LANGLEY — The absolue cream of the crop of B.C. senior girls basketball teams will call the Langley Events Centre home for the 2023 Tsumura Basketball Invitational, this year set to tip-off its annual four-day run Wednesday.
All 10 teams occupying the coveted slots in the most recent B.C. Secondary School Babsketball Association Top 10 poll released Tuesday are a part of TBI’s Super 16 draw, one of two independent 16-team draws at this year’s event.
Click here for the Super 16 draw
Although the invitations were sent out last March, and the actual draw constructed in advance of the first pre-season poll of the new season, we take great pride in the fact that our opening round is as drum-tight a representation of the 16 best teams in the province as was possible.
Consider that every team in the Tuesday’s most recent Quad-A top 10 is in our first draw. As well, we have four of the top five teams from the latest Triple-A Top 10, and the top two teams from the latest Double-A Top 10.
The only team not in the first group of 16 that should have been there if we had waited until Tuesday to release the draw based on the first in-season rankings of the season are Abbotsford’s MEI Eagles. They are, however, one of the favourites in a ‘second’ group of 16 we hope is going to be just as tightly-contested as the first group.
The second group of 16, our Select 16, is also an excellent draw, with more than half of the teams represented either of ranked or honourable mention status in either the 4A, 3A and 2A polls, with four others just outside the provincial picture in the 4A and 3A Top 10s.
In its entirety, 64 games over four days.
Click here for the Select 16 draw
If you are heading over the Langley Events Centre to watch the games, note that the 4A, 3A and 2A tiers’ No. 1 teams will all be represented.
At 4A, that honour has been taken by North Vancouver’s Argyle Pipers, who climbed from No. 3 to No. 1 after exacting an 82-69 win over former No. 1 Riverside Rapids of Port Coquitlam in the Victoria Invitaitonal this past weekend.
Riverside, the defending 4A champion, topped Argyle on the opening weekend of the season, beating the Pipers 65-60 a week before in the Big Ticket championship final.
The two teams are seeded on opposite sides of the drasw again at TBI, meaning if they win their first three games apiece, they would clash for a third straight week in a tourney final, this one 4:45 p.m. Saturday at the LEC.
3A No. 1 Brookswood, playing in its own back yard, is also rising from No. 3 to No. 1 this week, fuelled by its 2023 B.C. junior championship squad from last March.
2A No. 1 Mulgrave is on its own incredible roll, having not only won its first B.C. senior girls varsity title last season, but also opening at No. 1.
Play will begin each day at 8:30 a.m.
The Super 16 will play all of its opening-round games Wednesday in the LEC’s Centre Court complex with its quarterfinal, semifinal and championship final all being contested in the South Court complex Thursday through Saturday.
The Select 16 will play all of its opening-round games Wednesday in the LEC’s South Court complex, then on Thursday play all eight of its championship-side and consolation round games on Centre Court.
The championship-round semifinals and finals will be intergrated with the same Super 16 bracket games both Friday and Saturday in South Court.
In total, 29 of our 32 teams are either ranked or honourable mention in the three largest tiers of competition. (* indicate TBI 2023 team)
Here are the latest B.C. School Sports B.C. senior girls basketball rankings (* indicate TBI 2023 team):
QUAD-A
1 Argyle Pipers (North Vancouver) (VSS) (LW-3)*
2 Riverside Rapids (Port Coquitlam) (FN) (1)*
3 Seaquam Seahawks (North Delta) (SF) (2)*
4 Burnaby Central Wildcats (FN) (4)*
5 Kelowna Owls (TOK) (6)*
6 Okanagan Mission Huskies (Kelowna) (TOK) (7)*
7 G.W. Graham Grizzlies (EV) (Chilliwack) (HM)*
8 South Delta Sun Devils (SF) (HM)*
9 Yale Lions (Abbotsford) (EV) (4)*
10 Dr. Charles Best Blue Devils (Coquitlam) (FN) (9)*
Honourable mention —Claremont Spartans (Victoria) (VI) (HM), Oak Bay Breakers (VI) (NR)*, Sir Winston Churchill Bulldogs (Vancouver) (VSS) (10)*
Dropped out — Walnut Grove Gators (Langley) (EV) (8)*
TRIPLE-A
1 Brookswood Bobcats (Langley) (EV) (LW-3)*
2 South Kamloops Titans (TOK) (2)*
3 St. Michaels University School Blue Jags (VI) (1)*
4 MEI Eagles (Abbotsford) (EV) (4)*
5 Reynolds Roadrunners (Victoria) (VI) (5)*
6 Sa-Hali Sabres (Kamloops) (TOK) (7)
7 Little Flower Academy Angels (VSS) (8)
8 Robert Bateman Timberwolves (Abbotsford) (EV) (10)
9 Vernon Panthers (TOK) (HM)
10 R.A. McMath Wildcats (Richmond) (SF) (6)*
Honourable mention — Duchess Park Condors (Prince George) (NC) (HM), W.L. Seaton Sonics (Vernon) (TOK) (HM), College Heights Cougars (Prince George) (HM), Mark Isfeld Ice (Courtenay) (VI) (HM), Pitt Meadows Marauders (FN) (HM)*, Clayton Heights Riders (Surrey) (SF) (9)*
DOUBLE-A
1 Mulgrave Titans (West Vancouver) (VSS) (LW-1)*
2 Langley Christian Lightning (Langley) (EV) (2)*
3 Pacific Christian Pacers (Victoria) (VI) (3)
4 Holy Cross Crusaders (Surrey) (SF) (4)*
5 St. Thomas More Knights (Burnaby) (FN) (8)*
6 Britannia Bruins (VSS) (NR)*
7 Abbotsford Traditional Titans (EV) (5)*
8 Fernie Falcons (KOO) (6)
9 Kalamalka Lakers (Coldstream) (TOK) (10)
10 Abbotsford Christian Knights (EV) (NR)*
Honourable mention — Southridge Storm (Surrey) (SF) (HM), Notre Dame Jugglers (Vancouver) (VSS)* (7), St. Patrick’s Celtics (Vancouver) (VSS) (HM), Lambrick Park Pride (Victoria) (VI) (HM), Panorama Ridge Thunder (Surrey) (SF)
Dropped out — A.R. MacNeill Ravens (Richmond) (SF) (HM), Pacific Academy Breakers (Surrey) (SF) (9)
SINGLE-A (Nov. 30, 1st poll)
1 Credo Christian Kodiaks (Langley) (EV)
2 Pacifc Christian Pacers (Victoria) (VI)
3 Unity Christian Flames (Chilliwack) (EV)
4 Kelowna Christian Knights (TOK)
5 St. Ann’s Academy Crusaders (Kamloops) (TOK)
6 Nanaimo Christian Trail Blazers (VI)
7 Duncan Christian Chargers (VI)
8 Grand Forks Wolves (KOO)
9 Cedars Christian Eagles (Prince George) (NC)
10 Aberdeen Hall Gryphons (Kelowna) (TOK)
Honourable mention — Bulkley Valley Christian Royals (Smithers) (NW), Maple Ridge Christian Hornets (FN), King David Lions (Vancouver) (VSS), Ft. St. James Falcons (NC)
ZONE KEY
Eastern Valley — EV
Fraser North — FN
South Fraser — SF
Kootenays — KOO
North Central — NC
North West — NW
Thompson-Okanagan — TOK
Vancouver Island — VI
Vancouver Sea To Sky — VSS
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