The Terry Fox Ravens and Semiahmoo Totems will both be playing for their second consecutive titles at Saturday’s BC Secondary School AAAA girls basketball championship at the Langley Events Centre.
The Totems were last year’s senior champions, while Terry Fox is coming off a junior championship. Which makes the ascent of this year’s Ravens, comprised mostly of Grade 10 players, all the more remarkable.
Ranked second heading into the provincials after a stunning upset of the Riverside Rapids in the Fraser North zone championship, the Ravens defeated sixth-seeded Yale Lions 81-69 in Friday’s semifinal at the LEC.
Cerys Merton scored 24 points for the Ravens, which broke open a 63-63 tie score early in the fourth quarter by going on a 9-0 run then never looked back. Ana-Maria Misic chipped in 19 points, as well as 17 rebounds, and Emily Sussex contributed 15 points and 14 rebounds.
“These kids have been resilient,” said Fox coach Mike Carkner after the game, adding the team dreamed of reaching the senior final but never thought it would happen.
A victory in Saturday’s game would be the school’s first senior girls championship.
But it won’t be easy, as the Totems have dominated their opponents at provincials. The team defeated Walnut Grove 105-78 in Friday’s other semifinal and earlier defeated Port Moody’s Heritage Woods, 87-48, in the quarter-finals and Prince George, 126-27, in the tournament’s opening round.
Semiahmoo has yet to lose this season.
The finale goes at 5 p.m. at the LEC.
