LANGLEY TOWNSHIP — Day 2’s quarterfinals are now complete at the 76th annual B.C. senior girls basketball championships at the Langley Events Centre.
The stage is now set for Friday’s Final Four.
Here are the matchups in Single-A being staged at the LEC’s Centre Court.
12 p.m. — No. 2 Cedars Christian vs. No. 6 Dasmesh
1:45 p.m. — No. 1 Acwsaltca vs. No. 4 Nechako Valley
Howard Tsumura
NO. 6 DASMESH 52 NO 14 BULKLEY VALLEY CHRISTIAN 49
BY IAN FRENCH (Special for Varsity Letters)
LANGLEY — Despite coming from a smaller school whose roster doesn’t have a single senior, the Bulkley Valley Christian Royals proved they deserve to be in the BC Provincials. Ranked 14th in the tournament, they are coming off a wild upset as they downed third-ranked Duncan Christian on day one. Today, they were faced with an equally challenging test as they matched up with the sixth-seeded Dasmesh Falcons. It was a gritty, back-and-forth affair with tons of lead changes that came down to the wire, only for the Falcons to walk it off in electric, buzzer-beater fashion to earn a 52-49 win.
Junior centre Ameya McEwan posted a game-high 27 points for the Royals, while racking up a mountain of rebounds in the process. While for the Falcons, junior forward Gurnoor Mahal led her squad with 23 points, while sophomore guard Gurjaan Mahal contributed 21 points of her own — including the game-winning three-pointer.
“We didn’t know which play we wanted to run. This was a new one we’ve been working on”, began Dasmesh Falcons head coach Taneesh Kaur Sran. “For Gurjaan, she’s in grade 10. She’s a shooter. She was getting nervous, but we said, ‘We believe in you. No matter what, put it all out there.’ She had her feet set, and she just launched it and went in. They deserve it, our whole team worked their tails off.”
The opening quarter was a battle. Both sides fought hard for rebounds and clogged passing lanes to force turnovers, leading to a low-scoring start. Inside scoring and foul shots were the dominant offensive factors early, until Gurnoor Mahal nailed a catch-and-shoot three to hand the Falcons a lead at the midway point. From there, the Falcons caught a rhythm. Mahal then converted another three, while teammate Harsahej Buttar followed with a long ball of her own. The Falcons added lockdown defence to end the frame up 17-8.
Just as it seemed as though the Falcons were finding their scoring touch, the Royals responded with tight defence to start the second. Both sides struggled to find the basket until junior Ameya McEwan singlehandedly created momentum for the Royals. Over a three-minute stretch, the centre tallied 7 of her 12 second-quarter points through a series of steals-turned-layups and free throws. McEwan also contributed on the offensive glass to create second-chance points, including a corner three from teammate Danae Jaarsma that handed the Royals their first lead since the opening quarter. The Royals’ offence continued to hum as they finished the half on a 19-6 run to hold a four-point lead.
Royals’ Jaarsma gets a lay-up in transition to highlight an early 8-2 run to start the third. The Royals continued to add to their lead over the next five minutes, but just as things seemed to be getting out of reach, Gurnoor Mahal drew in a defender to create space for Buttar, who subsequently received the pass and knocked down a three-pointer to cut the deficit to single-digits, ending the third trailing 40-33.
After an early score from the Royals, Gurjaan Mahal took matters into her own hands. With plenty of time left on the shot clock, Mahal pulled up for a three with a defender close, but converted to make it a four-point game. A couple of minutes later, Mahal drove inside to draw defenders, then kicked it out to junior guard Buttar, who nailed a corner three. The Falcons added another two points to take a one-point lead.
As the clock ticked down, the physicality picked up. Bodies were flying as players on both sides were fighting for position. Each team traded shots, but the game stayed tied down to the final seconds. With only 1.8 remaining, Gurjaan Mahal caught the inbounds pass and chucked up a three. The gym fell silent as the ball careened through the air, but erupted into a frenzy as it hit nothing but net to beat the buzzer, sealing a 52-49 win for the Falcons.
“The whole season, we’ve been talking about making the semifinals. This was our goal,” mused Falcons coach Kaur San. “They’re just ready to step up and work hard and do anything they can to put it all out there.”
With the win, the sixth-seeded Dasmesh Falcons will move on to face the second-seeded Cedars Christian Eagles at the Langley Event Centre Centre Court on February 27, scheduled for 12:00 p.m. PT.
NO. 2 CEDARS CHRISTIAN 72 NO. 10 IMMACULATA 38
By IAN FRENCH (Special for Varsity Letters)
LANGLEY — After pulling off an upset win on day one of the B.C. senior girls’ Single-A provincial championship, the 10th-seeded Immaculata Mustangs looked to recreate their playoff magic by usurping yet another higher seed. This time, they faced a taller task as they matched up against the second-ranked Cedars Christian Eagles in quarterfinal action. The Mustangs battled hard from start to finish but couldn’t overcome the Eagles’ well-oiled, two-way machine, falling 72-38.
Forward Cadence Hooft was the engine for the Eagles’ squad. The sophomore consistently turned defence into offence, which was highlighted by scoring 12 of her team’s 19 first-quarter points. But it wasn’t just scoring; when one or more defenders swarmed, Hooft always seemed to find the open teammate, racking up a ton of assists en route to the win.
“She plays one through five. We’ll put her on as a point guard on the press, and we can use her in any matchup”, mused Eagles head coach Jordan Johnson. “She’s almost like a Nikola Jokic for our team. She just brings so many different aspects, and we use her in all of them.”
Both teams showed good ball movement following the opening tip, which led to a wide-open corner three-pointer chance for Mustangs’ sophomore guard Sloane Fuglestveit, who didn’t hesitate and knocked it down to open the game’s scoring. From there, the Eagles turned on the jets. After Hooft scored a nothing-but-net elbow jumper, she followed up with an emphatic block on defence that turned into another two points in transition. This was the beginning of an 11-0 run for the Eagles, who then carried that momentum on both ends of the floor through the rest of the quarter, ending the frame with some breathing room, leading 19-7.
Defence ramped up in the second as Hooft recorded a pair of blocks in the opening minutes. The Mustangs responded by feeding junior forward Taylor Roberston in the post, which led to a trio of buckets over multiple possessions, which included hauling in an offensive rebound before knocking down a silky fading jumper. However, the Eagles quickly adjusted by throwing the kitchen sink at her whenever the ball came near, ending the half with a healthy lead of 36-20.
Coming out of the break, Fuglestveit started the second half the same way she started the first for the Mustangs, knocking one down off a clean look for three on the wing. However, the Eagles fired back with physicality. Forcing turnovers on defence, only to follow up with buckets on the other end to slowly stack up a 22-point lead a few minutes into the third quarter. Cedars Christian maintained this pressure throughout the remainder of the second half, building on their lead to earn a commanding 72-38 win.
“I like the fact that we have a bunch of grade 10’s and young kids. You don’t know how they’re going to come out in certain moments, but they were just relaxed and focused on our game plan and played basketball like normal”, reflected Eagles coach Johnson. “I was really, really happy with our poise. We had a balanced attack, we hit from outside, we hit from inside, and we played connected as a team.”
With the win, the second-seeded Cedars Christian Eagles will move on to face the winner between the 14th-ranked Bulkley Valley Christian Royals and the sixth-seeded Dasmesh Falcons at the Langley Event Centre Centre Court on February 27, scheduled for 12:00 p.m. PT.
Recap: Ebenezer Timbers (12) vs. Nechako Valley Viqueens (4)
NO. 4 NECHAKO VALLEY 47 NO. 12 EBENEZER 33
By IAN FRENCH (Special for Varsity Letters)
As the saying goes, ‘defence wins championships’, well, both the fourth-ranked Nechako Valley Viqueens and the 12th-seeded Ebenezer Timbers clearly had title aspirations on their mind as aggressive defence took centre stage from opening tip to final buzzer. It was Day 2 action of the B.C. senior girls’ Single-A provincial championships, and the battles led to a ton of lead changes and an eventual 47-33 win for the Viqueens.
Junior forward Madison Raap led the scoring charge for the Timbers with 10 points, while sophomore forward Kenzie Vandergaag was next in line with nine points of her own. While for the Vikings, sophomore guard Abby Dykstra posted a game-high with 13 points. Guard Mya Hutt — the only freshman between both squads — finished with nine, and sophomore guard Morgan Van Dolah’s eight points alongside her defensive intensity earned her player of the game honours for Viqueens.
“Morgan’s a great defender”, began Viqueens’ head coach Brad Van Dolah. “She finishes well around the hoop. She brings a lot of energy to our team. She really is kind of our backbone and brings a lot of the things we need to win.”
Coming out of the gate, both sides effectively disrupted shooters and clogged passing lanes to limit opportunities. Despite this, the Viqueens came out on top early, tallying a 5-0 run to start. However, junior forward Hannah Penninga got the Timbers on the board by quickly sinking a mid-range jump shot near the baseline. Defensive prowess continued to dictate the pace, leading to a low-scoring 6-4 Viqueens lead to end the frame.
The Timbers came out on a mission to start the second quarter, as displayed by converting back-to-back inside buckets in the opening minute. Another two, just 60 seconds later, to tally a 6-0 scoring run for a four-point lead. But at the midway point, Viqueens’ freshman guard Mya Hutt nailed a three-pointer to keep it neck-and-neck. As the clock continued to tick down, Vandergaag came through for the Timbers, knocking down a deep three-pointer to take a two-point lead heading into the half, up 15-13.
Coming into the second half, both teams began trading blows. A few minutes into the third, senior centre Miriam Penninga snagged a steal and turned it into an easy layup on the other end for a 21-19 Timbers’ lead. But that didn’t last long as the Viqueens fired back immediately to keep things tied. A couple of possessions later, Timbers’ Hannah Penninga hauled in an offensive rebound before firing a putback jumper to regain a two-point lead in the frame’s dying minutes. But, yet again, the Viqueens responded immediately with two of their own. Down to the final minute, Viqueens senior centre Ariana Scott-Unger fought through bodies to grab her own rebound before putting it back for a two-point lead, finishing the quarter up 25-23.
From here, the Viqueens continued to improve their scoring touch, as they kicked off the fourth with an 11-6 run — capped off by a deep three-pointer by sophomore guard Abby Dykstra to create some breathing room late. As the quarter neared its end, the Viqueens continued to pile up the baskets through a healthy mix of inside scoring and outside shots. They grabbed a hold of a 10-point lead were they hovered for the rest of the way, earning a 47-33 win.
“The thing I really like about our team is just our ability to persevere through adversity. We’re a young team, so we’re still learning,” reflected head coach Van Dolah. “The girls did a really good job of working through that, when things weren’t going well. They continued to push hard and play, and it gave us a great result.”
With the win, the fourth-ranked Nechako Valley Viqueens will move on to face the winner between the top-seed Acwsalcta Thunder and the eighth-seeded St. John’s School Eagles at the Langley Event Centre’s Centre Court on February 27, scheduled for 1:45 p.m. PT.
Recap: Acwsalcta Thunder (1) vs. St. John’s School Eagles (8)
NO. 1 ACWSALTCA 72 ST. JOHN’S
By IAN FRENCH (Special for Varsity Letters)
LANGLEY — It’s a long way from Bella Coola, (nearly 12 hours northwest of Langley), but the top-ranked Acwsalcta Thunder looked right at home. Facing off against the eighth-seed St. John’s School Eagles in quarterfinal action of the B.C. senior girls’ Single-A provincial championships, they appeared to have things in hand from the jump, but the Eagles weren’t going to roll over. A scorching hot second quarter, led by senior guard Kareena Sandhu, kept the Eagles’ title hopes alive, but they were stifled in the second half, falling 72-58.
Sophomore forward Liv Sveinson poured in a team-high 27 points for the Eagles, 12 of which came in the third quarter, while Sandhu followed with 15 points and racked up countless assists. Senior guard and UNBC Timberwolves commit Annika Parr led the offensive charge for the Thunder, racking up a game-high 34 points en route to the win.
“Annika is a baller through and through”, began Thunder assistant coach Jonas Andersson. “She just breathes basketball. It’s in her blood. I’d expect nothing less from her.”
The Thunder started this one like they were the NBA champs from Oklahoma City — they did it all. Through a mix of defence-turned-fastbreak points, moving the ball well to find open looks, and a handful of offensive rebounds for second chances, the Thunder quickly worked up a 14-2 lead.
On defence, they took no plays off. Despite boasting an early advantage, the Thunder utilized the full-court press, and it paid off. Thunder’s Annika Parr helped force a turnover in the St. John’s zone before going up to the rim and getting fouled for a pair of free throws, sinking both for two of her nine first-quarter points. By the end of one, the Thunder were up 25-10.
Starting the second, St. John’s looked to respond. They began by scoring the opening basket, and from there, they were off to the races. The lone senior on the roster, Sandhu, led the offence for the Eagles. She began by driving to the rim in transition, blowing by a defender and converted a circus up-and-under layup. The following possession, she followed suit with a quick-shot three to make it 25-17. But she wasn’t done there. On the following possession, she drove to the basket once more and put up another two points through traffic.
The Eagles added on, and just as they made it a four-point game, the Thunder found their scoring touch again. As the clock wound down in the half, Annika Parr stopped on a dime before sinking an elbow jumper to re-establish a 10-point advantage. The Thunder continued to cushion their lead, ending the half up 39-24.
A couple of minutes into the third, sister to Annika and fellow T-Wolves commit, Ayanna Parr brought the gym to life. Beginning in her team’s zone, she dribbled coast-to-coast, dancing around multiple defenders before using a little English off the glass for the lay-up. The bucket helped spark a surge that pushed the Thunder’s lead up to 20 midway through the frame. As the minutes dwindled, the Eagles went on a run. Fighting hard to stay in it, they were crashing the offensive glass with authority, creating extra opportunities in the process. Between battling through contact for buckets in the paint, while drawing fouls to head to the line, the Eagles slowly chipped into the lead, bringing it back down to single digits to end the third, 52-43.
Physicality continued to mount in the fourth. A loose-ball battle led to multiple bodies hitting the deck, exposing a clear lane to the hoop for Eagles’ Sveinson to cut and chip away at the deficit. While on the other end, a few possessions later, senior Thunder centre Lakiesha Pootlass set a hard screen to create plenty of space for Anikka Parr to knock down a quick jumper to re-establish a double-digit lead. While the Eagles fought hard to get back in this one from there, they couldn’t muster much more, falling 72-58.
“We had some calls that didn’t go the way that we were hoping, but they pushed through, without some of their top players”, added Thunder coach Anderson. “Being able to perform with that on your shoulders is remarkable.”
The top-ranked Acwsalcta Thunder advance to day 3, where they will take on the fourth-seed Nechako Valley Viqueens at the Langley Event Centre’s Centre Court on February 27, scheduled for 1:45 p.m. PT.
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