Senior Girls AA title game a rematch of 2018 championship final

THE championship title for the senior girls AA crown will be between a pair of foes who are more than familiar with one another.

The South Kamloops Titans are set to face Chilliwack’s G.W. Graham Grizzlies for provincial gold at the B.C. Secondary School Girls AA Basketball Championships at Langley Events Centre on Saturday afternoon. The game tips off at 3:00 p.m. and is a rematch of last year’s championship game which was won in overtime by the Titans.

Langley Christian faces St. Thomas Aquinas in the third-place game on Saturday at 1:15 p.m.

For full results from all day three for all 16 teams, click here.

 

No. 1 South Kamloops Titans 62 No. 5 St. Thomas Aquinas Fighting Saints 58

Paul Yates – Vancouver Sports Pictures

The South Kamloops Titans built a 15-point lead after one quarter and the advantage was too much to overcome for the St. Thomas Aquinas Fighting Saints (North Vancouver) as the top-seeded Titans prevailed 62-58

The Saints scored the game’s first five points but then watched as the defending champions reeled off a 20-0 run to close the opening quarter. St. Thomas Aquinas pulled to within four points with 55 seconds to go but from there Maddy Gobeil iced the game hitting three of her four foul shots.

Gobeil, as she has done all tournament, dominated with a 31-point, 10 rebound performance. She also had four steals and two assists. Fiona Brisco (13 points, eight rebounds) and Kendra McDonald (12 points, 18 rebounds) also reached double figures.

Jessica Clarke led the Fighting Saints with 17 points and 20 boards and she was one of four STA players to reach double figures as Caelan Prescott and Olivia Thorpe each had a dozen points and Gemma Cutler had 13 points and 18 rebounds.

 

No. 3 G.W. Graham 74 No. 2 Langley Christian Lightning 68 (OT)

Chilliwack’s G.W. Graham Grizzlies were 2.4 seconds away from seeing their championship dreams dashed, but Deanna Tuscherer scored on a runner as the buzzer sounded to force overtime. And in the extra session, it was little sister Julia Tuscherer’s turn as she scored five of her team’s 12 overtime points in the 74-68 victory.

The game was a rematch of the Fraser Valley championship game a few weeks earlier won by Langley Christian.

In Friday’s contest, the Lightning led by six points early in the first quarter before the Grizzlies took a slim 27-25 lead at the half. Graham was up by seven with 9:20 to play only to see Langley Christian claw their way back with a 24-point fourth quarter.

Deanna Tuchscherer led her team with 24 points and 14 rebounds while Julia Tuchscherer had 26 points and 13 rebounds. Makenna Gardner led LCS with 26 points and five assists and Hailey Van Roekel had 17 points and six rebounds.