NO. 2 LANGLEY CHRISTIAN 66 NO. 3 ST. MICHAELS 58
By DAN KINVIG (Special for Varsity Letters)
It’s often said that basketball is a game of runs.
In fact, it might be the most overworked cliché in the basketball lexicon.
Of course, clichés are clichés because there’s a kernel of truth embedded… but even by that standard, what we saw from the Langley Christian Lightning and St. Michaels University School Blue Jags on Friday evening was extreme.
The momentum shifts in the first Triple-A semifinal of the day were positively whiplash-inducing, and in the end, it was the Lightning who were better able to navigate the waves en route to a 66-58 victory, thereby punching their ticket to the B.C. title game.
No. 2-seeded Langley Christian will face the winner of Friday’s second semi, featuring the Vernon Panthers and Duchess Park Condors, on Saturday in the LEC Arena Bowl. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.
“That’s the wonderful game of basketball, and coaching teenage girls, right?” Lightning head coach Danielle Gardner said, reflecting on the sudden shifts of fate in the semis.
“It’s wonderful when those runs are happening for you, but when you’re on the other end, it’s a tough one.
“I’m really proud of our girls, pushing and taking opportunities when they had them. We always talk about, when you have those runs you’ve got to ride them out as long as you can, and when the other team goes on the run, you’ve got to make it as short as possible.”
The first half, in particular, was very polarized. Both teams felt good about themselves for stretches, but never at the same time.
The hometown Lightning, buoyed by a large crowd of supporters – many of them banging on orange Home Depot buckets – were red-hot from the opening tip, racing out to a 17-2 lead before the game was five minutes old.
SMUS, though, is a program that knows what it takes to succeed in the latter stages of a provincial tournament – they made the finals each of the previous three years at the 2A level, taking silver in 2023 and 2024, and winning it all in 2025. And they weren’t about to go down without a fight.
The Blue Jags got back into it in a hurry – senior guard Mya Beare, with nine points, and Grade 11 forward Elspeth Rodger, with six points, helped the No. 3 seed close the first quarter strong, and the momentum carried into the second. Add it all up, and it was a 21-4 surge for SMUS, which suddenly led 23-21.
The Home Depot buckets weren’t necessarily silenced, but they were noticeably quieter.
Then, like flicking a switch, Langley Christian regained control, reeling off a 16-3 run to end the half. The bucket-drums were thundering, Lightning fans were chanting the White Stripes’ Seven Nation Army, and the locals were up 37-26 at the break.
In the third quarter, senior forward Georgia Van der Waarde took over for the Lightning, pouring in 13 of her team-best 22 points on a variety of surgical drives to the rim. That allowed Langley Christian to push the lead as high as 23 points (55-32) late the third.
But if you thought the Blue Jags were done… well, scroll back to the top and read the first sentence of this article. This game (of all games) was a game of runs.
Back-to-back Beare triples, sandwiching a crucial block at the rim by SMUS centre Mikaela Dubé, drew the Blue Jags back to within 63-56 with 1:57 left in regulation, capping a 13-0 surge and prompting a Lightning timeout.
The Lightning were able to fend them off down the stretch, though, and will be looking for a third title in five years on Saturday. They won the B.C. 2A crown in 2022 and 2024.
“It means a lot,” Van der Waarde enthused. “Being able to play with these girls . . . we’ve played together forever, and it’s weird (to think) I would never play with them again. Playing in the Arena Bowl means a lot. It means all our hard work has come down to this, and I’m excited to see how it turns out.”
Van der Waarde’s 22 points paced Langley Christian, and the Lightning got double-doubles from a pair of Grade 11’s – guard Sorell Lenz (15 points and 10 rebounds) and 6’3” forward Gaby Vis (13 points, 13 rebounds).
Beare tied Van der Waarde for game-high scoring honors with 22 of her own, Rodger finished with 16 points and four assists, and the 6’4” Dubé excelled in her head-to-head battle with Vis in the post, registering 11 points, 12 boards and six blocks.
“We get to play in the Arena Bowl, how cool is that?” Gardner said. “As far as the program, there’s a lot of kids who have put in a lot of work for a lot of years, not just this year but the kids before them. We’re kind of playing off everyone’s hard work, and the legacy that alumni have laid for our program.
“To be there (in the finals) again, it’s special. A lot of people don’t get there, and we’ve been very blessed.”
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