In the opening round: …………………………………………………… The top-seeded Surrey Semiahmoo Totems dusted the 16th-seeded Fort St. John North Peace Oscars (some references to them as the Grizzlies) 90-29 after leading 30-5, 52-12 and 75-18 at the quarters. Tara Wallack paced the Totems with 25, along with 11 boards. Izzy Forsyth added 21, along with 10 boards, Faith Dut 17, along with 17 boards, Deja Lee 12, Raushan Bindra 5, Nicole Pajic 4, Madelyn McKinnon 4 and Emily Wubs 2, while Mikayla Brown, Tiffany Lin, Aareet Kaur were scoreless. The Totems hit 39-108 (.361) from the floor, 4-24 (.167) from the arc and 8-18 (.444) from the line, while garnering 58 boards, including 27 on the offensive glass, 7 fouls, 26 assists, 9 turnovers, 9 blocks and 23 steals. Celine Quigley paced North Peace with 11. Jessie Copes added 8, Gillian Wuthrich 4, Jordynn McPherson 2, Azaria Richards 2 and Mackenzie O’Brien 2, while Maria Giesbrecht, Alandra Herrling, Claire Turner, Martina Scheck, Alexis Ziebart, Kaylie Willboordse and Krystina Rae were scoreless. The Oscars (coaches Colin Ziebart and Eugene Concepcion) hit 13-63 (.206) from the floor, 2-10 from the arc and 1-6 from the line, while garnering 40 boards, including 10 on the offensive glass, 14 fouls, 7 assists, 37 turnovers, 2 blocks and 6 steals. …………………………………………………… The 8th-seeded Kelowna Okanagan Mission Huskies dispatched the 9th-seeded Abbotsford Panthers 91-77 after leading 22-14, 44-32 and 71-54 at the quarters. The Huskies, who had to defeat Lord Tweedsmuir in an elimination game to qualify for the draw, were determined to demonstrate their mettle, coach Meghan Faust told Varsity Letters. “I told the girls before the game ‘Don’t just settle for being here’. Let’s see what we’re capable of, and they did it all. They wanted it so bad and the Grade 12s stepped up huge. … When we stepped on the court to do our shoot-around yesterday I could just feel their energy. They were not only excited and in awe of being on Centre Court here, but they were ready to work and get ready to get what they needed to do, done.” Jenna Robinson led the Huskies with 22. Jordan Robb added 18, Makenna Jacklin 17, Melaina Corrado 16, Stef Young 7, Lily Pink 7, Jordyn Elliot 2 and Devon Felt 2, while Olivia Macdonald, Jordan Bury, Kano Kojima, Alessia Silvi and Emily Zylyk were scoreless. The Huskies hit 32-78 (.410) from the floor, 11-23 (.478) from the arc and 16-20 (.800) from the line, while garnering 48 boards, including 14 on the offensive glass, 18 fouls, 21 assists, 21 turnovers, 5 blocks and 8 steals. Marin Lenz paced Abbotsford with 41. Beryl Kithinji added 11, Bronwyn Dumerton 8, Kelsey Roufosse 7, along with 10 boards, Jessica Walton 5, Yura Wakabayashi 3 and Lindsey Roufosse 2, while Mafalda Hernandez, Sarah Johnson and Riya Sahota were scoreless. The Panthers (coaches Prentice Lenz, Elmore Abraham, Carla Lenz and Heather Feenstra, manager Dean Fetterley) hit 25-88 (.284) from the floor, 7-30 (.233) from the arc and 20-28 (.714) from the line, while garnering 33 boards, including 15 on the offensive glass, 16 fouls, 12 assists, 16 turnovers, 5 blocks and 16 steals. …………………………………………………… The 4th-seeded Abbotsford Yale Lions crushed the 13th-seeded Nanaimo District Islanders 107-44 after leading 25-10, 57-24 and 87-37 at the quarters. Tana Pankratz paced Yale with 34, along with 14 boards. Karishma Rai added 21, Neelam Rai 17, Lily Borseth 16, Kyleigh Boldt 10 and Brooklyn White 9, along with 12 boards, while Jessica Day was scoreless. The Lions hit 40-98 (.408) from the floor, 15-38 (.395) from the arc and 12-22 (.545) from the line, while garnering 53 boards, including 27 on the offensive glass, 17 fouls, 22 assists, 9 turnovers, 5 blocks and 12 steals. Sessaly Buck paced Nanaimo District with 14. Jayden Saywell added 6, Amanda Merner 6, Celia Leaf 5, Ava Alexander 4, along with 10 boards, Holly Fulton 4, Jasmine Milburn 3 and Arielle Dupuis 2, while Ava Johnson, Mia Bond, Erin Jensen, Cassidy Bur and Emily Cowling were scoreless. The Islanders (coaches Glenn Johnson and Franjo Crnkovic) hit 16-77 (.208) from the floor, 3-24 (.125) from the arc and 9-15 (.600) from the line, while garnering 39 boards, including 20 on the offensive glass, 14 fouls, 7 assists, 20 turnovers and 3 steals. …………………………………………………… The 5th-seeded Kelowna Owls thrashed the 12th-seeded Cranbrook Mount Baker Wild 94-64 after leading 26-3, 50-17 and 71-36 at the quarters. Jaeli Ibbetson paced Kelowna with 28. Kennedy Dickie added 23, along with 11 boards, Kassidy Day 11, Katrina Fink 10, Rylee Semeniuk 8 Jordan Kemper 6, Marli Gallager 4, Sophie Lachapelle 2 and Japleen Chahal 2, while Jenna Holland, Nicole Torozan and Kyara Klempner were scoreless. The Owls hit 32-93 (.344) from the floor, 13-37 (.351) from the arc and 17-22 (.773) from the line, while garnering 50 boards, including 18 on the offensive glass, 11 fouls, 21 assists, 25 turnovers, 4 blocks and 23 steals. Kiara Ker paced Mount Baker with 25 points and 11 boards. Gabby Baker scored 9, Kaliana Ewaskow 6, Summer Blackmore 4 and Josie Mackie 2, while Hannah Fenner, Ashley Giesbrecht, Nicola Chaney, Asia Mullin, Sharlene Parsons, Hallie Miller, Demiljalyne Willumeit and Kylee Conroy were scoreless. The Wild (coach Al Nutini) hit 19-78 (.244) from the floor, 4-15 (.267) from the arc and 4-8 from the line, while garnering 45 boards, including 18 on the offensive glass, 16 fouls, 9 assists, 41 turnovers and 11 steals. …………………………………………………… The 2nd-seeded Langley Walnut Grove Gators pounded the 15th-seeded Vancouver Lord Byng Grey Ghosts 102-54 after leading 23-11, 48-24 and 82-36 at the quarters. Grade 10 guard Sophia Wisotzki, who was named the defensive player of the tournament at the provincials one year earlier, told Varsity Letters that she garnered leadership skills by watching seniors Jessica Wisotzki (bound for Simon Fraser), Tavia Rowell (bound for Grand Canyon) and Rolande Taylor (bound for Trinity Western). “I try to watch them, how they lead so well, how they act and what they do on the court. They are my role models and I just feel like as team we have grown because they have shown such good leadership and we can all follow their example next year. … I felt like I took more of a leadership role after I got the Defensive Player Award. I had a role on the team of being a good defender and not just scoring a lot.” Tavia Rowell led Walnut Grove with 27. Jessica Wisotzki added 26, along with 13 boards, Sophia Wisotzki 21, Fania Taylor 13, Anneke Cairnie 7, Rolande Taylor 4, Kait Samec 2 and Amara Depradine 2, while Dayeon Choi was scoreless. The Gators hit 44-104 (.423) from the floor, 7-28 (.250) from the arc and 7-14 from the line, while garnering 52 boards, including 28 on the offensive glass, 17 fouls, 17 assists, 13 turnovers, 3 blocks and 19 steals. Maggie Mackay led Lord Byng with 18. Juliette Kladko added 14, Sierra Jaggs 14, Yvona Acimovic 6, along with 10 boards, and Stephanie Yang 2, while Engy Meseha, Hana Kimura, Joni Bromige, Meg Tobert and Serena Bai were scoreless. The Grey Ghosts (coaches Jennifer Mackay and Chris Bromige) hit 16-57 (.281) from the floor, 7-23 (.304) from the arc and 15-25 (.600) form the line, while garnering 26 boards, including 6 on the offensive glass, 12 fouls, 7 assists, 31 turnovers, 3 blocks and 9 steals. …………………………………………………… The 7th-seeded Abbotsford Robert Bateman Timberwolves spanked the 10th-seeded North Vancouver Argyle Pipers 87-48 after leading 28-16, 43-30 and 62-38 at the quarters. Timberwolves coach Dan Village told Varsity Letters that his troops were motivated by the school making its first provincial tournament. “We lost to Brookswood in the play-in game (a year earlier) and this year we were hungry for it. The girls were ready for this game. When you play the Fraser Valley teams we have all year, you get accustomed to the competitiveness in Triple A, and these girls have played in provincial tournaments in three of the last four years. This year we really wanted redemption for our squad after we missed out on a berth. … Our message is that we’re going to give our next opponent a game. We want to be competitive all week. We want to win every game. We want to show the Fraser Valley and show the Lower Mainland that teams from Abbotsford going east come from a hotbed for basketball. We want to keep it that way.” Jayden Gill paced Robert Bateman with 19, along with 15 boards. Amira Jensen scored 16, Karsen Lazeo 11, Jenna Gill 10, Kira Joaquin 9, Kayla Wilford 7, along with 12 boards, Cally Izbicki 5, Gurveer Chattu 4, Kyra Oravec-Force 3 and Amrit Uppal 3, while Kendra McLeod, Manny Gill, Mackenzie Bell, Sydney Leppky and Sarah McAllister were scoreless. The Timberwolves hit 31-90 (.344) from the floor, 12-32 (.375) from the arc and 13-16 (.813) from the line, while garnering 52 boards, including 20 on the offensive glass, 15 fouls, 12 assists, 19 turnovers and 10 steals. Hope Pearmain paced Argyle with 13. Camie Ward added 12, Holly Brewer 9, Julia Gocal 5, Ella Mellinghaus 4, Maxine Turner 4 and Haile McAndrew 1, while Sahar Balanji, Alysha May and Gabby Corben were scoreless. The Pipers (coaches Anthony Beyrouti, Alex Vieweg and Sue Kennedy, and managers Shawn White, Steve White and Sarah Mellinghaus and Vern Porter) hit 16-76 (.211) from the floor, 6-20 (.200) from the arc and 10-18 (.556) from the line, while garnering 41 boards, including 14 on the offensive glass, 13 fouls, 6 assists and 10 steals. …………………………………………………… The 6th-seeded Langley Brookswood Bobcats edged the 11th-seeded Richmond Robert A. McMath Wildcats 70-68. The Bobcats led 19-16 after one quarter and 41-30 at the half. The Wildcats led 52-50 after three quarters. “Get the defibrillator out,” Bobcats coach Chris Veale told Varsity Letters. “That’s what we said to the team We don’t have an easy draw and we knew McMath was going to be tough. We’re hoping that this sharpens us up. It’s the B.C.’s and no one is bad getting here.” Wildcats coach Chris Kennedy said “they play a lot of these close games and we’re not battle-tested that way. Two of our girls in the rotation (Marina Radocaj, Caitlin Kippan) are Grade 8s, so this is a brand new experience for them. It will be interesting to see how we respond and that they understand this is part of a building process for the next two to three years. But I am super-proud of the effort. Most people thought we were going to lose by 40 today. Brookswood is in the same conversation as Walnut Grove and Riverside. We get one bounce and we’re moving on, and they’re not.” Jenna Dick paced Brookswood with 24. Jenessa Knapp added 20, along with 12 boards, Karsen Look 8, Mackenzie Cox 4, Olivia Ohlmann 4, Lexis Knop 2, Stephanie Robb 2, Carolina Sanchez 2, Quinn Jasper 2 and Kelsey Lalonde 2, while Brooklyn Scott, Neyha Lali and Alexa Ahrens were scoreless. The Bobcats hit 28-84 (.333) from the floor, 5-21 (.238) from the arc and 9-17 (.529) from the line, while garnering 40 boards, including 13 on the offensive glass, 13 fouls, 14 assists, 17 turnovers, 4 blocks and 8 steals. Jayna Wilson led McMath with 28, including 6 treys. Elizabeth Kennedy added 16, Kate Carkner 8, Marina Radocaj 6, along with 11 boards, Caitlin Kippan 6 and Caitlin Bradley-Tse 4, while Hope Chan, Frann Trahan, Jazmine Tufnail, Abby Bodden, Bella Lawson, Amani Mahamoor, Morgan Flynn, Mackenzie Morton and Leah Hillman were scoreless. The Wildcats (coach Chris Kennedy, assistants Anne Gillrie-Carre, Steven Flynn and John Wilson) hit 27-80 (.338) from the floor, 8-26 (.308) from the arc and 6-14 (.429) from the line, while garnering 38 boards, including 17 on the offensive glass, 13 fouls, 17 assists, 14 turnovers, 2 blocks and 10 steals. …………………………………………………… The 3rd-seeded Port Coquitlam Riverside Rapids rolled the 14th-seeded Victoria Royal Bay Ravens 108-49 after leading 28-17, 62-33 and 88-39 at the quarters. Rapids guard Jessica Parker told Varsity Letters that the early start (8:45 am) didn’t faze the squad. “Because we are up so early in the morning for practices, we’re just there already, ready to compete. We go so hard in practice every morning, so I think that is a benefit. We’re just always prepared in the morning. … That’s a good team, I know they beat Terry Fox earlier this season. It was pretty crazy, I am not going to lie, the flow was there. I don’t know, we were just on fire.” Jessica Parker paced Riverside with 33, including 7 treys, along with 10 boards. Sammy Shields scored 26, Tessa Burton 19, Katia Tarry 7, Alanya Davignon 6, along with 13 boards, Sarah Wade 5, Jane Mackinnon 4, Adrienne Willems 2, Veronica Moino 2, Alexa Kinnaird 2, Keimi Cueller 1 and Anasha Thomas 1. The Rapids hit 39-93 (.419) from the floor, 21-44 (.477) from the arc and 9-15 (.600) from the line, while garnering 51 boards, including 18 on the offensive glass, 11 fouls, 20 assists, 25 turnovers and 15 steals. Emilie Daitl paced Royal Bay with 14. Rachel Schmidt added 8, Nanoka Abe 8, Hannah Cormode 7, Bella Vedova 3, Maggie Fehr 3, along with 12 boards, Mya Bains 2, Hayley Pettigrew 2, Vivienne Nguyen 1 and Mikayla Stranberg 2, while Jordan Scoville, Kaylee Jordison, Rachel Gschiel and Makenna Gargus were scoreless. The Ravens (coach Kevin Harrington, assistants Brooke Daitl, Shawn Fehr and Mo Hood) hit 17-73 (.233) from the floor, 8-30 (.267) from the arc and 7-12 (.583) from the line, while garnering 38 boards, including 14 on the offensive glass, 18 fouls, 9 assists, 36 turnovers and 11 steals.
In the quarterfinals, the 6th-seeded Langley Brookswood Bobcats nipped the 3rd-seeded Port Coquitlam Riverside Rapids 90-86 after leading 24-18, 42-28 and 67-57 at the quarters. Jessica Parker and Sammy Shields rallied the Rapids from a 17-point deficit to a four-point lead with three minutes to play. But Mackenzie Cox drove for a tough layup that gave the Bobcats an 86-81 lead and though Shields added a trey with 35 seconds to play, Cox hit a pair of free throws to ice the win. Bobcats coach Chris Veale told Varsity Letters that “if you look back historically, the Brookswood-Riverside rivalry has been unreal for the last 10 years. The last few have been so tight, and today was probably the best defensive game we have played. … You’ve got to contain Parker and I think she has the biggest heart in the province right now. And Sammy, she is severely dangerous. She’s like silk. She moves so well. She’s so smooth she reminds me of Sam Perkins, the Big Smooth.” Veale added that Eastern Washington-bound Jenna Dick “gets lot of recognition for her offence and she’s hit a lot of threes, but she can actually play great defence.” Jenna Dick paced Brookswood with 28 points and 11 boards. Olivia Ohlmann added 14, Mackenzie Cox 14, Kelsey Lalonde 12, Quinn Jasper 9, Karsen Look 6, Jenessa Knapp 5 and Carolina Sanchez 2, while Lexis Knop, Brooklyn Scott, Stephanie Robb, Neyha Lali and Alexa Ahrens were scoreless. The Bobcats hit 34-76 (.447) from the floor, 9-21 (.429) from the arc and 13-22 (.591) from the line, while garnering 45 boards, including 11 on the offensive glass, 21 fouls, 26 assists, 32 turnovers, 3 blocks and 8 steals. Jessica Parker paced Riverside with 36. Sammy Shields added 32, Tessa Burton 10, Adrienne Willems 4 and Katia Tarry, while Sarah Wade, Keimi Cuellar, Jane Mackinnon, Alanya Davignon, Veronica Moino, Anasha Thomas and Alexa Kinnaird were scoreless. The Rapids (coaches Paul Langford and Jeremy Neufeld, and managers Jayden Linkletter and Adelyn Ho) hit 30-92 (.326) from the floor, 14-43 (.326) from the arc and 12-21 (.571) from the line, while garnering 36 boards, including 16 on the offensive glass, 18 fouls, 11 assists, 18 turnovers, 1 block and 16 steals.
The 5th-seeded Kelowna Owls nipped the 4th-seeded Abbotsford Yale Lions 65-64. The Owls led 20-16 after one quarter. The Lions led 35-33 at the half. The Owls led 50-48 after three quarters. Owls coach Darren Semeniuk told Varsity Letters that “I was just saying how lucky we were to get away with that one. But we did have some big moments from key players. It doesn’t matter what you look like for the first 38 minutes, if you can find a way to win in the last two minutes, it tells you a lot about what’s going on in your locker room, and the character that your Grade 12s are bringing.” The Owls ripped off a 9-3 run – featuring back-to-back transition layups by Jaeli Ibbetson, a driving layup by Rylee Semeniuk, and a layup and a free throw by Kennedy Dickie – to take a 65-63 lead with 59.7 seconds to play. The Lions missed an opportunity to force overtime by missin a free throw with 1.7 seconds to play. With 11.6 seconds to play, Owl guard Kassidy Day missed a pair of free throws which could have iced the game. “We just patted her on the back and said ‘We need to D-up,’” said Ibbetson. “We just had to stay in the game and we did it, and we did it by staying together.” The Lions played with just six players, with starting point guard Neelam Rai sidelined by an ankle injury. “We came really close minus our starting point guard,” said Lions’ coach Bobby Braich, “so we went with six and we said ‘Next soldier up’ and we dedicated this game to her.” Ibbetson said “it was such an amazing feeling, coming in as underdogs and beating the fouth-seeded team. We’re all super happy because all year we’ve had to work our way up.” Jaeli Ibbetson paced Kelowna with 21 points and 20 boards. Kennedy Dickie notched 15, along with 14 boards, Rylee Semeniuk 13, Kassidy Day 9, Jordan Kemper 5 and Nicole Torozan 2, while Katrina Fink, Sophie Lachapelle, Japleen Chahal, Jenna Holland, Kyara Klempner and Marli Gallager wee scoreless. The Owls hit 23-80 (.287) from the arc, 5-24 (.208) from the arc and 14-25 (.560) from the line, while garnering 59 boards, including 17 on the offensive glass, 16 fouls, 9 assists, 24 turnovers, 2 blocks and 7 steals. Tana Pankratz paced Yale with 26 points and 12 boards. Kyleigh Boldt added 10, Brooklyn White 8, Karishma Rai 8, Lily Borseth 6 and Jessica Day 6, while Neelam Rai was scoreless. The Lions (coach Bobby Braich, assistant Jason Borseth, manager Tavleen Dhindsa) hit 24-91 (.264) from the floor, 5-22 (.227) from the arc and 11-21 (.524) from the line, while garnering 46 boards, including 16 on the offensive glass, 18 fouls, 8 assists, 14 turnovers, 7 blocks and 11 steals.
The top-seeded Surrey Semiahmoo Totems torched the 8th-seeded Kelowna Okanagan Mission Huskies 86-33 after leading 28-6, 53-15 and 76-27 at the quarters. Totems coach Allison McNeill told Varsity Letters that “it’s so exciting to go to the Final Four because we’re so young. Last year it was all new and we played well to place fourth. This year we know we’re in the Final Four, we’re focusing on who are opponent will be and we’re ready to go.” McNeill added she told her troops to take the weekend before the tournament off. “I said to them ‘Go be a kid. I didn’t want to see them. I needed two days away, too. Then we came back and had solid practices. We focused on our defence and our execution, which I think are things we’re good at.” Izzy Forsyth paced Semiahmoo with 30 points and 12 boards. Faith Dut added 15, along with 10 boards, Tara Wallack 12, Raushan Bindra 9, Deja Lee 9, Emily Wubs 6, Tiffany Lin 3 and Nicole Pajic 2, while Mikayla Brown, Aareet Kaur and Madelyn McKinnon were scoreless. The Totems hit 32-81 (.395) from the floor, 3-17 (.176) from the arc and 19-27 (.704) from the line, while garnering 51 boards, including 17 on the offensive glass, 8 fouls, 18 assists, 20 turnovers, 2 blocks and 20 steals. Jordan Robb paced Okanagan Mission with 12. Makenna Jacklin added 11, Lily Pink 4, AA (#14) 4 and Stef Young 2, while Olivia MacDonald, Jordan Bury, Melaina Corrado, Jenna Robinson, Jordyn Elliot, Devon Felt, Kano Kojima, Alessia Silva and Emily Zylyk were scoreless. The Huskies (coach Meghan Faust, assistants Cassidy deVeer, Emma Parmar and Kali deVeer, and manager Jill Robinson) hit 12-59 (.203) from the floor, 7-29 (.241) from the arc and 2-9 (.222) from the line, while garnering 22 boards, including 6 on the offensive glass, 19 fouls, 9 assists, 31 turnovers and 9 steals.
In the last quarterfinal, the 2nd-seeded Langley Walnut Grove Gators clubbed the 7th-seeded Abbotsford Robert Bateman Timberwolves 56-24 after leading 28-15, 56-24 and 75-35 at the quarters. Gators coach Darren Rowell told Varsity Letters that Jessica Wisotzki was unbelievable tonight. She stepped up to that notch that we need her to be at. We hope (B.C. Player of the Year) Tavia (Rowell) pulls up behind, and Sophia (Wisotzki) has been great. Ro (Taylor), too, with 15 rebounds, and her Grade 9 sister Fania, you can’t sleep on her because she is playing well and getting to the rim.” Rowell added that his troops did an exceptional job containing Timberwolves star Jayden Gill. “Gill is really good, she’s such huge energy for them, she is their motor, so we tried to focus on shutting that down.” Timberwolves coach Dan Village said “we did take a big step. Today, we knew were in tough. We wanted to be as competitive as we could because (Walnut Grove) is a powerhouse. I was a little disappointed with our second quarter, but this was a learning experience for those 11s and 10s. And I am happy that are Grade 12s battled it out.” Jessica Wisotzki paced Walnut Grove with 30, along with 13 boards. Tavia Rowell added 20, Sophia Wisotzki 14, Fania Taylor 10, Rolande Taylor 7, along with 15 boards, Anneke Cairnie 2, Kait Samec 2 and Amara Depradine 1, while Daveon Choi was scoreless. The Gators hit 32-93 (.344) from the floor, 11-24 (.458) from the arc and 11-18 (.611) from the line, while garnering 54 boards, including 23 on the offensive glass, 21 fouls, 14 assists, 10 turnovers and 14 steals. Jayden Gill led Robert Bateman with 16, along with 12 boards. Kayla Wilford added 8, Jenna Gill 7, Gurveer Chattu 5, Kira Joaquin 4, Manny Gill 2, Sydney Leppky 2 and Cally Izbicki 1, while Kyra Oravec-Force, Amrit Uppal, Kendra McLeod, Karsen Lazeo, Amira Jensen, MacKenzie Bell and Sarah McAllister were scoreless. The Timberwolves (coached by Dan Village and Mal Gill) hit 17-69 (.246) from the floor, 3-23 (.130) from the arc and 8-20 (.400) from the line, while garnering 39 boards, including 12 on the offensive glass, 15 fouls, 26 turnovers, 1 block and 4 steals.
In the semis, the top-seeded Surrey Semiahmoo Totems clipped the 5th-seeded Kelowna Owls 82-64 after leading 19-13, 34-33 and 60-49 at the quarters. The Totems drained a host of timely treys as they handled the Owls zone defence. “We had them on the ropes for the first half,” Owls coach Darren Semeniuk told Varsity Letters. “It kind of played out the way we wanted it to. We packed the paint on them, we tried to take away Izzy and Faith (Dut’s) flashes in the middle, because once the ball gets deep like that, even if they miss they are getting their own rebounds. So we forced them to shoot from the outside and it worked. But then (Semiahmoo head coach) Allison (McNeill) went a little smaller (in the second half). She put more shooters around the outside, and then as soon as a couple of them got hot, they extended their lead. But that was our plan, to give those (jump shots) up. We had to pick something. Even when we went back to man (-to-man defence), it’s a really hard match-up to guard Izzy (Forsyth) and Faith (Dut) in there, especially now that they are shooting the ball and we’re extending our defence. We leave a lot of gaps when we go man-to-man.” Forsyth said “the score was almost tied at the half. We knew we had to bring it in the second half because they were never going to give up. Our team has a saying that the first five minutes of the third quarter are the most important minutes of the game.” A 26-16 Semiahmoo third quarter run proved the difference. Totems coach Allison McNeill said “we just said we were going to stick with what we were doing, and that we didn’t get here by being a bad team. I just think in the second half, we made some shots that we didn’t make in the first half. I thought Raushan (Bindra) and DJ (Deja Lee) really stepped up. I thought the whole team did.” Izzy Forsyth paced Semiahmoo with 23 on 10-21 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc, 3-4 from the line, 14 boards and 2 steals. Tara Wallack added 18 on 6-18 from the floor, 2-7 from the arc, 4-4 from the line, 11 boards and 3 steals. Deja Lee notched 15 on 6-17 from the floor, 3-8 from the arc, 8 boards, 11 assists and 3 steals. Raushan Bindra scored 12 on 4-12 from the floor, 4-11 from the arc, 4 boards and 4 assists. Nicole Pajic added 8 on 3-5 from the floor, 2-4 from the arc and 2 boards. Faith Dut scored 6 on 3-10 from the floor, 7 boards and 3 blocks, while Mikayla Brown, Emily Wubs, Tiffany Lin, Aareet Kaur and Madelyn McKinnon were scoreless. Wubs nabbed 3 boards, dished 3 assists and blocked 2 shots. The Totems hit 32-85 (.376) from the floor, 11-32 (.344) from the arc and 7-8 (.875) from the line, while garnering 49 boards, including 17 on the offensive glass, 12 fouls, 20 assists, 7 blocks and 10 steals. Jaeli Ibbetson paced Kelowna with 30 on 11-30 from the floor, 3-10 from the arc, 5-8 from the line, 14 boards and 2 steals. Kennedy Dickie added 11 on 4-17 from the floor, 0-4 from the arc, 3-5 from the line and 11 boards. Rylee Semeniuk notched 10 on 4-11 from the floor, 2-5 from the arc and 4 assists. Jordan Kemper scored 6 on 3-7 from the floor and 10 boards. Katrina Fink added 5 on 2-4 from the floor and 1-3 from the arc. Nichol Torozan scored 2 on 1-1 from the floor, while Sophie Lachapelle, Japleen Chahal, Jenna Holland, Kassidy Day, Kyara Klempner and Marli Gallager were scoreless. The Owls hit 25-78 (.321) from the floor, 6-30 (.200) from the arc and 8-13 (.615) from the line, while garnering 41 boards, including 12 on the offensive glass, 8 fouls, 7 assists, 18 turnovers, 2 blocks and 5 steals.
In the other semi, the 2nd-seeded Langley Walnut Grove Gators dispatched the 6th-seeded Langley Brookswood Bobcats 73-63 after leading 23-19, 42-31 and 60-46 at the quarters. Gators forward Tavia Rowell told Varsity Letters that “they were grinding the whole game, that was a good semifinal game. But it’s better than having an easy win because now we are ready to work. Now we know what level we have to play to beat Semi(ahmoo).” Gators coach Darren Rowell said “that was hard work. They are a tough team, they made us work for everything, and they really made it difficult for us to do what we want to do on offence.” Rowell added that the difference was improved ball movement in the final quarter. Tavia Rowell paced Walnut Grove with 25 on 10-22 from the floor, 1-3 from the arc, 4-4 from the line, 6 boards, 2 assists and 2 steals. Sophia Wisotzki added 14 on 5-13 from the floor, 4-9 from the arc, 0-2 from the line, 3 boards and 4 steals. Jessica Wisotzki notched 14 on 4-13 form the floor, 0-3 from the arc, 6-6 from the line, 4 boards and 4 steals. Fania Taylor scored 10 on 4-15 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc, 2-4 from the line, 9 boards, 3 assists and 2 steals. Rolande Taylor added 8 on 4-11 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc, 15 boards, 3 assists and 4 steals. Anneke Cairnie scored 2 on 1-2 form the floor, while Dayeon Choi, Kait Samec and Amara Depradine were scoreless. The Gators hit 29-76 (.368) from the floor, 5-19 (.263) from the arc and 12-16 (.750) from the line, while garnering 38 boards, including 10 on the offensive glass, 11 fouls, 10 assists, 17 turnovers, 1 block and 16 steals. Jenna Dick paced Brookswood with 14 on 4-19 from the floor, 2-8 from the arc, 4-4 from the line, 7 boards, 3 assists and 2 steals. Karen Look added 12 on 5-10 from the floor, 2-2 from the line, 11 boards and 2 steals. Jenessa Knapp notched 11 on 5-21 from the floor, 0-6 from the arc, 1-1 form the line, 4 boards and 4 assists. Kelsey Lalonde scored 10 on 2-7 from the floor, 6-6 from the line and 2 boards. Carolina Sanchez added 5 on 2-5 from the floor, 1-4 from the arc and 2 steals. Quinn Jasper added 5 on 2-4 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc and 4 boards. Mackenzie Cox notched 4 on 1-8 from the floor, 1-4 from the arc, 1-2 from the line and 3 boards. Olivia Ohlmann added 2 on 1-1 form the floor and 4 boards, while Lexis Knop, Brooklyn Scott, Stephanie Robb, Neyha Lali and Alexa Ahrens were scoreless. The Bobcats hit 22-75 (.293) from the floor, 5-24 (.208) from the arc and 14-15 (.933) from the line, while garnering 35 boards, including 11 on the offensive glass, 9 fouls, 10 assists, 21 turnovers, 2 blocks and 10 steals.
In the bronze medal match, the 6th-seeded Langley Brookswood Bobcats dispatched the 5th-seeded Kelowna Owls 73-62. The Bobcats led 15-7 after one quarter. The Owls led 27-26 at the half. The Bobcats led 51-35 after three quarters. Jenna Dick paced the Bobcats with 36. Jenessa Knapp added 20, Karsen Look 6, Lexis Knop 5, Stephanie Robb 2, Olivia Ohlmann 2 and Kelsey Lalonde 2, while Brooklyn Scott, Carolina Sanchez, Quinn Jasper, Neyha Lali, Alexa Ahrens and Mackenzie Cox were scoreless. Jaeli Ibbetson paced Kelowna with 24. Jordan Kemper added 10, Kennedy Dickie 8, Katrina Fink 7, Kyara Klempner 6, Kassidy Day 5 and Nicole Torozan 2, while Sophie Lachapelle, Japleen Chahal, Jenna Holland, Rylee Semeniuk and Marli Gallager were scoreless. The Owls were coached by Darren Semeniuk, assisted by Heather Semeniuk and Quentin Thiessen.
In the final, the top-seeded Surrey Semiahmoo Totems defeated the 2nd-seeded Langley Walnut Grove Gators 72-61 to cap an undefeated (40-0) campaign for a team of seven players featuring 6 grade 10s. The Gators led 15-9 after one quarter and 28-21 at the half after the Totems ripped off a late 12-2 run featuring a pair of treys by tournament MVP and player of the game Deja Lee. The Totems led 46-44 after three quarters. The Totems trailed 26-9 early as they shook out the jitters, while the Gators ripped off a 19-0 run. “I think it was mostly nerves,” point guard Deja Lee told Varsity Letters. “None of us had ever played in front of a crowd like that, and I think some of us were a little shocked by it. After a while, though, we realized that we could do this. We got our heads together. We took a deep breath.” Totems coach Allison McNeill said “I looked up at one point, and you always in your heart of hearts, believe your team can win. I’ve always been that way. But I looked up (at the scoreboard) and saw nine points. I thought holy cow, are we ever going to hit double digits?” Gators coach Darren Rowell said “I loved our energy to start the game. But I thought it was their defensive pressure in the second quarter that caused us problems and took us out of what we wanted to do offensively.” Lee’s two treys late in the half calmed the nerves. “That was a little set we put in just before the B.C.’s,” McNeill said. “Everyone has been keying on DJ, so we put in a little set to let her have some shots.” The Totems took a 40-38 lead with four minutes to play in the third quarter and slowly pulled away, benefitting from the return of Florida University-bound Faith Dut to the floor after being replaced because of foul trouble, and the fact the Gators post Ro Taylor, fouled out with seven minutes remaining. Rowell said “to be on this stage, taking on that type of assignment, checking that kind of talent in Faith Dut, I thought her (Anneke Cairnie, who replaced Taylor) energy was awesome. … They are just a great team that is really hard to defend. When Deja started popping threes and then Faith got going inside, there were just too many weapons to deal with. … I could not be more proud. For five years they competed at a super-high level and to finish second (at senior varsity) twice is difficult, but it’s also very difficult to be at this level year in and year out.” McNeill said “every moment is the best moment when you’re in it. So right now, this is the best moment I’ve had in a long time. I was thinking about my old high school coach Joe Kupkee (at Salmon Arm High). … I was thinking how proud he might be that I was coaching and giving back at the high school level because he was a teacher and a coach and he was so dedicated to us. But today, it is the kids that deserve the credit. Their comeback was epic.” Faith Dut paced Semiahmoo with 23. Deja Lee added 19, Izzy Forsyth 17, along with 11 boards, and Tara Wallack 13, while Raushan Bindra, Mikayla Brown, Emily Wubs, Tiffany Lin, Aareet Kaur, Nicole Pajic and Madelyn McKinnon were scoreless. Jessica Wisotzki led Walnut Grove with 28, along with 13 boards. Tavia Rowell added 19, along with 9 boards, defensive player of the tournament Sophia Wisotzki 6, Rolande Taylor 6, along with 12 boards, and Fania Taylor 2, while Anneke Cairnie, Dayeon Choi, Kait Samec and Amara Depradine were scoreless.
The all-tournament 1st team featured MVP Deja Lee (Semiahmoo); Jenna Dick (Brookswood); Izzy Forsyth (Semiahmoo); Jaeli Ibbetson (Kelowna); Tavia Rowell (Walnut Grove); and Jessica Wisotzki (Walnut Grove).
The 2nd team featured: Kennedy Dickie (Kelowna); Faith Dut (Semiahmoo); Sammy Shields (Riverside); Tara Wallack (Semiahmoo); and Sophia Wisotzki (Walnut Grove).
The honourable mentions were: Jenessa Knapp (Brookswood); Maryn Lenz (Abbotsford); Jessica Parker (Riverside); Tana Pentcratz (Yale); and Fania Taylor (Walnut Grove).
The bronze medalist Langley Brookswood Bobcats: Lexis Knop; Brooklyn Scott; Jenna Dick; Stefanie Robb; Carolina Sanchez; Quinn Jasper; Jenessa Knapp; Neyha Lali; Olivia Ohlmann; Alexa Ahrens; Kelsey Lalonde; Karsen Look; Mackenzie Cox; coach Chris Veale; assistant Luca Schmidt; manager Alyssa Hall; manager Sidney Cartmell
The silver medalist Langley Walnut Grove Gators: Tavia Rowell; Sophia Wisotzki; Fania Taylor; Anneke Cairnie; Jessica Wisotzki; Rolande Taylor; Dayeon Choi; Kait Samec; Amara Depradine; coach Darren Rowell; assistant Juanita Rowell; assistant Marilyn Wisotzki; manager Tia Rowell
The gold medalist Semiahmoo Totems: Raushan Bindra; Mikayla Brown; Tara Wallack; Emily Wubs; Tiffany Lin ; Deja Lee; Aareet Kaur; Nicole Pajic; Izzy Forsyth; Madelyn McKinnon; Faith Dut; coach Allison McNeill; assistant Lori Pajic; assistant Rob Wilson