Kelowna's Nicole Torozan (centre) scoots through the paint against McMath's Liz Kennedy (left) and Kate Carkner. (Photo by Howard Tsumura property of VarsityLetters.ca 2019. All Rights Reserved)
Feature High School Girls Basketball

TBI 2019 Elite Eight: Depth, shooting, athleticism carry Kelowna Owls to decisive win over Richmond’s R.A. McMath Wildcats

LANGLEY — The 2019-20 Kelowna Owls are taking head coach Darren Semeniuk on a trip down memory lane.With a bevy of guards and an emerging pair of post players, the current edition that Semeniuk has cajoled into the Tsumura Basketball Invitational semifinals tonight (8:15 p.m.) following its decisive 70-39 win over the R.A. McMath Wildcats […]

Battling in the paint to score two of her eight points is Langley Christian's Kathryn New. (Photo by Howard Tsumura property of VarsityLetters.ca 2019. All Rights Reserved)
Feature High School Girls Basketball

TBI 2019 Elite Eight: Lightning strikes in defensive battle! Double A No. 1 LCS tops STM, faces Triple-A No. 1 OKM in Friday night Final Four

LANGLEY — It wasn’t too long ago when the Langley Christian Lighting were competing in the province’s small school Single-A tier.Tonight (6:45 p.m.), the Lightning face Kelowna’s Okanagan Mission Huskies in the TBI 2019 semifinals, sitting a win away from a berth in Saturday’s championship final.Maintaining poise and patience, and ultimately finding ways to execute […]

Okanagan Mission's Melaina Corrado digs in during a drive to the rim against Walnut Grove's Tabitha Knoedel (left) and Tia Rowell on Friday morning during TBI quarters at the LEC. (Photo by Howard Tsumura property of VarsityLetters.ca 2019. All Rights Reserved)
Feature High School Girls Basketball

TBI 2019 Elite Eight: Deep and dangerous Okanagan Mission Huskies too much for Walnut Grove Gators

LANGLEY — It’s still early in the season, yet Meghan Faust is not letting anything get stale with her Okanagan Mission Huskies senior girls basketball team.While the focus is on execution during the games this week here at TBI 2019, it’s pretty clear that B.C.’s No. 1-ranked Triple-A team holds some pretty intense practices, and […]

St. Thomas More's Bella Gaspar (left) gets off a shot while defended by Brookswood's Quinn Jasper during Sweet 16 round of 2019 TBI on Thursday at the LEC. (Photo by Larry Lawson property of Portland State athletics 2019. All Rights Reserved) (Photo by Howard Tsumura property of VarsityLetters.ca 2019. All Rights Reserved)
Feature High School Girls Basketball

FINAL EDITION: Utter madness hits TBI 2019 Sweet 16! Three Double-A schools crash Friday’s Elite 8 quarterfinals

LANGLEY —What a Thursday of upsets here at TBI.The Sweet 16 for 2019 will be remembered for the way that Double A teams sent the bracket into disarray.Hands up if you had Double A’s Langley Christian, Britannia and St. Thomas More knocking off, respectively, Quad A’s Terry Fox, Riverside and Brookswood?Utter madness!We’ve got all eight […]

Walnut Grove's Sophia Wisotzki helps lead the No. 3 Walnut Grove Gators into TBI 2019. The locals will open at the Langley Events Centre against Port Moody's No. 5-ranked Heritage Woods Kodiaks. (Photo by Howard Tsumura property of VarsityLetters.ca 2019. All Rights Reserved)
Feature High School Girls Basketball

B.C. senior girls basketball 12.11.19 rankings: Look out for new No. 2 Quad-A Terry Fox! Inspired Ravens top field heading into 2019 TBI!

LANGLEY — With eight of the Top 10 senior girls Quad-A ranked teams set to do battle over the next four days at the Tsumura Basketball Invitational, it’s interesting to note heading into play at the Langley Events Centre, which team comes into the 20-team field with the highest provincial ranking.No. 1 Semiahmoo and No. […]

Terry Fox's Ana-Maria Misic is part of a core group of Grade 10s making the jump to senior varsity this season for the No. 6-ranked Quad-A Ravens. (Photo by Wilson Wong property of UBC athletics 2019. All Rights Reserved)
Feature High School Girls Basketball

Ravens crush their learning curve: Fast-rising Terry Fox girls hoops squad starts Quad-A season at No. 6, ready to embrace new challenges

ABBOTSFORD — The 35-0 record along with the B.C. junior girls title they carried off centre court last March at the Langley Events Centre represented a perfect first step into the world high school basketball for Port Coquitlam’s Terry Fox Ravens.Step two — a move up to the senior varsity ranks a year ahead of […]

Melaina Corrado (left) and Makenna Jacklin (right) of No. 1-ranked Okanagan Mission will oppose Marin Lenz and No. 2 Abbotsford as two of the top provincial contenders in the new Triple-A tier of B.C. girls high school basketball. (Photo by Howard Tsumura property of VarsityLetters.ca 2019. All Rights Reserved)
Feature High School Girls Basketball

B.C. senior girls basketball preseason Top 10 rankings: Addition of Quad-A ushers in a new era of four-tiered hoops

LANGLEY — It’s whole new world for B.C. senior girls high school basketball when the  2019-20 season tips off around the province on Monday.While the cream of this province’s annual crop of top players and teams will eventually rise to the surface in time for March Madness, the paths so many will follow will be […]

Feature High School Girls Basketball

TSUMURA BASKETBALL INVITATIONAL 2019: Your complete girls draw to the 20-team, four-day (Dec. 11-14) LEC hoops extravaganza!

LANGLEY — The B.C. high school girls basketball scene in 2019-20 has a fresh, new look as powerhouse programs re-load and newer, less-established programs filled with rising young talent begin to find their stride.That’s what we’re confident you’re going to see later next month at the senior girls 20-team, 2019 Tsumura Basketball Invitational, set to run […]

Riverside's Tessa Burton (left) is part of deep recruiting class headed to Kelowna to bolster the fortunes of the UBC Okanagan Heat. (Photo by Howard Tsumura property of VarsityLetters.ca 2019. All Rights Reserved)
Feature High School Girls Basketball University Women's Basketball

Varsity Letters B.C. Recruits List 2019: Where 99 girls basketball prospects are headed this coming season

LANGLEY — B.C.’s graduating class of girls high school stars will deliver their talent all over the continent this fall, touching all three NCAA divisions, as well as U Sports, CCAA, NAIA and NJCAA institutions. Here’s your guide to who’s going where. If we’ve missed someone, let us know at howardtsumura@gmail.com and we’ll make the additions. And […]

Argyle's Gerial Larose (right) wraps suits up Wednesday at the North Shore all-star basketball game at Capilano University. (Photo by Wilson Wong 2019. All Rights Reserved)
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Capilano U hosts North Shore boys, girls all-star games as 2018-19 high school basketball season ends Wednesday

NORTH VANCOUVER — Capilano University’s Centre for Sport and Wellness will host on Wednesday what is surely the final event on the 2018-19 B.C. high school basketball calendar. The occasion?