angela Jennings led Smithers with 9. Tamiya Ness added 6, Haley Hanchard 3, Olivia Davey 3 and Braelyn Berarducci 2, while Aleigha Young-Lowry, Emese Illes, MacKinley Unruh, Austin Carrol and Abby Anderson were scoreless. The Gryphons (coached by Chris van der Mark, and managed by Jenna Bruhjel) also included Melissa Alvarado-Smith. …………………………………………………… The top-seeded South Kamloops Titans dusted the 16th-seeded Invermere David Thompson Lakers 90-26 after leading 25-10, 55-19 and 69-26 at the quarters. Olivia Morgan-Cherchas paced South Kamloops with 26. Maddy Gobeil added 21, Kendra Kaczur 13, Kendra McDonald 12, Anika Komarniski 6, Jenna Dandurand 6, Pyper Ansley 4 and Fiona Brisco 2, while Sadie Moyer was scoreless. The Titans hit 43-75 (.573) from the floor, 1-8 (.125) from the arc and 3-4 from the line, while garnering 34 boards, including 15 on the offensive glass, 4 fouls, 14 assists, 5 turnovers, 1 block and 8 steals. Maddy Wells led David Thompson with 6. Shana Walsh added 5, Eisley Tan 5, Mya Wiegert 4, Teagan Van Mulligen 4 and Kayla Troxler 2, while Kenna Hutchinson, Laine Dunlop, Sydney Edlund, Gracey Nichol and Heidi Restemyer were scoreless. The Lakers (coached Cory Stanbury, manager Maegan Stanbury) hit 10-47 (.213) from the floor, 3-17 (.176) from the arc and 3-8 (.375) from the line, while garnering 23 boards, including 11 on the offensive glass, 7 fouls, 2 assists, 20 turnovers and 2 steals.
In the quarterfinals, the 2nd-seeded Langley Christian Lightning dumped the 10th-seeded Burnaby St. Thomas More Knights 66-49 after leading 19-9, 38-22 and 50-33 at the quarters. Varsity Letters described the contest as extremely physical. “For 40 minutes, every rebound was contested, every screen was rock-solid, and rare was the possession that a player did not hit the hardwood for one reason or another.” Lightning coach Dani Gardner said “it was extremely physical. I’m just happy with our perseverance and poise. We worked hard throughout – we knew it was going to be a tough game, and we were ready to battle. We just hit key shots at key times. People stepped up and played hard for us – we got some offensive rebounds, and we came out on the good side.” Haeily Van Roekel paced Langley Christian with 19. Mackenna Gardner added 15, along with 10 boards, Ava Krepp 12, Lainey Shelvey 7, along with 12 boards, Taelor Coxford 6, Jenna Van Roekel 4 and Kate Vanderzalm 3, while Sora Onodera, Kathryn New and Vedette Gale were scoreless. The Lightning hit 20-68 (.294) from the floor, 8-24 (.333) from the arc and 18-28 (.643) from the line, while garnering 46 boards, including 16 on the offensive glass, 16 fouls, 14 assists, 20 turnovers, 2 blocks and 13 steals. Gigi Gaspar paced St. Thomas More with 18. Emma Stewart-Barnett added 9, Shil Corrales-Nelson 7, Cassiel Penalosa 6, Bella Gaspar 5, Aurafel Domingo 2 and Madison McRae 2, while Jessica Zhang, Cassia DiGirolamo, Brooklyn Monks, Amanda Knezy and Chelcie Castro were scoreless. The Knights (coaches Jen Farano, Joe Thierman and David Kazun, and managers Faith Westman and Sabrina Bean) hit 17-70 (.243) from the floor, 4-14 (.286) from the arc and 11-25 (.440) from the line, while garnering 30 boards, including 12 on the offensive glass, 23 fouls, 6 assists, 17 turnovers, 4 blocks and 10 steals.
The 3rd-seeded Chilliwack G.W. Graham Grizzlies dispatched the 6th-seeded Vernon Panthers 59-44 after leading 12-8, 29-22 and 44-35 at the quarters, in the latter instance, on a late triple by Sydney Owens. The Panthers clogged the paint but sisters Deanna Tuchscherer and Julia Tuchscherer (a grade 9 post) repeatedly found a way to break free in the blocks. “As we go through, facing better and better teams, everybody’s planning to play us that way,” Grizzlies coach Sarah Mouritzen told Varsity Letters. “But we talked a lot about rotating the ball – getting it inside and outside, being able to give them second side and different positions (to touch the ball). Then our outside players needed to start hitting shots, and we were able to do that at key times.” Deanna Tuchscherer dominated the final frame. Catching the ball in the corner, she pump-faked the three-pointer before driving baseline for an and-one layup, putting Graham ahead 54-42 with 2:33 left in regulation. On the ensuing possession, she blocked a Vernon shot and fired an outlet pass to Owens, who was fouled on the fast break and sank both free throws to make it 56-42 as the Grizzlies coasted to the win. Mourtizen said “we watched them yesterday, and Kelsey Falk had 36 points, so we knew we had to key in. She had 13 in the first half tonight, but just six in the second half, and that was key. They’re a very athletic, physical team, and I thought we did a good job defensively.” Deanna Tuchscherer paced G.W. Graham with 22, along with 19 boards. Her younger sister, grade 9 post, Julia Tuchscherer added 14, along with 16 boards, Kennedy Hall 7, Aliza Dueck 7, Megan Owens 6 and Sydney Owens 3, while Taylor Wright, Chloe Mitchell, Love Le, Sydney Ma, Nicole Campbell, Paitra Hall, Kennedy Campbell, Kemrey Warren and Madison Zillwood were scoreless. The Grizzlies hit 24-75 (.320) from the floor, 8-38 (.211) from the arc and 3-9 from the line, while garnering 57 boards, including 18 on the offensive glass, 14 fouls, 12 assists, 14 turnovers, 7 blocks and 5 steals. Kelsey Falk paced Vernon with 19, along with 16 boards. Sarah Butler added 12, Ashley Budget 7 and Kelsey Watts 6, while Claire Baycroft, Emma Baycroft, Emi Durfeld, Callie Bertram, Sarah Crerar, Olivia Sawka and Abby Hackman were scoreless. The Panthers (coaches Dave Tetrault, Joel Brazier and Chad Butler) hit 15-75 (.200) from the floor, 4-12 (.333) from the arc and 10-12 (.833) from the line, while garnering 44 boards, including 12 on the offensive glass, 13 fouls, 5 assists, 12 turnovers, 4 blocks and 5 steals.
The top-seeded South Kamloops Titans whipped the 8th-seeded North Vancouver Seycove Seahawks 76-59 after leading 30-14, 48-22 and 68-39 at the quarters. Titans point guard Maddy Gobeil dominated the floor, while running the South Kamloops offence with precision. “Pretty much every game, that’s what we get from her,” Titans coach Del Komarniski told Varsity Letters. “Doesn’t matter the opponent or the moment – she brings 100 per cent intensity every time, and 100 per cent heart. You couldn’t really ask for more from your senior leader point guard.” Maddy Gobeil paced South Kamloops with 38, along with 13 boards. Olivia Morgan-Cherchas added 14, Kendra Mcdonald 14, along with 10 boards, Fiona Brisco 6, Anika Komarniski 2 and Jenna Dandurand 2, while Kendra Kaczur, Pyper Ansley and Sadie Moyer were scoreless. The Titans hit 31-60 (.517) from the floor, 3-17 (.176) from the arc and 11-14 (.786) from the line, while garnering 46 boards, including 9 on the offensive glass, 15 fouls, 13 assists, 19 turnovers, 4 blocks and 5 steals. Emma Bradshaw paced Seycove with 19. Sofia Bergman added 16, Maddy Coffin 10, Chelsea Bradshaw 7, Jill Bowering 4 and Sydney Bradshaw 3, while Jessica Whyte, Kayla Robinson and Tavie Johnson were scoreless. The Seahawks (coached by Darcy Grant) hit 20-79 (.253) from the floor, 4-24 (.167) from the arc and 15-26 (.577) from the line, while garnering 28 boards, including 13 on the offensive glass, 19 fouls, 9 assists, 6 turnovers and 14 steals.
In the last quarterfinal, the 5th-seeded North Vancouver St. Thomas Aquinas Fighting Saints clipped the 4th-seeded Vancouver Brittania Bruins 75-63 as power in the paint prevailed over perimeter guard play. The Bruins led 13-12 after one quarter. The Fighting Saints led 32-31 at the half on a buzzer-beating trey by Iftu Taju. They opened the second half with a 10-0 run but the Bruins shifted to a full-court press and Jasleen Bahia hit a pair of treys as they drew within 51-47 after three quarters. A Surprise Munie steal and runout knotted the score at 61-61 with less than three minutes left in regulation, but a Caelan Prescott free throw followed by a baseline jumper by Pasley VanderMye restored the Saints’ lead, and they iced it at the line. Fighting Saints coach John Prescott told Varsity Letters that “the kids (on the two teams) are very fond of one another. A few of our kids have played with a few of their kids throughout the years. When they were in Grade 8, they were on a zone team that won the BC Summer Games. And we’ve been playing club stuff together since they were in Grade 5 and Grade 6. It’s a tough game for both of our kids, because we enjoy competing against each other so much, but we’ve known each other for a long, long time. I guess you could say we’re rivals, but we’re very respectful rivals. … We have an enormous respect for Britannia,. You see them coaching a basketball game which is great, but the work that all three of those coaches (Mike Evans, Trevor Stokes and Mitra Tshan) do on the east side of Vancouver is spectacular. What we do on the basketball court pales in comparison. We knew the game was going to go back and forth, and what we stressed before the game was composure. We needed composure in championship times. And that’s what we did. We were composed, and we handled a good run from them and were able to push back and hold our own against a very good, athletic team.” Jessica Clarke paced St. Thomas Aquinas with 22, along with 21 boards. Olivia Thorpe added 17, Pasley Vandermye 16, Gemma Cutler 8, Stefanie Bordigon 4, Maria Cune 3, Kristinn Black 2, Jane Darby 2 and Caelan Prescott 1, while Guia Panopio, Allison Conejar, Olivia Maglieri, Sophia Panzetta, Caleigh O’Flaherty and Rebecca Clarke were scoreless. The Fighting Saints hit 28-72 (.389) from the floor, 1-9 (.111) from the arc and 18-25 (.720) from the line, while garnering 49 boards, including 14 on the offensive glass, 11 fouls, 10 assists, 29 turnovers and 9 steals. Surprise Munie paced Brittania with 23. Shemaiah Abatayo added 13, Iftu Taju 12, Jasleen Bahia 9, Jewel Leeson 4 and One Dang 2, while Laiana Padolina, Annie Le, Brooklyn Humchitt, Margaret Dixon, Tamia Edgar and Kristianna McKnight were scoreless. The Bruins (coaches Mike Evans and Trevor Stokes , assistant Mitra Tshan, manager Ron Suzuki, manager Tasha Stenneth, manager Haley Wong) hit 22-86 (.256) from the floor, 6-39 (.154) from the arc and 13-19 (.684) from the line, while garnering 28 boards, including 13 on the offensive glass, 22 fouls, 11 assists, 16 turnovers and 17 steals.
In the semis, the top-seeded South Kamloops Titans edged the 5th-seeded North Vancouver St. Thomas Aquinas Fighting Saints 62-58 after leading 20-5, 35-21 and 50-39 at the quarters. Maddy Gobeil dominated the floor, despite missing a portion of the game with a swollen ankle. “I took her out for a minute because she needed to recover,” Titans coach Del Komarniski told Varsity Letters. “It’s been bugging her for a while, so it’s been all taped up. But there was no way she was ever coming out. If I tried to do that, there would have been a battle.” The Fighting Saints opened with a 5-0 run but the Titans countered with a 20-0 run. The Fighting Saints ultimately rallied to within four down the stretch but Gobeil quelled the threat by hitting 3-4 from the line. “It was gritty,” Komarniski said. “STA played very well. They tested us. They made it very challenging to get things done. We had to persevere and we did. … “I think we settled into our plan which was to slow their inside production. Jessica (Clarke) was key for them and we wanted to limit her touches and I thought we did. But all of their other players came on and played well. I am just glad it ended the way it did.” Fighting Saints coach Jon Prescott said “the kids were really well-prepared. We were healthy, practising well, and we had a big win over Britannia last night (in the quarterfinals). All the ducks were in aligned, so a tip of the hat to South Kamloops.” Maddy Gobeil paced South Kamloops with 31 on 12-31 form the floor, 3-13 from the arc, 4-6 from the line, 10 boards, 2 assists and 4 steals. Fiona Brisco added 13 on 5-16 from the floor, 3-9 from the arc, 0-1 from the line, 8 boards and 2 assists. Kendra McDonald notched 12 on 5-19 from the floor, 1-6 from the arc, 1-2 form the line, 18 boards, 2 assists and 2 steals. Olivia Morgan Cherchas scored 4 on 2-4 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc and 4 boards. Jenna Dandurand added 2 on 1-4 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 5 boards and 3 assists, while Kendra Kaczur, Anika Komarniski, Pyper Ansley and Sadie Moyer were scoreless. Kaczur and Komarniski each nabbed 2 boards. The Titans hit 25-79 (.316) from the floor, 7-34 (.206) from the arc and 5-9 (.556) from the line, while garnering 49 boards, including 20 on the offensive glass, 9 fouls, 12 assists, 11 turnovers, 2 blocks and 9 steals. Jessica Clarke paced St. Thomas Aquinas with 17 on 8-12 from the floor, 1-2 from the line and 20 boards. Gemma Cutler added 13 on 6-25 from the floor, 1-1 form the line, 18 boards and 2 assists. Olivia Thorpe notched 12 on 5-21 from the floor, 2-8 from the arc, 6 boards, 6 assists and 3 steals. Caelan Prescott scored 12 on 4-9 from the arc and 2 boards. Kristinn Black added 2 on 1-1 form the floor. Jane Darby scored 2 on 1-4 from the floor, while Guia Panopio, Allison Conejar, Maria Cune, Pasley VanderMye, Stefanie Bordigon, Sophia Panzetta, Caleigh O’Flaherty, Rebecca Clark and Olivia Maglieri were scoreless. The Fighting Saints hit 25-84 (.298) from the floor, 6-19 (.316) from the arc and 2-5 from the line, while garnering 52 boards, including 24 on the offensive glass, 12 fouls, 14 assists, 16 turnovers, 6 blocks and 6 steals.
In the other semi, the 3rd-seeded Chilliwack G.W. Graham Grizzlies dispatched the 2nd-seeded Langley Christian Lightning 74-68 in overtime. The Lightning led 16-12 after one quarter. The Grizzlies led 27-24 at the half and 43-38 after three quarters. The score was knotted at 62 after regulation. Deanna Tuchscherer forced overtime by hitting an improbable runner as time expired in overtime. “You know what?” Grizzlies coach Sarah Mouritzen told Varsity Letters. “I am going to cry. She’s 18? She has done all of her work for that shot. For all of the work she put in, she deserves this. When she hit that shot she burst into tears because it meant so much to her. This is awesome.” With 2.7 seconds on the clock, Tuchscherer inbounded the ball, took a return pass and released it from an angle that appeared behind the backboards. “We had a similar opportunity last year just before we went to overtime,” said Tuchscherer, a 6-0 forward recalling a shot in the 2018 BC title game against South Kamloops. “That one kind of rimmed out. Luckily this one was to get that one back, so now we’re back in the final.” Tuchscherer had knocked down a trey with 4:52 to give the Grizzlies a 56-51 lead. But Mackenna Gardner answered with a trey to draw Langley Christian within 56-54 with 2:53 remaining and then Taelor knotted the score with a putback with 1:38 on the clock. Tuchscherer hit a pair of free throws. Gardner drove for a layup. Tuchscherer answered with another layup in the blocks. But Coxford tied the score at 60 with another putback. Gardner appeared to have won it for the Lightning by hitting a pair of free throws with 2.3 seconds to play. But Tuchscherer found the answer with the baseline jumper. The shell-shocked Lightning never recovered in overtime. Julia Tuchscherer opened the scoring in the extra session, in which she notched 7. Deanna Tuchscherer paced G.W. Graham with 34 on 11-30 from the floor, 2-9 from the arc, 10-12 from the line, 14 boards, 4 assists, 2 blocks and 3 steals. Julia Tuchscherer added 26 on 11-21 form the floor, 4-8 from the line, 13 boards and 2 assists. Kennedy Hall notched 7 on 1-7 from the floor, 5-8 from the line, 7 boards and 3 assists. Aliza Dueck scored 5 on 2-5 from the floor, 1-3 from the arc, 4 boards, 3 assists and 3 steals. Sydney owens added 2 on 0-6 from the floor, 0-4 from the arc, 2-2 from the line, 2 boards and 3 assists, while Taylor Wright, Chloe Mitchell, Love Le, Megan Owens, Sydney Ma, Nicole Campbell, Paitra Hall, Kennedy Campbell, Kemrey Warren and Madison Zillwood were scoreless. Megan Owens nabbed 5 boards. The Grizzlies hit 25-77 (.325) from the floor, 3-20 (.150) from the arc and 21-30 (.700) from the line, while garnering 47 boards, including 15 on the offensive glass, 13 fouls, 15 assists, 22 turnovers, 2 blocks and 8 steals. Mackenna Gardner paced Langley Christian with 26 on 10-33 from the floor, 3-11 from the arc, 3-5 from the line, 2 boards and 6 assists. Hailey Van Roekel added 17 on 6-20 from the floor, 3-6 from the arc, 2-3 from the line, 6 boards, 5 assists and 4 steals. Lainey Shelvey notched 10 on 5-14 from the floor, 0-4 from the line and 2 boards. Kate Vanderzalm scored 5 on 2-3 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc and 2 boards. Ava Krepp added 4 on 1-5 from the floor, 2-2 from the line and 6 boards. Taelor Coxford scored 4 on 2-8 from the floor, 0-3 from the arc and 10 boards. Jenna Van Roekel added 2 on 1-1 from the floor and 4 boards, while Sora Onodera, Kathryn New and Vedette Gale were scoreless. The Lightning hit 27-84 (.321) from the floor, 7-22 (.318) from the arc and 7-14 from the line, while garnering 33 boards, including 14 on the offensive glass, 23 fouls, 12 assists, 15 turnovers, 1 block and 7 steals.
In the bronze medal match, the 2nd-seeded Langley Christian Lightning crushed the 5th-seeded North Vancouver St. Thomas Aquinas Fighting Saints after leading 15-12, 29-27 and 51-35 at the quarters. Makenna Gardner paced Langley Christian with 27. Hailey Van Roekel added 12, Ava Krepp 11, Lainey Shelvey 8, Taelor Coxford 4 and Sora Onodera 1, while Jenna Van Roekel, Kate Vanderzalm, Kathryn New and Vedette Gale were scoreless. Gemma Cutler scored 19 to paced St. Thomas Aquinas. Jessica Clarke added 14, Olivia Thorpe 5 and Stefanie Bordignon 4, while Kristinn Blacck, Caelan Prescott, Guia Panopio, Allison Conejar, Maria Cune, Pasley VanderMye, Jane Darby, Olivia Maglieri, Sophia Panzetta, Caitlyn O’Flaherty and Rebecca Clarke were scoreless. The Fighting Saints were coached by John Prescott, Carlie Paxton, Matt Clarke and Taylor Prescott, and managed by Evie Hwang, Julie Wheeler and Patrick O’Flaherty.
In the final, the top-seeded South Kamloops Titans torched the 3rd-seeded Chilliwack G.W. Graham Grizzlies 70-43 to capture their second consecutive title. The score was knotted at 13 after one quarter. The Titans led 27-26 at the half and 47-34 after three quarters. “We just tightened a couple of things up” in the second half, Titans coach Del Komarniski told Varsity Letters. “Deanna (Tuchscherer) puts such pressure on a defence that we had to pay a lot of attention to her, and out rotations out of the help were a little sloppy in the first half, so we figured the thing out and made adjustments,” said Komarniski. Led by 6-6 post Olivia Morgan-Cherchas, who was named the player of the game, the Titans clogged the paint and held the Grizzlies to just 9 points in each of the third and fourth quarters. “We committed a couple of people to Deanna,” said Komarniski. “We wanted to take her out of her game, so we challenged other kids to produce. You can’t give that girl a lot of room. She does very well with space so we tried to take that space away in the lane.” Tournament MVP Maddy Gobeil said Morgan-Cherchas “played amazing today. ,” said Gobeil of her teammate who had 14 points and eight rebounds. “She was getting beat up inside but she never gave up. She just continued to push and persevere.” Komarniski noted that Kendra McDonald was exceptional on the boards. “I’ve always said that” she’s the most under-rated player in the province. “She scores, she plays tough defence and she really rebounds.” Maddy Gobeil paced South Kamloops with 29 on 12-12 from the floor, 12 boards, 6 assists and 4 steals. Olivia Morgan-Cherchas added 14, along with 8 boards, Fiona Brisco 11, Kendra McDonald 10, along with 16 boards, Jenna Dandurand 5 and Kendra Kaczur 1, while Anika Komarniski, Pyper Ansley and Sadie Moyer were scoreless. Defensive player of the tournament Deanna Tuchscherer led G.W. Graham with 14, along with 8 boards. Aliza Dueck added 11, Julia Tuchscherer 6, along with 10 boards, Sydney Owens 6 and Sarah Mouritzen 6, while Sydney Ma, Megan Owens, Love Lee, Nicole Campbell, Paitra Hall, Taylor Wright, Chloe Mitchell, Kennedy Campbell, Kemrey Warren and Madison Zillwood were scoreless.
The all-tournament 1st team featured MVP Maddy Gobeil (South Kamloops); Julia Tuchscherer (G.W. Graham); Hailey Van Roekel (Langley Christian); Makenna Gardner (Langley Christian); Kelsey Falk (Vernon); and Deanna Tuchscherer (G.W. Graham).
The 2nd-team featured: Jessica Clarke (St. Thomas Aquinas); Chelsea Bradshaw (Seycove); Olivia Morgan-Cherchas (South Kamloops); Surprise Munie (Britannia); and Olivia Thorpe (St. Thomas Aquinas).
The honourable mentins were: Gigi Gaspar (St. Thomas More Collegiate); Kendra McDonald (South Kamloops); Gemma Cutler (St. Thomas Aquinas); Aliza Dueck (G.W. Graham); and Ava Krepp (Langley Christian).
The bronze medalist Langley Christian Lightning: Lainey Shelvey; Makenna Gardner; Ava Krepp; Hailey Van Roekel; Sora Onodera; Taelor Coxford; Jenna Van Roekel; Kate Vanderzalm; Kathryn New; Vedette Gale; coach Danielle gardner; assistant Hannah Krepp; assistant Brynden McTavish; manager Tamara Antonsen; manager Abby Berg
The silver medalist G.W. Graham Grizzlies: Taylor Wright; Chloe Mitchell; Love Lee; Megan Owens; Sydney Ma; Sydney Owens; Nicole Campbell; Paitra Hall; Aliza Dueck; Kennedy Campbell; Julia Tuchscherer; Deanna Tuchscherer; Kemrey Warren; Kennedy Hall; Madison Zillwood; Sarah Mourtizen; coach Sara Barrow; coach Josh Hall; manager Angel Phuong; manager Montana Edginton
The gold medalist South Kamloops Titans: Maddy Gobeil; Kendra Kaczur; Anika Komarniski; Pyper Ansley; Fiona Brisco; Jenna Dandurand; Olivia Morgan-Cherchas; Kendra McDonald; Sadie Moyer; coach Del Komarniski; assistant Rachael Lee; assistant Dave Whalen; assistant Lauren Walkley; manager Sophia Sirianni