In the opening round: …………………………………………………… The top-seeded Langley Christian Lightning blasted the 16th-seeded Creston Prince Charles Bulldogs 112-22 after leading 37-0, 61-5 and 87-12 at the quarters. The Lightning led by a breathtaking 61-0 before the Bulldogs finally mustered a point. They didn’t score a field goal until the seven-minute mark of the third quarter when a prayer from the beyond the arc by Vaughn Semmler found the botton of the net. “We pride ourselves on trying to play hard defence for a full 40 minutes,” Lightning coach Danielle Gardner told Varsity Letters. “Every opponent is different and you respect your opponent. And you’re doing what you can do to get better for the next game. You adjust accordingly to what you have to work on.” Off guard Lainey Shelvey said “it’s hard to play (a game like that).” Makenna Gardner paced the Lightning with 23. Kathryn New added 21, Lainey Shelvey 16, Taelor Coxford 14, Ava Krepp 12, Kate Vanderzalm 12, Abby Berg 4, Vivianne Velazquez 4, Sydney Bradshaw 4 and Jennifer Simon 2, while Camryn Vissher and Kiera Hummelman were scoreless. The Lightning hit 46-93 (.495) from the floor, 9-30 (.300) from the arc and 11-11 from the line, while garnering 45 boards, including 27 on the offensive glass, 12 fouls, 21 assists, 14 turnovers, 4 blocks and 26 steals. Jordan Dortman paced the Bulldogs with 7. Vaughn Semmler added 5, Ashlet Daignault 4, Allis Juris 4 and Alicea Shukin 2, while Jessa Adams, Amber Hare, Kaleigh Mickelson, Madison Wegener, Zanna Palmer and Becca Standen were scoreless. The Bulldogs (coached by Erich Meyer) hit 7-44 (.159) from the floor, 1-6 (.167) from the arc and 7-15 (.467) from the line, while garnering 19 boards, including 10 on the offensive glass, 7 fouls, 2 assists, 40 turnovers, 2 blocks and 3 steals. …………………………………………………… The 9th-seeded Vancouver Notre Dame Jugglers spanked the 8th-seeded Victoria Lambrick Park Lions 66-52 after leading 17-13, 32-31 and 54-45 at the quarters. The Jugglers opened the second half with a 15-4 run after shifting to a full-court press. Jugglers coach Tracy Clarke told Varsity Letters that she deliberately waited to deploy the press. “We don’t show our stuff right away. We usually try to do a little bit of sneak attack. It seemed to work.” Guard Alyssa Scott said “once we started pressing, we got a lot of adrenaline and we went on that 10-point run. I really like to look for (steals). Sometimes I get caught on the back door, but most of the time I get in front.” Guard Maezell Del Mundo is “definitely one of our shooters, super vital to the team, especially when she’s hot,” Scott added. “It gets everybody excited.” Maezell Del Mundo paced the Jugglers with 21. Alyssa Scott added 13, Bernadet Leda 12, Isabella Chirico 8, Ava Mauro 6, Jenna Lavingna 4 and Stefania Kyle 2, while Sabrina Sam, Cassandra De Amaral, Alessia Giammaria, Alyssa Battistin and Frances Ancheta were scoreless. The Jugglers hit 23-70 (.329) from the floor, 5-19 (.263) from the arc and 15-25 (.600) from the line, while garnering 29 boards, including 11 on the offensive glass, 27 fouls, 7 assists, 12 turnovers and 16 steals. Allie Brinton paced the Lions with 19, while nabbing 12 boards. Allison Bobroske added 16, along with 12 boards, Kwyn Neal 5, Megan Eilersten 4, Abigail Hazard 4 and Annie Shelestynski 4, while Nicole Mahy, Kierra Fournier, Maeve Connorton, Taylor Milliken, Rayna Phagura and Arden Ross were scoreless. The Lions (coaches Gary Baker, Pat Griffin and Emma Brown, manager Charlie Baker) hit 15-60 (.250) from the floor, 1-11 (.091) from the line and 21-37 (.568) from the line, while garnering 47 boards, including 23 on the offensive glass, 23 fouls, 6 assists, 31 turnovers and 4 steals. …………………………………………………… The 13th-seeded North Vancouver Seycove Seahawks stunned the 4th-seeded Victoria Pacific Christian Pacers 71-67. The Pacers led 20-18 after one quarter. The score was knotted at 31 at the half. The Seahawks led 57-38 after three quarters and by as many as 19 in the final quarter before hanging on for the win. The Pacers drew within two with 30 seconds to play but Kayla Robinson drove the baseline for an insurance layup. “Pacific Christian is an outstanding team, but we knew we had it in us,” Seahawks coach Darcy Grant told Varsity Letters. “The fourth quarter became a little scary there with foul trouble and not being able to dribble the ball past half-court. But they’re resilient and they showed their perseverance all season.” Kayla Robinson said “I was panicking, I wasn’t sure it was going to go in. This is a huge win. To come here with eight players and we weren’t even sure we were going to make provincials, I’m so proud of our team.” Grant said 6-1 post Sofia Bergman was dominant in the defensive paint. “We ask her to just do simple jobs and when she does those simple jobs and plays to her strengths, she has outstanding games. We lost a lot of leadership from last year, but Sofia and Kayla have stepped up considerably.” Sofia Bergaman paced the Seahawks with 23, while nabbing 17 boards. Kayla Robinson added 21, Maddy Coffin 17, Jessica Whyte 6, along with 11 boards, and Maia Russell-Nelson 4, while Abbey Milchak, Alex Milton and Tavie Johnson were scoreless. The Seahawks hit 24-65 (.369) from the floor, 2-16 (.125) from the arc and 21-31 (.677) from the line, while garnering 46 boards, including 13 on the offensive glass, 19 fouls, 5 assists, 18 turnovers, 2 blocks and 3 steals. Jenna De Greeff paced the Pacers with 31, while habbing 16 boards. Addy Tupas-Singh added 18, Kailey Demetrius 9, Ella Parker 8 and Avery Bryden 1, while Grace Hobby, Annika De Greef, Rachel Carr, Tara Fitzmaurice, Kim Fehr and Jaime Ryan were scoreless. The Pacers (coached by John Stewart and Jen Stewart, manager Jenna Tam) hit 25-82 (.305) from the floor, 3-23 (.130) from the arc and 14-30 (.467) from the line, while garnering 43 boards, including 23 on the offensive glass, 22 fouls, 4 assists, 14 turnovers, 2 blocks and 12 steals. …………………………………………………… The 5th-seeded Vancouver York House Tigers crushed the 12th-seeded Surrey Holy Cross Crusaders 79-55 after leading 22-15, 53-30 and 65-43 at the quarters. “Nadeen Wu is an unbelievable talent and we have some Grade 12’s who are great role players,” Tigers coach David Prissinotti told Varsity Letters. “You didn’t see it today because she found herself in foul trouble, but Akash Grewal (seven points, four rebounds), is a handful. At zones a couple of weeks ago, when we beat (No. 6 St. Thomas Aquinas), Akash had 30 something points. She’s athletic as heck. … I’ve got to give a lot of props to Split Second Basketball. Eric Butler, who’s one of our coaches, he’s worked with a lot of these kids when they were young, in elementary school. And when they came up into Grade 8, we had a really strong team. We won the Grade 8 provincial tournament.” Nadeen Wu paced the Tigers with 27. Avery Ratcliffe added 18, Mila Urban 9, Akash Grewal 7, Rain Thomas 6, Finley Butler 6, Kasey Grewal 2, Jacqueline Smith 2 and Emma Wright 2, while Amneet Deol, Maddie Kostiw, Natalie Davidson, Chloe Yip and Sophie Kazimirski were scoreless. The Tigers hit 29-61 (.475) from the floor, 7-14 from the arc and 14-20 (.700) from the line, while garnering 43 boards, including 12 on the offensive glass, 20 fouls, 15 assists, 21 turnovers, 4 blocks and 11 steals. Vanessa Garcia paced the Crusaders with 18. Raya Athwal added 14, along with 13 boards, Sophia Denina 7, Danielle Judalena 6, Janelle Tasarra 3, Ito Ologhola 3, Emily Rokosh 2, Kaida Fujimara 1 and Justine Sonico 1, while Felisha Rivera, Anita Cloma, Samantha Isidoro, Amy Rokosh and Liezel Tabancura were scoreless. The Crusaders hit 18-74 (.243) from the floor, 4-26 (.154) from the arc and 15-24 (.625) from the line, while garnering 36 boards, including 17 on the offensive glass, 15 fouls, 3 assists, 15 turnovers and 14 steals. The Crusaders (coaches Joe Vinluan, Vanessa Vinluan, Naomi Vinluan, Antonio Sorace and Ken Buchan, managers Alessa Mittoni, Teah Best, Eileen Udarbe and Fatima Ramos) also included Emily Correa. …………………………………………………… The 2nd-seeded Vancouver Brittania Bruins rolled the 15th-seeded Terrace Caledonia Kermodes 86-34 after leading 30-13, 51-20 and 71-26 at the quarters. The Bruins smothered the Kermodes on defence, while Surprise Munie ran runout drills on the break in a dominant performance. Surprise Munie paced the Bruins with 34, while nabbing 13 boards. Shemaiah Abatayo notched 26, Jewel Leeson 6, Laiana Padolina 5, One Dang 4, Tiana Sacco 4, Haley Wong 3 and Anie Le 2, while Anna Luong, Brooklyn Humchitt and Kristiana McKnight were scoreless and 2 points were unallocated. The Bruins hit 41-95 (.432) from the floor and 4-27 from the arc, while garnering 59 boards, including 26 on the offensive glass, 16 fouls, 18 assists, 14 turnovers, 2 blocks and 23 steals. Madison McKay paced the Kermodes with 9. Mackenzie Walker added 9, Hailey Moore 5, Kiara Stewart-Clayton 4, Natasha Johnson 2 and Ella Poole 2, while Dakota Price, Shaye Netzel, Macey Branco, Nyomi Spence-Angus and Kelsey Denomme were scoreless and 3 points were unallocated. The Kermodes (coached by Dave Crawley and Mike Johnson) hit 13-54 (.241) from the floor, 1-16 (.063) from the arc and 7-17 (.412) from the line, while garnering 28 boards, including 7 on the offensive glass, 1 foul, 4 assists, 33 turnovres, 2 blocks and 5 steals. …………………………………………………… The 10th-seeded Abbotsford St. John Brebeuf Bears dusted the 7th-seeded Surrey Southridge Storm 61-48. The Storm led 11-8 after one quarter and 30-20 at the half. The Bears led 41-35 after three quarters. The Bears overcame their jitters and began to handle the Storm’s press in the second half as they rolled to a 21-5 run. “This is just a tough bunch of kids,” co-coach Gianni Bittante told Varsity Letters. “Once we settled into the things we wanted to do, we started to have success. Southridge did some things that really discombobulated us early on. But when we started to find the gaps (in their press), we started to have success. Every press has gaps, you just have to find them. It took us about a quarter-and-a-half to figure out where we wanted to attack. … We were really good on the glass in the second half.” Marijke Duralia paced the Bears with 27, while nabbed 12 boards. Olivia Buckle added 9, along with 14 boards, Shania Buenaflor 9, along with 10 boards, Katie Buckle 8, Rachel MacDougall 4, Lily Taw 2 and Haley Gaudet 2, while Hannah Buchan, Amy Bittante, Sarah Davis, Elizabeth Warren and Amber Tashereau were scoreless. The Bears hit 23-62 (.371) from the floor, 6-16 (.375) from the arc and 9-22 (.409) from the line, while garnering 55 boards, including 15 on the offensive glass, 14 fouls, 13 assists, 36 turnovers, 2 blocks and 7 steals. Jayda Anderson paced the Storm with 20, while nabbing 14 boards. Camille Hare notched 12, Amy Clarke 5, Lauren Toy 4, Yasmin Bath 4 and Suhaana Bhatha 3, while Eva Lofing, Karina Gill, Samahra Pawa, Megan Troung, Maia Hutton, Kaya Januszewska and Sophia Tapley were scoreless. The Storm (coached by Paul Chiarenza) hit 19-78 (.244) from the floor, 6-30 (.200) from the arc and 4-16 from the line, while garnering 36 boards, including 12 on the offensive glass, 17 fouls, 12 assists, 17 turnovers, 2 blocks and 20 steals. …………………………………………………… The 3rd-seeded Burnaby St. Thomas More Knights blasted the 14th-seeded Vanderhoof Nechako Valley Viqueens 104-28 after leading 25-9, 45-16 and 86-23 at the quarters. The Knights drained treys on six consecutive possessions as they took complete command in the third quarter. Knights coach Winston Brown told Varsity Letters that the team’s heights weren’t listed on the program because “they are all the same height. You just put the same number for all of them. I think we’re all about five-foot-seven across the board. It’s one of the reasons why we have to play tenacious defence. We aren’t blessed with the growth team at all.” Player of the game Bella Gaspar said “we have a lot of three-point shooters. We’re a fast team and we need to focus on our shooting and finishing from all around the court. … That was a pretty good game. They’re a competitive team. They’re tall. We just need to come out like it’s do-or-die because that’s what it is.” Brown said it “was nice” that this troops were able to finish so effectively from beyond the arc. “I hope they still have some of that left in the tank. They’ve been putting in a lot of work in the gym, so it was nice to see it pay off.” Gaspar led the Knights with 32. Cassiel Penalosa added 18, Gigi Gaspar 18, Rylan Monks 15, Tatiana Yau 8, Kate Stewart-Barnett 6, Madison McRae 4 and Emily Dias 3, while Chelsea Yang, Luciana Andrews and Nathalia Larson were scoreless. The Knights hit 40-76 (.526) from the floor, 13-27 (.481) from the arc and 11-18 (.611) from the line, while garnering 33 boards, including 11 on the offensive glass, 23 fouls, 21 assists, 17 turnovers, 2 blocks and 29 steals. Kallissa Brooks paced the Viqueens with 18, while nabbing 11 boards. Payton Mueller added 4, Payton Ralph 3, Brook Dowswell 2 and Nicole Nevidon 1, while Eileen Friesen, Autumn Unger, Makenzie Faulconer and Paige Faulconer were scoreless. The Viqueens (coached by Megan Bahr and Julie Steinback) hit 6-42 (.143) from the floor, 0-8 from the arc and 16-31 (.516) from the line, while garnering 31 boards, including 16 on the offensive glass, 13 fouls, 1 assists, 45 turnovers, 3 blocks and 4 steals. …………………………………………………… The 6th-seeded North Vancouver St. Thomas Aquinas Fighting Saints smacked the 11th-seeded Summerland Rockets 74-25 after leading 23-2, 50-12 and 68-19 at the quarters. Saints coach John Prescott said his twin towers – 6-1 Gemma Cutler and 6-2 Jessica Clarke – were dominant. “Their basketball literacy is pretty high. So much of the stuff that you see them doing is nothing that I scripted, it’s just them reacting to what’s going on and just the familiarity of them playing together.” Point guard Caelan Prescott said “Obviously, we’re an inside out team and if our outside presence is helpful and steps up, it makes things flow a little bit better for us. We started out the game with some pretty good shooting from the outside and then it just opened up a few more lanes and opportunities for Gemma and Jessica to get to work.” Prescott added that the Saints “out-competed” the Rockets. Gemma Cutler paced the Fighting Saints with 22, while nabbing 11 boards. Jessica Clarke added 15, along with 10 boards, Caelan Prescott 15, Caleigh O’Flaherty 11, Taleen Markarian 6, Guia Panopio 3 and Gabriele Panzetta 2, while Allison Conejar, Olivia Maglieri, Jordyn Lalanne, Meghan Dahl and Anni Steverding were scoreless. The Fighting Saints hit 28-73 (.384) from the floor, 7-23 (.304) from the arc and 11-16 (.688) from the line, while garnering 60 boards, including 26 on the offensive glass, 10 fouls, 19 assists, 14 turnovers, 7 blocks and 11 steals. Brinay Burdick paced the Rockets with 12. Navi Hughes added 5, Laska Hughes 2, Alyssa Robinson 2, Lexi Corday 2 and Jacquline Mansiere 2, while Olivia Harrold, Tayla Ingram, Jaina Stockman, Karrah Roelfsema and Alyssa Mullin were scoreless. The Rockets (coach Jeff Goodis, assistant Tama Corday) hit 10-65 (.154) from the floor, 2-20 (.100) from the arc and 3-6 from the line, while garnering 27 boards, including 14 on the offensive glass, 11 fouls, 5 assists, 22 turnovers, 3 blocks and 7 steals.
In the quarterfinals, the top-seeded Langley Christian Lightning torched the 9th-seeded Vancouver Notre Dame Jugglers 99-45 after leading 25-14, 55-20 and 85-35 at the quarters. “I think we’re just trying to play the way we can,” Lightning coach Danielle Gardner told Varsity Letters. “It’s not even realizing what the score is. We’re just trying to play the way we can, to do what we do and execute. We’re working hard and right now that is all I can ask.” Lainey Shelvey led the Lightning with 27 on 11-14 from the floor. Sydney Bradshaw added 17, Ava Krepp 15, Makenna Gardener 13, Kathryn New 12, Kate Vanderzalm 7, Taelor Coxford 4, Camryn Vissher 3 and Jennifer Simon 1, while Abby Berg, Kiera Hummelman and Vivianne Velazquez were scoreless. The Lightning hit 40-85 (.471) from the floor, 11-24 (.458) from the arc and 8-13 (.615) from the line, while garnering 44 boards, including 17 on the offensive glass, 12 fouls, 27 assists, 14 turnovers, 3 blocks and 19 steals. Maezell Del Mundo paced the Jugglers with 13. Bernadet Leda added 10, Jenna Lavingna 9, Alyssa Scott 4, Frances Ancheta 3, Ava Mauro 2, Isabella Chirico 2 and Alessia Giammaria 2, while Sabrina Sam, Cassandra De Amaral, Alyssa Battistin and Stefania Kyle were scoreless. The Jugglers (coach Tracy Clarke, assistant Richard Scott, managers Claudia Berrios, Charlize Romano-Carlsen, Justine Baldivino and Emily Pulice) hit 16-64 (.250) from the floor, 4-16 from the arc and 9-14 (.643) from the line, while garnering 26 boards, including 7 on the offensive glass, 15 fouls, 3 assists, 25 turnovers, 2 blocks and 10 steals.
The 5th-seeded Vancouver York House Tigers smacked the 13th-seeded North Vancouver Seycove Seahawks 70-47 after leading 20-14, 37-29 and 53-41 at the quarters. They took total command in the fourth quarter as the Seahawks wore down. Akash Grewal paced the Tigers with 23, while nabbing 12 boards. Nadeen Wu added 17, Finley Butler 17, Sophie Kazirmirski 8 and Avery Ratcliffe 5, along with 10 boards, while Rain Thomas, Amneet Deol, Mila Urban, Kasey Grewal, Jacqueline Smith, Emma Wright, Maddie Kostiw, Natalie Davidson and Chloe Yip were scoreless. The Tigers hit 29-78 (.367) from the floor, 6-17 (.353) from the arc and 6-12 from the line, while garnering 44 boards, including 17 on the offensive glass, 15 fouls, 21 assists, 15 turnovers, 1 block and 17 steals. Sofia Bergaman paced the Seahawks with 18, while nabbing 18 boards. Kayla Robinson added 10, Maia Russell-Nelson 6, Maddy Coffin 6, Alex Milton 5 and Jessica Whyte 2, while Abbey Milchak and Tavie Johnson were scoreless. The Seyhawks (coach Darcy Grant, assistants Geoff Russell, Bill Matthews and Curtis Allamby) hit 17-65 (.262) from the floor, 2-17 (.118) from the arc and 11-17 (.647) from the line, while garnering 49 boards, including 22 on the offensive glass, 14 fouls, 6 assists, 27 turnovers, 4 blocks and 7 steals.
The 2nd-seeded Vancouver Britannia Bruins whipped the 10th-seeded Abbotsford St. John Brebeuf Bears 79-52. The Bears led 18-17 after one quarter. The Bruins led 37-32 at the half and 61-36 after three quarters. Bruins guard Surprise Munie took command in the third quarter as Britannia ripped off a 31-4 run and coasted to the win. Bruins coach Mike Evans told Varsity Letters that Munie was ready to play at the university level. “Physically she could do that because she just has this ability to deny space when she is checking someone. She has this way of taking away your comfort zone all the time, and I guess you could do that on almost anyone if you had the right support.” Player of the game Shemaiah Abatayo paced the Bruins with 31. Surprise Munie added 28, along with 15 boards, Jewel Leeson 8, Tiana Sacco 8, Laiana Padolina 3 and Lagi Vaa 1, while One Dang, Haley Wong, Annie Le, Anna Luong, Brooklyn Humchitt and Kristianna McKnight were scoreless. The Bruins hit 25-75 (.333) from the floor, 10-28 (.357) from the arc and 19-27 (.704) from the line, while garnering 44 boards, including 17 on the offensive glass, 16 fouls, 9 assists, 14 turnovers, 1 block and 14 steals. Marijke Duralia paced the Bears with 35. Rachel MacDougall added 6, Lily Taw 6, Katie Buckle 4 and Sarah Davis 1, while Hannah Buchan, Olivia Buckle, Amy Bittante, Elizabeth Warren, Amber Tashereau, Shania Buenaflor and Haley Gaudet were scoreless. The Bears (coached by Gianni Bittante and Taylor Kitteringham, managers Taryn Grandia and Francesca Voischos) hit 20-62 (.323) from the floor, 5-19 (.263) from the arc and 7-12 (.583) from the line, while garnering 36 boards, including 7 on the offensive glass, 17 fouls, 4 assists, 25 turnovers and 10 steals.
In the last quarterfinal, the 6th-seeded North Vancouver St. Thomas Aquinas Fighting Saints upset the 3rd-seed Burnaby St. Thomas More Knights 71-65. The score was knotted at 17 after one quarter. The Knights led 33-32 at the half. The Fighting Saints led 48-41 after three quarters. Both squads struggled from the free throw line down the stretch but with 30.6 seconds to play and the Fighting Saints leading 64-62, they inbounded the ball to 6-2 Washington State-bound post Jessica Clarke and she notched a layup. The Fighting Saints held on for the win as guard Taleen Markarain drained three free throws. “I think for us the key was our composure under pressure,” Fighting Saints coach John Prescott told Varsity Letters. “St. Thomas More’s pressure game is second to none, and their girls play so desperately hard, that we had to rotate the ball well. The kids became more conscious of Jessica and (6-foot SFU recruit) Gemma (Cutler), and then down the stretch the two of them showed some great leadership.” The Knights had appeared to have the momentum as Gigi Gaspar hit a trey with 4:40 to play to draw St. Thomas More within 57-55 and then twin sister Bella Gaspar notched the first two of the teams three consecutive treys. Point guard Cassiel Penalosa knotted the score at 61-61 with the third trey with 2:26 to play. “We’ve had an up-and-down year but we seem to be playing our best basketball at the right time,” said Prescott. “I’ve been coaching these kids since they were in Grade 4 and 5 so it’s great to see them playing so well.” Jessica Clarke paced the Fighting Saints with 36, while nabbing 27 boards. Gemma Cutler added 15, Caelan Prescott 7, Taleen Markarian 5, Caleigh O’Flaherty 5 and Gabriele Panzetta 3, while, Gia Panopio, Allison Conejar, Olivia Maglieri, Jordyn Lalanne, Meghan Dahl and Anni Steverding were scoreless. The Fighting Saints hit 25-63 (.397) from the floor, 1-11 (.091) from the arc and 20-33 (.606) from the line, while garnering 53 boards, including 16 on the offensive glass, 23 fouls, 16 assists, 30 turnovers, 5 blocks and 10 steals. Gigi Gaspar paced the Knights with 29. Bella Gaspar added 18, Cassiel Penalosa 15, Luciana Andrews 2 and Emily Dias 1, while Chelsea Yang, Kate Stewart-Barnett, Rylan Monks, Nathalia Larson, Madison McRae and Tatiana Yau were scoreless. The Knights (coaches Winston Brown, Jen Farano and David Kazun, managers Faith Westman, Sabrina Bean and Chelcie Castro) hit 19-71 (.268) from the floor, 7-28 (.250) from the arc and 20-31 (.645) from the line, while garnering 26 boards, including 10 on the offensive glass, 26 fouls, 8 assists, 16 turnovers and 21 steals.
In the semis, the top-seeded Langley Christian Lightning smoked the 5th-seeded Vancouver York House Tigers 71-41 after leading 18-15, 31-28 and 48-36 at the quarters. After losing in the 2019 semis, “it’s been our goal all season to get back to this spot and we’ve given ourselves a shot,” Lightning guard Makenna Gardner told Varsity Letters. “It’s just awesome to get to where we want to be. Everyone has been in the gym every single day trying to get back. We’re not done yet, but it sure feels good. … It’s every girls dream to get here and to do it with the girls you love and the team that you have grown up in life with for the last seven years is incredible.” Sydney Bradshaw paced the Lightning with 20. Makenna Gardner added 19, Lainey Shelvey 10, Taelor Coxford 8, Kate Vanderzalm 8, Ava Krepp 5 and Kathryn New 1, while Abby Berg, Jennifer Simon, Camryn Visscher, Keira Hummelman and Vivianne Velazquez were scoreless. Nadeen Wu paced the Tigers with 19. Finley Butler added 12, Avery Ratcliffe 5, Emma Wright 2, Akash Grewal 2 and Mila Urban 1, while Rain Thomas, Amneet Deol, Kasey Grewal, Jacqueline Smith, Maddie Kostiw, Natalie Davidson, Chloe Vip and Sophie Kazimirski were scoreless.
In the other semi, the 2nd-seeded Vancouver Britannia Bruins nipped the 6th-seeded North Vancouver St. Thomas Aquinas Fighting Saints 75-73. The Fighting Saints led 21-18, 47-36 and 63-59 at the quarters as posts Jessica Clarke and Gemma Cutler were all but unstoppable in the paint. But the Bruins rallied from a 14-point second half deficit with a 21-9 run and then held on for the win as Gemma Cutler’s game-tying layup fell thru the net a second after time had expired. Shemaiah Abatayo told Varsity Letters that “I was telling my teammates, I don’t care if you get mad at me, I’m going to keep yelling ‘help-side, help-side,’. … I kept yelling, they started to pull through and it was good.” Bruins coach Mike Evans said “we felt before the game started the key thing was the weakside help. They had to arrive before the pass was made. They couldn’t wait for the pass to come and then make their move because by then it was too late.” An Abatayo trey with 3:25 to play gave the Bruins a 71-70 lead. Fighting Saint Caelan Prescott answered with a trey. But Abatayo hit 1-2 from the line to give the Bruins a 75-73 lead with 6.3 seconds to play. The Fighting Saints opted to go inside on the final play but video showed the backboard lit up with expiration of the game clock and the ball still in Cutler’s hands. “I’m so excited right now, I don’t even know what to say,” said Abatayo. According to a hazy box score, Abatayo paced the Bruins with 35. Surprise Munie added 25, Tiana Sacco 4, Annie Le 3, Jewel Leeson 3, Laiana Padolina 2, Lagi Vaa 2 and Kristianna McKnight 1, while One Dang, Haley Wong, Anna Luong and Brooklyn Humchitt were scoreless. Jessica Clarke paced the Fighting Saints with 31. Gemma Cutler added 21, Caelan Prescott 16, Taleen Markarian 4 and Caleigh O’Flaherty 1, while Guia Panopio, Allison Conejar, Olivia Maglieri, Jordyn Lalanne, Meghan Dahl, Anni Steverding and Gabriele Panzetta were scoreless.
In the bronze medal match, the 5th-seeded Vancouver York House Tigers dispatched the 6th-seeded North Vancouver St. Thomas Aquinas Fighting Saints 65-57. The Tigers led 19-17 after one quarter. The Fighting Saints led 31-26 at the half. The Tigers led 46-41 after three quarters. According to poorly-kept scoresheet, Nadeen Wu paced the Tigers with 35. Finley Butler added 13, Rain Thomas 5, Mila Urban 4, Avery Ratcliffe 4, Sophie Kazimirski 2 and Asash Grewal 2, while Amneet Deol, Kasey Grewal, Jacqueline Smith, Emma Wright, Maddie Kostiw, Natalie Davidson and Chloe Yip were scoreless. Gemma Cutler scored 21 to pace the Fighting Saints (coaches John Prescott, Matt Clarke, Taylor Prescott and Shaun O’Connor, managers Isabella Parente, Veronica Zoleta and Lily King). Jessica Clarke added 15, Gabriele Panzetta 6, Caelan Prescott 6, Taleen Markarian 5 and Caleigh O’Flaherty 4, while Guia Panopio, Allison Conejar, Olivia Maglieri, Jordyn Lalanne, Meghan Dahl and Anni Steverding were scoreless.
In the final, the 2nd-seeded Vancouver Britannia Bruins clipped the top-seeded Langley Christian Lightning 81-73. The Lightning led 19-17 after one quarter. The Bruins led 41-37 at the half. The Lightning led 61-58 after three quarters. Bruins coach Mike Evans told Varsity Letters that his backcourt tandem of tournament MVP Shemaiah Abatayo and defensive player of the tournament Surprise Munie proved they were the best tandem in the province. “We have always tried to do that, to make the number two guard a point guard at times. So if they double-team our point guard, we get the ball to the other player.” Leading 68-67, the Bruins scored on back-to-back trips up the floor by alternating first Munie and then Abatayo at the point. They began drawing fouls and parading to the free throw line, while a Lagi Vaa layup with 1:59 left made it 76-71, and Tiana Sacco notched a putback to make it 78-71 less than a minute later. Vaa said “it feels good to do on the court what you’re meant to do.” Bruins assistant Mitra Tshan said Vaa was a pleasant addition after transferring from Bella Coola at the start of the season. “We said ‘Wow, this kid can play.’ She is smart, she has the softest hands, she works hard and today was the best she has ever played.” Abatayo said “this feels so great, so unreal, because when I was growing up in The Philippines, I was always with my dad carrying the ball. I never thought I would be able to play. Until I left, girls didn’t play basketball.” Lightning coach Dani Gardner said “we had some lay-ups that we missed and some other things that could have kept us in it, but it started to slip at the end. But we went 28-3, and I’m happy with how hard we battled. I couldn’t ask for anything more.” Munie told Postmedia that “actually, I do think I get bragging rights, because I told her (future fellow Simon Fraser teammate Mackenna Gardner) two years ago that ‘we’re going to beat you.’ At the time, it was just jokes. But this means so much to me. I really wanted us to get this win.” Carkner told BChighschoolbasketballchampionships.com that the win was meaningful to not just the players but also “the whole Downtown Eastside, east side of Vancouver, the kids that go to our feeder schools. The people who are always trying to get better and often can’t quite make it because of circumstance, so to be champion of something … it is something profound.” Abatayo added that “it means a lot. It represents our Brit community. We were talking in the locker room, we were winning this for our Brit community. We are not winning it for ourselves, we are winning it for the whole community because everyone is so supportive.” Gardner said “we worked hard. We gave it our all but we just missed some shots, missed some lay-ups, some easy stuff which would have kept us a little closer down the stretch. That’s just the nature of the game. … They have some players who are pretty dynamic, and we were just trying to slow them down and contain them as best as we could.” Surprise Munie paced the Bruins with 30 on 12-24 from the floor, 1-1 form the arc, 5-10 from the line and 12 boards. Shemaiah Abatayo added 25 on 8-26 from the floor, 0-4 from the arc, 9-10 from the line, 8 boards, 7 assists and 2 steals. Jewel Leeson notched 14 on 6-8 from the floor, 2-5 from the line, 4 boards and 2 assists. Lagi Vaa scored 5 on 2-5 from the floor, 1-2 form the line and 6 boards. Tiana Sacco added 5 on 2-5 from the floor, 6 boards and 3 blocks. Laiana Padolina scored 3 on 1-1 from the arc and 2 boards, while One Dang, Haley Wong, Annie Lee, Anna Luong, Brooklyn Humchitt and Kristianna McKnight were scoreless. The Bruins hit 31-69 (.449) from the floor, 2-6 (.333) from the arc and 17-27 (.630) from the line, while garnering 38 boards, including 14 on the offensive glass, 13 fouls, 10 assists, 20 turnovers, 5 blocks and 4 steals. Mackenna Gardner led the Lightning with 18 on 7-22 from the floor, 4-11 from the arc, 5 boards, 9 assists and 3 steals. Ava Krepp added 17 on 5-13 from the floor, 0-3 from the arc, 7-9 from the line, 6 boards and 2 steals. Lainey Shelvey notched 13 on 6-17 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc, 1-2 from the line and 10 boards. Sydney Bradshaw scored 12 on 3-12 from the floor, 1-3 from the arc, 5-7 from the line, 4 boards, 6 assists and 4 steals. Taelor Coxford added 8 on 4-9 from the floor and 2 boards. Kate Vanderzalm scored 5 on 2-5 from the floor, 1-3 from the arc and 2 boards, while Abby Berg, Jennifer Simon, Camryn Visscher, Keira Hummelman, Vivianne Velazquez and Kathryn New were scoreless. The Lighting hit 27-79 (.342) from the floor, 6-23 (.261) from the arc and 13-18 (.722) from the line, while garnering 31 boards, including 15 on the offensive glass, 20 fouls, 17 assists, 16 turnovers, 1 block and 10 steals.
Joining Shemaiah Abatayo on the all-tournament team were: Nadeen Wu (York House); Jessica Clarke (St. Thomas Aquinas); Sydney Bradshaw (Langley Christian); Gemma Cutler (St. Thomas Aquinas; and Makenna Gardner (Langley Christian).
The 2nd-team featured: Lainey Shelvey (Langley Christian); Marijke Duralia (St. John Brebeuf); Cassiel Penalosa (St. Thomas More Collegiate); Avery Ratcliffe (York House); and Gigi Gaspar (St. Thomas More Collegiate).
The bronze medalist Vancouver York House Tigers: Rain Thomas; Amneet Deol; Mila Urban; Kasey Grewal; Jacqueline Smith; Emma Wright; Nadeen Wu; Maddie Kostiw; Akash Grewal; Finley Butler; Natalie Davidson; Chloe Yip; Sophie Kazimirski; Avery Ratcliffe; coach David Prissinotti; assistant Erin Allan; assistant Eric Butler; assistant Ben Dove
The silver medalist Langley Christian Lightning: Lainey Shelvey; Makenna Gardner; Ava Krepp; Abby Berg; Jennifer Simon; Camryn Visscher; Taelor Coxford; Keira Hummelman; Kate Vanderzalm; Vivianne Velazquez; Kathryn New; Sydney Bradshaw; coach Danielle Gardner; assistant Ali Wergeland; assistant Shabbir Bell; manager Noah Huberts
The gold medalist Vancouver Britannia Bruins: One Dang; Haley Wong; Annie Le Guard; Shemaiah Abatayo; Anna Luong; Surprise Munie; Brooklyn Humchitt; Jewel Leeson; Laiana Padolina; Tiana Sacco; Lagi Vaa; Kristianna McKnight; co-coach Mike Evans; co-coach Trevor Stokes; assistant Mitra Tshan; manager Madison Brown; manager Rhodas Hagos; manager Ava Xu; general manager Ron Suzuki