In the opening round: …………………………………………………… The top-seeded Abbotsford Panthers clocked the 16th-seeded Vancouver Magee Lions 98-33 after leading 30-4, 60-18 and 82-31 at the quarters. Magee coach Russell Potkonjak told Varsity Letters that the Panthers “looked like a No. 1 seed, they capitalized on turnovers, got easy buckets… they made stuff look easy.” Potkonjak added that Panthers point guard Marin Lenz was dominant. “I think she controls the game really well. She just sets the tone.” Marin Lenz led the Panthers with 28, while nabbing 13 boards, dishing 7 assists and pilfering 6 balls. Chelsey Dulku added 19, Lakresha Edwards 16, Malia Lenz 14, along with 10 boards, Reegan Ashton 6, Jessica Walton 6, Yura Wakabayashi 3, Sarah Johnson 2, Priya Alamwala 2 and Lindsey Roufosse 2, while Tianna Page-Willox, Riya Sihota and Nyah Vermeulen were scoreless. The Panthers hit 38-92 (.413) from the floor, 10-31 (.323) from the arc and 12-15 (.800) from the line, while garnering 52 boards, including 21 on the offensive glass, 6 fouls, 23 assists, 25 turnovers, 3 blocks and 25 steals. Maya Jurosevic paced the Lions with 10. Megan Soo added 8, Emily Potkonjak 7, Grace Li 4, Keilani Hawley 3 and Tamara Vukota 1, while Taylor Scott, Miriam Tang, Ali Chong and Joy DeJesus were scoreless. The Lions (coach Russell Potkonjak, manager Kristy Fan) hit 15-70 (.214) from the floor, 1-19 (.053) from the arc and 2-8 from the line, while garnering 38 boards, including 15 on the offensive glass, 12 fouls, 7 assists, 37 turnovers, 3 blocks and 10 steals. …………………………………………………… The 9th-seeded Prince George Duchess Park Condors clipped the 8th-seeded Chilliwack G.W. Graham Grizzlies 68-58. The Grizzlies led 16-9, 30-24 and 45-42 at the quarters. Condors point guard Logan Cruz took command in the second half.
“Our post players (6-3 Jasmin Schlick and 6-0 Karynne Hampe) are a big asset but they had (6-foot-2) Julia (Tuchscherer), too, so I knew I had to step up. … If I ever struggle with my shot in the game … I just forget about (a miss) and it’s all about just stepping forward.” Cruz hit a pair of momentum-shifting treys to draw the Condors within 45-42 in the third quarter. Logan Cruz paced the Condors with 20. Kamrynn Hampe added 12, along with 10 boards, Hannah Loukes 11, Jasmine Schlick 9, along with 10 boards, Grace Caillier 9, Jayda Pigeau 6 and Talisa Ferguson 2, while Rylie Teegee-Zatorski, Payton Cruz, Tanesha Thomas, Courtney Bouwman, Katie Shchepotkina and Jordyn Connor were scoreless. The Condors hit 29-82 (.354) from the floor, 7-26 (.269) from the line and 3-7 from the arc, while garnering 42 boards, including 22 on the offensive glass, 19 fouls, 15 assists, 25 turnovers, 7 blocks and 17 steals. Sydney Owens paced the Grizzlies with 16. Julia Tuchscherer added 13, along with 11 boards, Sydney Ma 12, Kennedy Hall 8, Madison Zillwood 5, Megan Owens 2 and Taylor Wright 2, while Paitra Hall, Love Lee and Kennedy Campbell were scoreless. The Grizzlies (coaches Sarah Mouritzen, Sara Barrow, Ashley Hayes and Josh Hall, managers Mackenzie Campbell and Montana Edgington) hit 20-68 (.294) from the floor, 7-21 from the arc and 11-18 (.611) from the line, while garnering 38 boards, including 14 on the offensive glass, 14 assists, 30 turnovers, 1 block and 11 steals. …………………………………………………… The 4th-seeded North Vancouver Argyle Pipers whipped the 13th-seeded Delta Pacers 71-30 after leading 12-9, 37-15 and 55-22 at the quarters. Pipers coach Anthony Beyrouti told Varsity Letters that the team’s superior depth wore down the Pacers. “The top players push the bottom players and the bottom players push the top players … We get after it pretty good at practice. And what having a big roster where everyone is capable of playing, is that if you don’t come to play at the start of the second half, of if the starters decided they didn’t want to show up, it’s … next! You have to be ready to play all the time, or you’re not going to be playing.” Holly Brewer led the Pipers with 12. Hope Pearmain added 9, Ryann Kristmanson 9, Julia Gocal 8, Gabbie Francis 7, along with 11 boards, Ella Mellinghaus 7, Aiko Williams 6, Kate Walton 5, Gracie Ivany 3, Gabby Joyce 3 and Gabby Corben 2, while Tatianna Matonovich, Alysha Mah, Maxine Turner and Anna McTavish were scoreless. The Pipers hit 28-87 (.322) from the floor, 6-21 (.286) from the arc and 9-21 (.429) from the line, while garnering 48 boards, including 15 on the offensive glass, 20 fouls, 19 assists, 21 turnovers, 1 block and 24 steals. Nava Hothi paced the Paces with 7. Abbey Wrigglesworth added 7, Emma Webster 7, Mackenzie Campbell 4, Kim Williams 3 and Hannah Beaumont 2, while Avielle Wellington, Emily Barron, Haruhi Sakaki, Alisha Saran and Kennedy Ainge were scoreless. The Pacers (coached by Kerrie Trotman and Paige Collings) hit 9-67 (.134) from the floor, 2-11 (.182) from the arc and 10-26 (.385) from the line, while garnering 41 boards, including 16 on the offensive glass, 14 fouls, 5 assists, 37 turnovers and 9 steals. …………………………………………………… The 5th-seeded South Kamloops Titans dispatched the 12th-seeded Parksville Ballenas Whalers 52-42. The Whalers led 14-11 after one quarter. The score as knotted at 23 at the half. The Titans led 38-28 after three quarters. Titans wing Kendra McDonald told Varsity Letters that “it feels great after the past two years (in which the Titans won the provincial crown), because that puts a lot of pressure on you. So we just wanted to come in here and get that first win, and now we’re in the top eight. … I just wanted to be able to keep the energy up and for us to not get down on ourselves if we made any mistakes.” Kendra McDonald paced the Titans with 18, while nabbing 20 boards and pilfering 8 balls. Fiona Brisco notched 16, along with 10 boards, Pyper Ansley 12 and Camille Clinet 6, while Portia Comrie, Kendra Kaczur, Taysia Fraser, Kiana Onyango, Grace McDonald and Sadie Moyer were scoreless. The Titans hit 22-97 (.227) from the floor, 2-26 (.077) from the arc and 6-11 (.545) from the line, while garnering 47 boards, including 22 on the offensive glass, 9 fouls, 3 assists, 14 turnovers and 25 steals. Abigail Becker paced the Whalers with 16, while nabbing 29 boards. Kaelin Sundberg-Groot added 9, Cierra Pinter 8, Cassidy Kellow 3, Isabella Covartubias 2, Kate Morrison 2 and Jaymee Scollon 2, while Samantha Maoney, Ellie Dugas, Grace Blackthorne, Hayley Weeks and Tabitha Devaughn were scoreless. The Whalers 9coached by Bryan Spray and Brittany Parker) hit 16-64 (.250) from the floor, 3-14 (.214) from the arc and 7-14 from the line, while garnering 56 boards, including 16 on the offensive glass, 10 fouls, 8 assists, 33 turnovers, 9 blocks and 7 steals. …………………………………………………… The 2nd-seeded Kelowna Okanagan Mission Huskies dusted the 15th-seeded Prince Rupert Charles Hays Rainmakers 116-22 after leading 30-6, 61-11 and 94-22 at the quarters. Huskies coach Meghan Faust told Varsity Letters that “since Day 1 I have seen they are such a team… unlike any other I have ever coached. They are so unselfish, they only care about helping each other get better, improving as a team and winning. … They are like sisters.” Lily Pink paced the Huskies with 19. Devon Felt added 15, Makenna Jacklin 13, Jordyn Elliot 13, Tatum Wade 13, Elana Corrado 12, Melaina Corrado 11, Stella Lagrange 9, Shae Faitala 6 and Jordan Bury 5, while Celeste Roosdahl was scoreless. The Huskies hit 49-99 (.495) from the floor, 7-16 (.438) from the arc and 11-14 (.786) from the line, while garnering 52 boards, including 21 on the offensive glass, 4 fouls, 24 assists, 10 turnovers, 7 blocks and 18 steals. Payton Henry led the Rainmakers with 17. Nikki Davis added 4 and Justice Joseph 1, while Marika Brown, Evelyn Johnson-Clark, Dannica Budskin, Venisha Cruz, Simran Padda, Maddie Picard, Kate Lindsay and Rebecca Jansen were scoreless. The Rainmakers (coached by Anna Ashley and Sonny Henry, assistant Billie Leeson) hit 7-61 (.115) from the floor, 4-42 (.095) from the arc and 4-6 from the line, while garnering 28 boards, including 11 on the offensive glass, 9 fouls, 32 turnovers and 7 steals. …………………………………………………… The 7th-seeded Kamloops Valleyview Vikings spanked the 10th-seeded Pitt Meadows Marauders 66-45 after leading 22-8, 31-26 and 51-26 at the quarters. Vikings coach Scott Reeves told Varsity Letters that “they have traveled a lot, spent so much time in hotel rooms, trained for different scouting reports … and through it all, they all bought in like a family. So for them to pull off a win in the provincial tournament is a special thing. I told them opportunities come along in life, and if you don’t take them, you may never see them again. We don’t know what tomorrow will bring.” Jaydyn Overwater paced the Vikings with 19. Jess Orr added 15, McKenna Reeves 11, along with 12 boards, Jaya Saroya 9, Indigo Learie 8 and Rebekah Schmutz 4, while Alicia Blackford, Jocelyn Orr, Emma Trotta, Mackenzie Pittenger, Ava Trotta, Tlel Schreiner, Gloria Buff and Jamie Horsman were scoreless. The Vikings hit 26-80 (.325) from the floor, 10-41 (.244) from the arc and 4-8 from the line, while garnering 55 boards, including 17 on the offensive glass, 16 fouls, 15 assists, 15 turnovers, 1 block and 7 steals. Vanessa Lagrange paced the Marauders with 17. Grace Jorgenson added 8, Kei Ito 7, Madison Ferguson 4, Kyla Malone 3, along with 11 boards, Naomi Cooke 2, Alyssa Green 2 and Jordyn Hopia 2, while Isabella Robinson, Marcella Alvarado and Jillian Severinski were scoreless. The Marauders (coached by Kevin Severinski, assisted by Audra Severinski and Kayla Robson, manager Brianna Fletcher) hit 19-92 (.207) from the floor, 2-15 (.133) from the arc and 5-15 from the line, while garnering 49 boards, including 20 on the offensive glass, 19 fouls, 7 assists, 13 turnovers, 1 block and 6 steals. …………………………………………………… The 3rd-seeded Richmond R.A. McMath Wildcats torched the 14th-seeded Courtenay Mark R. Isfeld Ice 82-36 after leading 28-11, 41-18 and 59-22 at the quarters. “We haven’t won a first-round game since (2016), there have been two first-round losses since,” Wildcats point guard Liz Kennedy told Varsity Letters. “They were winnable games, so to get to the Final 8 is special. … We lost by two last year and that was a really big heartbreaker. Between me and (teammates) Rina (Marina Radocaj), Caitlin (Kippan) and Abby (Bodden), we said we were all going to come back one year older and one year better for having gone through the experience.” Kee Holweg paced the Wildcats with 15. Abby Bodden added 15, Liz Kennedy 13, Caitlin Kippan 13, Quincy Hinds 10, Marina Radocaj 8, Hope Chang 6 and Caitlin Bradley-Tse 2, while Kate Carkner was scoreless. The Wildcats hit 34-89 (.382) from the floor, 10-19 (.526) from the arc and 4-10 from the line, while garnering 41 boards, including 15 on the offensive glass, 13 fouls, 14 assists, 13 turnovers, 1 block and 21 steals. Harriette Cunningham paced the Ice with 15, while nabbing 15 boards. Myah Erikson notched 7, Sydney Sutherland 6, Juliet Patry 4, Taylor Souter 2 and Annelies Burritt 2, while Lauren Linegar, Rachel Jones, Kyra Hagel, Lucia Yun, Nicole Brindisi and Meghan Linegar were scoreless. The Ice (coaches Ken Erikson and Sherri Bohmer, managers Michelle Erikson and Jake Bohmer) hit 16-62 (.258) from the floor, 3-15 (.200) from the arc and 1-14 (.071) from the line, while garnering 41 boards, including 13 on the offensive glass, 9 fouls, 5 assists, 33 turnovers, 2 blocks and 6 steals. …………………………………………………… The 6th-seeded Clearbrook Mennonite Educational Institute Eagles clipped the 11th-seeded Vernon Panthers 66-51 after leading 25-12, 40-26 and 58-40 at the quarters. “There is a belief now that we are an elite team,” Eagles coach Rick Thiessen told Varsity Letters. “We took some tough losses early in the season to Abbotsford, and we played Okanagan Mission our second game of the season. We just weren’t ready. … Today was a great measuring stick to show that we have made progress.” Gracie Corneau paced the Eagles with 23. Taylor Ewert added 17, Jazmin Avila 13, along with 14 boards, Makenna Reimer 6, Rishana Kingra 3, Maddy Naruse 2 and Cailin Bitter 2, while Jessica Kranabetter, Erika Cruz and Molly Neufeld were scoreless. The Eagles hit 28-74 (.378) from the floor, 6-24 from the arc and 4-8 from the line, while garnering 47 boards, including 20 on the offensive glass, 18 fouls, 14 assists, 23 turnovers and 8 steals. Ashley Budgen paced the Panthers with 22, while nabbing 10 boards. Kelsey Watts scored 20, Sarah Butler 7 and Abby Hackman 2, while Brooklyn Routley, Claire Baycroft, Emma Baycroft, Fran Durfeld, Kaitlyn Budgen, Beth Butler, Maddy Hackman and Sarah Boyd were scoreless. The Panthers (coached by Chad Butler and Dave Tetrault) hit18-73 (.247) from the floor, 1-8 (.125) from the arc and 14-23 (.609) from the line, while garnering 32 boards, including 14 on the offensive glass, 10 fouls, 3 assists, 18 turnovers and 19 steals.
In the quarterfinals, the top-seeded Abbotsford Panthers clubbed the 9th-seeded Prince George Duchess Park Condors 76-49 after leading 21-20, 45-25 and 65-39 at the quarters. British Columbia girls high school player of the year Marin Lenz dominated the floor. Panthers coach Prentice Lenz told Varsity Letters that her leadership was instrumental to the team’s success throughout the season. “I think for us, it has been really beneficial because we don’t have masses of numbers, but competitive, hard-working girls that want to get after it. And so for players like (grads) Siena (Lenz) and Sydney Fetterley, and for Marin since Grade 8, it gives them a taste of what it takes to succeed at this level. It’s then up to them.” Marin Lenz paced the Panthers with 37, while nabbing 12 boards. Chelsey Dulku added 19, along with 12 boards, Lakresha Edwards 7, Malia Lenz 6, along with 10 boards, Yura Wakabayashi 5 and Sarah Johnson 2, while Reegan Ashton, Jessica Walton, Tianna Page-Willox, Priya Alamwala, Riya Sahota, Nyah Vermeulen and Lindsay Roufosse were scoreless. The Panthers hit 33-88 (.375) from the floor, 8-34 (.235) from the arc and 2-9 (.222) from the line, while garnering 51 boards, including 16 on the offensive glass, 17 fouls, 17 assists, 20 turnovers, 3 blocks and 20 steals. Hannah Loukes led the Condors with 12. Talisa Ferguson added 10, Jasmin Schlick 7, Logan Cruz 5, Grace Caillier 5, Jayda Pigeau 4, Payton Cruz 4 and Kamrynn Hampe 2, while Rylie Teegee-Zatorski, Tanesha Thomas, Courtney Bouwman, Katie Shchepotkina and Jordyn Connor were scoreless. The Condors (coach Louise Holmes, assistants Craig Douglass, Wade Loukes and Natasha Cruz) hit 20-68 (.294) from the floor, 3-19 (.158) from the arc and 6-14 (.429) from the line, while garnering 35 boards, including 6 on the offensive glass, 9 fouls, 10 assists, 28 turnovers, 6 blocks and 9 steals.
The 4th-seeded North Vancouver Argyle Pipers clipped the 5th-seeded South Kamloops Titans 65-57 after leading 17-11, 34-21 and 53-35 at the quarters. Pipers coach Anthony Beyrouti told Varsity Letters that “our goal was to wear them out and we definitely did. But the issue was that we put them on the free throw line 28 times and they got to rest when they there. … I have never coached a longer team. This team is actually longer than my (VK Basketball) club team and we have the best players in the province on my summer team. So this team is longer, they have a lot of athleticism and they cover a lot of ground. We just need to play a little smarter and we’ll be OK.” Point guard Holly Brewer said “we started off strong and just tried to keep that pace. Having a strong bench really helped us with our intensity.” Hope Pearmain paced the Pipers with 16. Holly Brewer added 14, along with 13 boards, Ella Mellinghaus 8, Ryann Kristmanson 8, Gabbie Francis 8, Aiko Williams 6, Alysha Mah 3 and Julia Gocal 2, while Kate Walton, Tatianna Matonovich, Gracie Ivany, Gabby Corben, Maxine Turner, Gabby Joyce and Anna McTavish were scoreless. The Pipers hit 25-74 (.338) from the floor, 8-20 (.400) from the arc and 7-15 (.467) from the line, while garnering 42 boards, including 20 on the offensive glass, 20 fouls, 15 assists, 27 turnovers, 4 blocks and 16 steals. Kendra McDonald led the Titans with 23, while nabbing 12 boards. Fiona Brisco notched 23, Camille Clinet 4, Pyper Ansley 3, Kendra Kaczur 2 and Kiana Onyango 2, while Portia Comrie, Taysia Fraser, Grace McDonald and Sadie Moyer were scoreless. The Titans (coached by Rachael Lee, assistants Dave Whalen and Ally Lincoln, manager Maddy Gobeil) hit 18-64 (.281) from the floor, 4-16 from the arc and 17-28 (.607) from the line, while garnering 35 boards, including 11 on the offensive glass, 12 fouls, 5 assists, 25 turnovers and 16 steals.
The 2nd-seeded Kamloops Okanagan Mission Huskies dispatched the 7th-seeded Kamloops Valleyview Vikings 71-61 after leading 18-14, 37-26 and 50-42 at the quarters. Huskies coach Meaghan Faust told Varsity Letters that the Vikings “hit a lot of shots today, even though I thought our defence picked it up in the second half. It was frustrating at times, but the girls fought together as a team.” Lily Pink and Devon Felt both nailed critical treys down the stretch to stave off the Vikings. Lily Pink paced the Huskies with 19, while nabbing 10 boards. Devon Felt added 15, Tatum Wade 13, Makenna Jacklin 11, Melaina Corrado 10 and Jordan Bury 3, while Elana Corrado, Jordyn Elliot, Stella Lagrange, Shae Faitala and Celeste Roosdahl were scoreless. The Huskies hit 28-88 (.318) from the floor, 8-31 (.258) from the arc and 7-12 (.583) from the line, while garnering 39 boards, including 19 on the offensive glass, 18 fouls, 11 assists, 12 turnovers, 2 blocks and 12 steals. Indigo Learie paced the Vikings with 16. Jess Orr added 12, Jaya Saroya 11, Jaydyn Overwater 11, McKenna Reeves 10, along with 12 boards, and Mackenzie Pittenger 1, while Alicia Blackford, Jocelyn Orr, Emma Trotta, Ava Trotta, Tlell Schreiner, Gloria Buff, Jamie Horsman and Rebekah Schmutz were scoreless. The Vikings (coached by Scott Reeves, Cindy Russell, Kanesha Reeves and Karen Horsman) hit 20-67 (.299) from the floor, 13-32 (.406) from the arc and 8-17 (.471) from the line, while garnering 41 boards, including 17 on the offensive glass, 12 fouls, 13 assists, 21 turnovers and 6 steals.
In the last quarterfinal, the 3rd-seeded Richmond R.A. McMath Wildcats edged the 6th-seeded Clearbrook Mennonite Educational Institute Eagles 60-58. The Eagles led 16-10 after one quarter and 26-23 at the half. The Wildcats led 44-34 after three quarters. Wildcats coach Chris Kennedy told Varsity Letters that it was “probably our shooting game of the year, definitely the worst half of the year. Nobody will remember tomorrow how ugly a game it was.” The Eagles Taylor Ewert had scored 11 points over the final 1:32, including a trey with 12.1 seconds to play to draw MEI within 58-56. But the Eagles rally fell short, thought the Wildcats were 0-13 from the floor for the first part of the quarter and mustered just 5 points, all from the line, while Eagles posts Jazmin Avila and Gracie Comeau had fouled out. “I think going at their big girls and getting them into foul trouble was big because we figured if we could get them into their bench, that could be the tipping point in a close game. … We executed the game plan, but we didn’t hit shots. That happens sometimes and you think the gods are against you. I thought the cruel game was going to get us. But the Law of Averages said that down the stretch, we just had to start hitting some shots.” Liz Kennedy paced the Wildcats with 18. Marina Radocaj added 17, along with 15 boards, Caitlan Kippan 8, Kee Hohlweg 7, Abby Bodden 5, Caitlin Bradley-Tse 3 and Quincy Hinds 2, while Hope Chan and Kate Carkner were scoreless. The Wildcats hit 18-80 (.225) from the floor, 4-22 (.182) from the arc and 20-27 (.741) from the line, while garnering 46 boards, including 17 on the offensive glass, 13 fouls, 8 assists, 18 turnovers, 5 blocks and 11 steals. Taylor Ewert paced the Eagles with 19. Jazmin Avila added 16, Makenna Reimer 8, Cailin Bitter 6, along with 14 boards, Maddy Naruse 5, Rishana Kingra 2 and Gracie Corneau 2, while Jessica Kranabetter, Erika Cruz and Molly Neufeld were scoreless. The Eagles (coaches Rick Thiessen, Debbie Peters and Corina Boes, managers Jessica Nunnikhoven, Anya Peters and Sara McAllister) hit 24-74 (.324) from the floor, 5-17 (.294) from the arc and 5-12 (.417) from the line, while garnering 44 boards, including 11 on the offensive glass, 19 fouls, 10 assists, 18 turnovers, 3 blocks and 12 steals.
In the semis, the top-seeded Abbotsford Panthers dispatched the 4th-seeded North Vancouver Argyle Pipers 65-58. The Pipers led 18-10 after one quarter and 34-29 at the half. The Panthers led 49-47 after three quarters. The Panthers trailed by 12 early they struggled with the Pipers shifting defences. “They kept switching, from a 1-3-1 to a 2-3 to a 3-2,” Panthers assistant Elmore Abraham told Varsity Letters. “And they are such a long team, that it was hard to get our shots off.” They took their first lead at 35-34 on a Malia Lenz jumper. Lenz and fellow grade nine guard Lakresha Edwards hit back-to-back treys to give the Panthers a 64-57 lead and then Lenz closed it out with a 7-1 run capped by a Lenz steal. “Malia hit that big three in the fourth because they were covering Marin coming off the baseline,” said Abraham. “We rotated the ball to her and she knocked it down.” Marin Lenz of her grade 9 teammates that “I love their energy and their competitiveness. It’s great that they can step up in these big moments. And it’s an honour when we can see how far we’ve come with all of the hard work and competitiveness we’ve put in over the season,” added Lenz. “Now it’s starting to pay off.” Pipers coach Anthony Beyrouti told the North Shore News that “we gave them a great game, left it all on the court. They made some big shots down the stretch. … Your goal is to leave it all on the court. Everything you have, you leave it out there. Sometimes that’s not enough.” Marin Lenz paced the Panthers with 32, while notching 12 boards, 5 assists and 5 steals. Lakresha Edwards added 10, Malia Lenz 10, Lindsey Roufosse 5, Chelsey Dulku 4, Yura Wakabayashi 3 and Jessica Walton 1, while Reegan Ashton, Tianna Page-Willox, Sarah Johnson, Priya Alamwala, Riya Sahota and Nyah Vermeulen were scoreless. Hope Pearmain paced the Pipers with 13. Ryann Kristmanson added 12, Aiko Williams 11, Gabbie Francis 8, Holly Brewer 6, Ella Mellinghaus 3, Kate Walton 3 and Julia Gocal 2, while Tatianna Mutonovich, Alysha Mah, Gracie Ivay, Maxine Turner and Gabby Corben were scoreless.
In the other semi, the 2nd-seeded Kelowna Okanagan Mission Huskies clipped the 3rd-seeded Richmond R.A. McMath Wildcats 80-67 after leading 20-12, 39-26 and 53-44 at the quarters. The Huskies led 48-42 in the third quarter when their pressure defence, steals and transition runouts generated an 11-0 run to take command. “I think we trust our process and we play to our strengths,” Huskies point guard Melaina Corrado told Varsity Letters. “When we get stops, we’re able to transition and fast break. Once we get that down, we excel and that creates the energy we use to feed off each other. … Right now, it’s surreal,” said Corrado. “At the start of the year, we set our goal to make it to the final, and it’s crazy that it’s actually here. The time is now and our team is ready. We have ‘FAMILY’ written across our t-shirts and we hundred percent mean it. We are a family and I can’t imagine my life without all of these girls.” Huskies coach Meghan Faust said “whenever we step up our defence, and we remember to do the little things we’ve talked about all year, do those little things which set you apart from your opponent, from even your own teammates, you get stops and all of that leads to our transition.” Lily Pink paced the Huskies with 23 on 8-17 from the floor, 0-3 from the arc, 7-8 from the line, 13 boards, 2 assists and 5 steals. Tatum Wade added 18 on 8-12 from the floor, 1-1 form the arc, 1-2 form the line, 4 boards and 4 steals. Makenna Jacklin scored 13 on 4-12 from the floor, 0-4 from the arc, 5-5 from the line and 7 boards. Melaina Corrado notched 11 on 4-9 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc, 2-4 form the line, 2 assists and 2 steals. Devon Felt added 10 on 4-12 from the floor, 2-6 from the arc, 0-2 from the line and 3 boards. Stella Lagrange added 3 on 1-5 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 1-4 from the line and 4 boards. Jordan Bury scored 2 on 1-3 from the floor and 3 boards, while Elana Corrado, Jordyn Elliot, Shae Faitala and Celeste Roosdahl were scoreless. Elana Corrado nabbed 3 boards and Faitala 2. The Huskies hit 30-76 (.395) from the floor, 4-18 (.222) from the arc and 16-25 (.640) from the line, while garnering 41 boards, including 11 on the offensive glass, 20 fouls, 4 assists, 16 turnovers and 13 steals. Marina Radocaj paced the Wildcats with 18 on 9-18 from the floor, 0-3 from the arc, 0-4 from the line, 12 boards, 4 assists, 2 blocks and 2 steals. Liz Kennedy added 14 on 5-13 from the floor, 1-3 form the arc, 3-5 from the line, 6 boards and 2 assists. Kate Carkner notched 9 on 3-7 form the floor, 3-6 from the line, 2 boards and 4 steals. Abby Bodden scored 8 on 3-10 from the floor and 2-9 from the arc. Caitlin Bradley-Tse added 7 on 2-3 from the floor, 1-1 from the arc, 2-5 from the line, 4 boards and 2 assists. Kee Hohlweg scored 4 on 2-4 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 0-1 from the line and 2 boards. Caitlin Kippan notched 4 on 2-10 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc, 0-2 from the line and 7 boards. Quincy Hinds added 3 on 1-5 from the floor and 1-2 from the line, while Hope Chan was scoreless. The Wildcats hit 27-70 (.386) from the floor, 4-19 (.211) from the arc and 9-25 (.360) from the line, while garnering 33 boards, including 9 on the offensive glass, 18 fouls, 9 assists, 19 turnovers, 2 blocks and 10 steals.
In the bronze medal match, the 4th-seeded North Vancouver Argyle Pipers defeated the 3rd-seeded Richmond R.A. McMath Wildcats 75-70 in overtime after leading 25-22, 38-25 and 53-47 at the quarters. Kate Walton and Holly Brewer nailed treys, while point guard Aiko Williams, dictated the tempo as the Pipers dominated the extra session. “I was very proud of them,” Pipers coach Anthony Beyrouti told the North Shore News. “It was a culmination of five years for a lot of these kids, and they left it all on the court. This is probably the most dedicated group I’ve ever had. They spent a lot of time in the gym working on their game and the results took care of themselves. … We had a bunch of kids chip in,” he said. “That was kind of one of the things with our team. We only got one all-star at provincials for a third-place team which is pretty crazy, but everyone kind of does their part. We have a bunch of kids who come in and do their job.” According to a very hazy and somewhat sloppy box score, Aiko Williams paced the Pipers with 21. Holly Brewer added 17, Gabbie Francis 16, Kate Walton 5, Ella Mellinghaus 4, Gabby Corben 4, Gracie Ivany 2, Hope Pearmain 2, Julia Gocal 2 and Ryann Kristmanson 2, while Tatianna Matonovich, Alysha Mah, Maxine Turner, Gabby Joyce and Anna McTavish were scoreless. Marina Radocaj socred 24 to pace the Wildcats (coaches Anne Gillrie-Carre, Jamie Kippan, Chris Kennedy and Zoran Radocaj). Abby Bodden added 16, Caitlin Kippan 13, Caitlin Bradley-Tse 8, Liz Kennedy 6, Kate Carkner 2 and Quincy Hinds 1, while Hope Chan and Kee Hohlweg were scoreless.
In the final, the top-seeded Abbotsford Panthers dispatched the 2nd-seeded Kelowna Okanagan Mission Huskies 85-77. The Huskies led 27-20 after one quarter. The Panthers led 44-43 at the half and 65-62 after three quarters. They iced the win with a 7-0 run ignited by a player of the game and tournament MVP Marin Lenz trey with 4:50 to play. “It was just a real gritty performance by a ton of different girls,” Abbotsford coach Prentice Lenz told Varsity Letters. “Lindsey Roufosse, in her Grade 12 year, played a heck of a game inside, challenging shots and grabbing rebounds, Chelsey (Dulku) did a great job down low, too, and Riya (Sahota) did an amazing job when we had to bring in someone else to guard Lily (Pink). Riya did a great job on her. … As the season went along, we had an early season loss to Terry Fox, but then we beat them at the Top 10 tournament. We also lost to Semiahmoo and those were our only two losses. As the year went along, the girls really believed that they could do it.” Huskies coach Meghan Faust said “Abby is an amazing team and Marin is just unbelievable. We gave it everything we could, but late in the game we just struggled to put the ball in the hoop. A few bad decisions, and maybe some nerves because we were used to being up a lot. Coming back is something we’ve only had to do maybe three times this year. … We’ve had the best year for our school ever for any basketball team and everything they did was record-breaking. This is going to hurt for a little bit but I am so proud of how hard the girls fought.” Prentice Lenz told BChighschoolbasketballchampionships.com that “it was tight throughout, but we got a few defensive stops and then hit a couple of big shots at the end. I thought our big girls, Lindsey (Roufosse) and Chelsey (Dulku) and then Riya (Sahota) came off the bench; they did a really good job of rebounding and sort of causing some commotion on the defensive end of the floor which made a really big difference for us.” Faust said “Marin Lenz was definitely the difference. We put our best defenders on her – we knew that a junk defence wasn’t going to work because she is such a smart player so we thought we would just play her straight up. Defence has got us to this game, but she hit from everywhere and she is an unbelievable player. That was definitely one of the biggest differences.” Marin Lenz said that being a member of the team while in grade 8 and losing a provincial final left a lasting impression. “Remembering that moment and how it felt and then putting in the work the next couple of years and then showing up here and trying to get it done. … I was just thinking about working hard and competing and just giving it all for this last game.” Prentice Lenz added that his daughter delivering “just a real gutsy, gritty performance. And all the rest of the girls did whatever they could to make sure she had the ball in good scoring positions and she hit some great shots.” Marin Lenz paced the Panthers with 44 on 18-40 from the floor, 6-20 from the arc, 2-5 from the line, 8 boards, 4 assists and 3 steals. Malia Lenz added 11 on 4-23 from the floor, 0-7 from the arc, 3-6 from the line, 11 boards, 4 assists and 4 steals. Lakresha Edwards notched 10 on 4-13 from the floor, 2-9 from the arc and 3 assists. Lindsey Roufosse scored 10 on 5-8 from the floor, 0-3 from the arc and 12 boards. Chelsey Dulku notched 7 on 3-12 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 1-2 from the line, 8 boards and 2 assists. Jessica Walton added 3 on 1-2 from the floor and 1-1 from the line, while Reegan Ashton, Yura Wakabayashi, Tianna Page-Willox, Sarah Johnson, Priya Alamwala, Riya Sahota and Nyah Vermeulen were scoreless. The Panthers hit 35-102 (.343) from the floor, 8-39 (.205) from the arc and 7-17 (.412) from the line, while garnering 50 boards, including 18 on the offensive glass, 14 fouls, 16 assists, 10 turnovers, 3 blocks and 11 steals. Defensive player of the tournament Lily Pink paced the Huskies with 22 on 8-21 from the floor, 1-6 from the arc, 5-5 from the line, 14 boards, 4 assists and 4 blocks. Tatum Wade added 15 on 6-16 from the floor, 1-3 from the arc, 2-2 from the line, 5 boards, 3 assists and 3 steals. Makenna Jacklin notched 13 on 3-19 from the floor, 1-8 from the arc, 6-8 from the line, 11 boards and 2 blocks. Devon Felt scored 11 on 4-13 from the floor and 3-10 from the arc. Melaina Corrado added 8 on 3-12 from the floor, 2-6 from the arc and 2 boards. Stella Lagrange scored 7 on 3-8 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 1-1 from the line and 7 boards. Jordan Bury added 1 on 0-1 from the floor, 1-2 from the line and 4 boards, while Elana Corrado, Jordyn Elliot, Shae Faitala and Celeste Roosdahl were scoreless. The Huskies hit 27-90 (.300) from the floor, 8-34 (.235) from the arc and 15-18 (.833) from the line, while garnering 43 boards, including 13 on the offensive glass, 14 fouls, 9 assists, 17 turnovers, 8 blocks and 3 steals.
Joining tournament MVP Marin Lenz on the all-tournament team were: Lily Pink (Okanagan Mission); Malia Lenz (Abbotsford); Devon Felt (Okanagan Mission); Lakresha Edwards (Abbotsford); and Liz Kennedy (R.A. McMath).
The 2nd-team featured: Makenna Jacklin (Okanagan Mission); Marina Radocaj (R.A. McMath); Tatum Wade (Okanagan Mission); Holly Brewer (Argyle); and Kendra McDonald (South Kamloops).
The bronze medalist North Vancouver Argyle Pipers: Kate Walton; Holly Brewer; Aiko Williams; Tatianna Matonovich; Abby Rauh; Alysha Mah; Gracie Ivany; Hope Pearmain; Julia Gocal; Ella Mellinghaus; Gabby Corben; Ryann Kristmanson; Maxine Turner; Gabby Joyce; Anna McTavish; Gabbie Francis; coach Anthony Beyrouti; coach Alex Vieweg; coach Mac Ward; coach Alan Kristmanson; assistant Sue Kennedy; assistant Ryan Duffy; assistant Shawn White; assistant Anthony Fortunaso; assistant Dany Charlery
The silver medalist Kelowna Okanagan Mission Huskies: Elana Corrado; Jordan Bury; Melaina Corrado; Jordyn Elliot; Tatum Wade; Stella Lagrange; Shae Faitala; Lily Pink; Devon Felt; Makenna Jacklin; Celeste Roosdahl; coach Meghan Faust; assistant Jill Robinson; assistant Jenna Robinson; assistant Emma Parmar
The gold medalist Abbotsford Panthers: Marin Lenz; Reegan Ashton; Jessica Walton; Lakresha Edwards; Yura Wakabayashi; Tianna Page-Willox; Sarah Johnson; Malia Lenz; Priya Alamwala; Chelsey Dulku; Riya Sahota; Nyah Vermeulen; Lindsey Roufosse; coach Prentice Lenz; coach Mr. Abraham; assistant Mrs. Feenstra; assistant Mrs. Lenz; assistant Mr. DeVries