Birds soared on Saturday in the championship finals of the Tsumura Basketball Invitational Girls Tournament on Saturday.
Prince George’s Duchess Park Condors defeated Vancouver’s Notre Dame Jugglers 66-51 in the Select 16 Bracket finals while North Delta’s Seaquam Seahawks won 69-65 over the Brookswood Bobcats (Township of Langley) to cap off four days of basketball action at Langley Events Centre.
For all tournament scores, please visit www.langleyeventscentre.com/tbi
Select 16 Bracket
Duchess Park Condors 66 Notre Dame Jugglers 51
An offensive drought to open the second quarter saw their lead trimmed down to four points, but there was no panic from the Duchess Park Condors.
The Prince George school had watched their 11-point lead after a quarter shrink down to two possessions in their Select 16 Bracket championship final against the Notre Dame Jugglers after the Vancouver school opened the period with a 7-0 run.
“They never quit. When we struggled, we relied on our strengths, which is play some gritty defence and push the ball up the floor,” said coach Reid Roberts.
The Condors offence – predicated on defensive pressure at one end which typically leads to points in transition at the other – would rediscover their rhythm, with the next regaining their double-digit lead and never looking back, prevailing 66-51.
The Jugglers had entered the final having allowed no more than 37 points in any of their previous games at the tournament, but they had no answer for the relentless pressure and depth of the Condors.
Mercedes Black led the charge with 16 points, but it was Naiha Manhas who was named Player of the Game after her 13-point performance.
Zahra Ngabo added 12 points, while Maggie Malfair chipped in with 10. Ngabo was awarded the Most Valuable Player title, her calm and steady presence essential to the Condors’ victory.
“She is young and still learning the game, but she is that constant out there,” Roberts said in lauding the Grade 10’s leadership.
Emily Chan finished with 17 points – 11 of which came in the fourth quarter – for Notre Dame while her teammate Selena Quilatan added 16.
Super 16 Bracket
Seaquam Seahawks 69 Brookswood Bobcats 65
No. 1 vs. No. 2 did not disappoint.
The two top-ranked 4A girls’ basketball teams – who each won their respective tiers at last March’s BC School Sports Girls Basketball Provincial Championships – met for the first time on Saturday night in the finals of the TBI Girls Tournament Super 16 Bracket.
And while the Seaquam Seahawks led by as many as 20 points early in the second half against the Brookswood Bobcats, Seahawks coach Lucky Toor knew the game was far from over.
A 3-pointer from Brookswood’s Jordyn Nohr tied the score at 63, but on the ensuing possession, Seaquam’s Mackenzie Henderson knocked down a triple of her own. Some clutch free throw shooting and timely rebounding cemented the Seahawks 69-65 win, giving the squad a second consecutive TBI title.
“Of course, there are nerves in a game like this for both sides. They are just kids. We knew that we hadn’t seen their best punch yet and something was coming,” Toor said. “But also at the same time, we wanted to trust these players to make the right decisions when the game was on the line.”
“It is about how you react to them and how you recover.”
Nohr was named the Most Valuable Player following her 50-point effort. Henderson – who led the Seahawks with 24 points – was presented the Championship Player of the Game award. Camryn Tait added 17 for Seaquam.
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