Abbotsford Panthers' senior Kelsey Roufosse (left) contests a shot by Kelowna's Jaeli Ibbetson during second-day action at the 2018 TBI at the Langley Evernts Centre in mid-December. This week, the Panthers and four other city teams give the eastern Fraser Valley hotbed perhaps its greatest provincial ranking representation yet. (Photo by Howard Tsumura property of VarsityLetters.ca 2019. All Rights Reserved)
Simon Fraser's Kendal Sands (15, third from left) is all smiles after hitting the winning shot Saturday as the Clan stunned nationally-No. 1-ranked and unbeaten Northwest Nazarene at the West Gym. (Photo by Brad McLeod property of SFU Athletics 2019. All Rights Reserved)
Feature University Women's Basketball

A Sunday read: In topping No. 1-ranked Nazarene, Simon Fraser Clan women’s basketball notches a win for the ages

BURNABY — In the midst of flipping the script against the No. 1-ranked team in all of NCAA Div. 2 basketball on Saturday night, one thought kept running through Jessica Jones’ mind.

Simon Fraser freshman guard Wilfried Balata has been a huge building-block addition to the 2018-19 Clan. (Photo by Paul Yates property of Vancouver Sports Pictures 2019. All Rights Reserved)
Feature University Women's Basketball

A Sunday read: At GNAC’s midway mark, Clan men crush Alaska Nanooks to sit one victory shy of matching 2017-18 win total

BURNABY — Five double-figure scorers. Just six turnovers in 200 total player minutes. And how about a 52-point second half courtesy of 67 per cent shooting from the field?

UBC's fifth-year senior Patrick Simon scored a season-high 20 points Friday as his 'Birds topped UNBC 94-75 for the team's 15th straight win. (Photo by Richard Lam property of UBC athletics 2019. All Rights Reserved)
Feature University Men's Basketball

The long journey of UBC’s Patrick Simon: Says ‘Birds coach Hanson “…now he’s a fifth-year man-child”

VANCOUVER — If the talent evaluators were never fully sure how to project what kind of talent Patrick Simon was going to become coming out of PoCo’s tiny Archbishop Carney back in the spring of 2013, the answer was pretty evident Friday night at War Memorial Gymnasium.“You’re seeing him out there in his fifth year […]

The 1999-2000 CCAA national men's basketball champs from UCFV. On ladder (left to right) Tycson Boult, Mike Lee. Back row (left to right) Pat Lee (head coach), Aaron Wells, Dan Young, Jamie Armstrong, Anthony Toth, Ryan Haviland, Jarami Reid, Brad Petersen, Pat McKay. Front row (left to right) Tom Antil (assistant coach), Mike McLaverty, Wayne Jones. (Photo property of University of the Fraser Valley athletics 2019. All Rights Reserved)
After setting a UBC women's single-game record with 27 rebounds earlier this season in a win over Victoria, Keylyn Filewich poses with the game ball. (Photo by Wilson Wong property of UBC athletics 2019. All Rights Reserved)
Feature University Women's Basketball

UBC’s Keylyn Filewich: How the ‘Birds star third-year post added even more mojo to her already-deadly inside game

VANCOUVER — Keylyn Filewich may have introduced herself to the Canada West with a breakout campaign last season that was big on tried-and-true low post moves.

Simon Fraser sophomore guard Kendal Sands has brought offensive efficiency and defensive grit to the Clan, which opens two-game weekend homestand Thursday against Central Washington. (Photo by Paul Yates property of Simon Fraser Clan athletics 2019. All Rights Reserved)
Feature University Women's Basketball

Simon Fraser’s Kendal Sands: Defining the Sixth-Woman role, unselfish guard lends guts, glue to the Clan cause

BURNABY — Kendal Sands knew from the start of the season that she wasn’t going to let her minutes be the measure of her true value to the Simon Fraser Clan women’s basketball team.

Lord Tweedsmuir head coach Drew Gallacher finds his team in a battle with fellow Fraser Valley East teams W.J. Mouat, Abbotsford, and Walnut Grove. All are rated among Quad A's top 15 teams in B.C. (Photo by Howard Tsumura property of VarsityLetters.ca 2018. All Rights Reserved)
Feature High School Boys Basketball

01.23.19 B.C. senior boys basketball rankings: Semiahmoo, A.R. McNeill make week’s biggest climbs

LANGLEY — The top two teams at each of B.C.’s four tiers held court for the week as the drive towards the post-season continues.

Vancouver College's Toni Maric was a tower of power as he led the Fighting Irish to victory Tuesday. (File photo by Howard Tsumura property of VarsityLetters.ca 2019. All Rights Reserved)
Feature High School Boys Basketball

Toni the Tiger! Fighting Irish senior big man Maric prowls paint, his 13 fourth-quarter points huge in Indy win over St. George’s Saints

Toni Maric may have been in a fourth-quarter pickle, but on Tuesday, it just seemed to be a case of more pressure the better for Vancouver College’s senior big man.

Robert Bateman point guard Jayden Gill is part of a chemistry-laden senior class of Timberwolves who, as B.C.'s No. 8-ranked AAA team welcome many of the province's elite teams to its own invitational beginning Thursday. (Photo by Rick MacDonald property of Robert Bateman athletics 2019. All Rights Reserved)
Feature High School Girls Basketball

Timberwolves Classic 2019: For host, No. 8 Bateman girls, joining B.C.’s AAA elite part of a decorated four-year journey

ABBOTSFORD — Take one look at the draw for this week’s Timberwolves Classic senior girls basketball tournament at Robert Bateman Secondary, and the natural instinct is to start counting.