The Walnut Grove Gators were opening round winners in the Select 16 bracket of the 2023 Tsumura Basketball Invitational Tournament at Langley Events Centre on Dec. 13. Ryan Molag photo
With the opening round of games in the books, 16 teams – eight in each bracket – remain in contention at the 2023 Tsumura Basketball Invitational Girls Tournament.
The 32 teams tipped off – 16 in the Super 16 and 16 in the Select 16 brackets – on Wednesday at Langley Events Centre.
The quarter-final round begins on both South Court and Centre Court at 3:00pm with the following matchups: In the Super 16 bracket, the Riverside Rapids face the St. Michaels University School while the Burnaby Central Wildcats battle the Yale Lions on the top half of the draw. The bottom part of the draw features the Seaquam Seahawks vs. the Argyle Pipers in one game and the Mulgrave Titans and the Brookswood Bobcats in the other. The Super 16 quarter-final round will all be played on South Court.
The Select 16 bracket will be on Centre Court and features the Sir Winston Churchill Bulldogs facing the St. Thomas More Collegiate Knights and the Walnut Grove Gators against the R.A. McMath Wildcats on the top half of the draw. On the bottom half, it will be the M.E.I. Eagles and Oak Bay Breakers in one game, and the Holy Cross Crusaders against the Lord Tweedsmuir Panthers in an all-Surrey clash in the other.
The first games of the day tip off at 8:30am. All TBI games are free to attend. For those unable to make it out to LEC, game can be streamed free of charge at TFSETV.ca. For schedule and scores, please visit www.langleyeventscentre.com/tbiÂ
SUPER 16
Burnaby Central 81 Langley Christian 57
Ankita Chopra exploded for 16 third-quarter points as the Burnaby Central Wildcats turned a close game into a rout. Ahead by four entering the second half, the Wildcats outscored the Langley Christian Lightning 25-10 over those 10 minutes in what became an 81-57 victory. Chopra finished with 35 points while Kierra Blundell added 19. For the Lightning, Colette Van der Hoven scored 20 while Payton Brunoro chipped in with 15.
Yale 78 South Delta 64
A one-point game entering the final quarter, the Yale Lions rattled off a 15-3 run to defeat the South Delta Sun Devils 78-64. The Lions had trailed by as many as 14 points in the first quarter before clawing their way back into the contest. Ella Bohn (28 points) and Maeva Carnahan (12) led Yale while Kaija Rutledge (28) and Hyden McConnell (20) were the top scorers for the Sun Devils.
Seaquam 74 Charles Best 53
A dominant first half saw the Seaquam Seahawks build a 20-point lead as they defeated the Charles Best Blue Devils 74-53. The young Seahawks – they are a mix of Grade 10s and 11s with just two Grade 12s – were led by a trio of Grade 10s as Callie Brost scored 22, Camryn Tait had 13 and Syra Toor finished with 10. The Blue Devils’ Jessica Parkinson finished with 16 and Denise Mendoza had 12.
Riverside 92 G.W. Graham 38
The two-time defending TBI champion (and reigning provincial champion) Riverside Rapids opened up their quest for a three-peat with a dominant 92-38 victory over the G.W. Graham Grizzlies. The Rapids put up 41 first-quarter points with the duo of Jorga Hart (15) and Avery Sussex (14) scoring a combined 29 in the first 10 minutes. Sussex finished with 31 and Hart with 23. Emily Sprott had 13 to lead the Grizzlies.
Argyle 71 South Kamloops 52
It was the No. 1 ranked 4A team in the province – the Argyle Pipers – defeating the second-ranked 3A team, the South Kamloops Titans 71-52. The teams were tied through the opening 10 minutes before the Pipers outscored the Titans 40-21 over the second and third quarters. Four Pipers finished in double digits led by Reece Tam’s 17 and a dozen from Nathalie Francis. South Kamloops’ Lucy Marchese led all scorers with 20 points with Nathalie Francis adding a dozen in the defeat.
Brookswood 64 Kelowna 57
It was an almost wire-to-wire victory for the Brookswood Bobcats as they trailed just once – 19-18 – in a 64-57 win over the Kelowna Owls. The Bobcats scored the game’s first 10 points and they never looked back. And it was a pair of Grade 9s leading the way for the young Bobcats as guard Jordyn Nohr’s scored 13 in the first quarter alone and finished with 33 points while centre Ashley Vande Ven chipped in with 14. Kelowna was led by the trio of Emma Pinkerton (17 points), Nav Chahal (15) and Ava Thiessen (14).
Mulgrave 77 Reynolds 49
The Mulgrave Titans sank nine three-pointers to fuel the offence in a 77-49 win over the Reynolds Roadrunners. Jenna Talib was tops for the Titans with 24 points while Eva Ruse added 16 and Lucy Xu finished with 14. Skyler Lubben (15 points) and Bella Graves (12) led the Roadrunners.
St. Michaels University School 60 Okanagan Mission 52
The St. Michaels University School Blue Jags erased a nine-point halftime deficit, rallying for the 60-52 win over the Okanagan Mission Huskies. The Blue Jags cut the lead down to four with a period to play and then closed with a 20-8 quarter to secure the victory. The combination of Charlie Anderson (25 points, five three-pointers) and Alex Motherwell (22 points, four three-pointers) led S.M.U.S. in the victory. Grade 10 guard Shae Sandhu’s 17 points and Maya Andruchow’s 12 points were tops for the Huskies.
Charlie Anderson’s 25 points – which included five three-pointers –and                                                                                       Â
SELECT 16
Sir Winston Churchill 66 Abbotsford Christian 31
It was a dominant defensive effort by the Sir Winston Churchill Bulldogs as they held the Abbotsford Christian Knights to single digits in each of the first three quarters, allowing six, four and three points, respectively, in a 66-31 win. Louise Dykstra had 18 points with teammates Crystal Charchuk and Sasha Neuhaus scoring 17 and 12, respectively. Analise Henn’s 11 points led the Knights while Lyn Chuang and Lauren Van Dyk scored seven points each.
St. Thomas More Collegiate 60 Fleetwood Park 44
A game-opening 21-4 run set the tone early as the St. Thomas More Collegiate Knights were 60-44 winners over the Fleetwood Park Dragons. The Dragons did cut the deficit down to single digits (34-26), but the Knights quickly put the game back out of reach thanks to a 22-1 run spanning the third and fourth quarters. Mia Beliveau’s 19 points were tops on the Knights with Demicah Arnaldo adding 11. The Dragons’ Saavyn Mann led all scorers with 22 points while Amber Patrignani scored 13.
Walnut Grove 62 Maple Ridge 33
The Walnut Grove Gators used a 19-5 second-quarter to defeat the Maple Ridge Ramblers 62-33. The Gators sank eight triples in the game, with Kyanna Knodel leading the way with a trio of three-pointers. She also had a game-high 15 points while Lyla McKay and Avery Sorensen had 11 points apiece. Jenna Hampton’s 12 points were tops for the Ramblers.
R.A. McMath 51 Heritage Woods 45
A back-and-forth game for the first 25 minutes – featuring five ties and two lead changes – the R.A. McMath Wildcats seized control down the stretch, holding off the Heritage Woods Kodiaks 51-45. Tiana Maedel and Mirella Fernandes Boshell each had 16 points in the victory for the Wildcats while Izzy Lloyd scored 13 for the Kodiaks.
Holy Cross 69 Abbotsford Traditional 55
Tied at the break, the Holy Cross Crusaders pulled away in the fourth quarter to defeat the Abbotsford Traditional Titans 69-55. Solene Jackson finished with 20 points, Isla Iannuzzi added 15 and Maryam Chaudry chipped in with 14 for the Crusaders. For the Titans, Janeesh Sran had a game-high 36.
Lord Tweedsmuir 52 Notre Dame 47
A monster game from Sammy Ma led the Lord Tweedsmuir Panthers past the Notre Dame Jugglers 52-47. The Grade 11 guard finished with 30 points, with a dozen of those coming in a second quarter. The teams were tied at 13 after a quarter but the Panthers opened the second on an 18-0 run to build an advantage they would not relinquish. The Jugglers did manage to get within three points in the fourth quarter but could get no closer. Joanna Pepe, with 18, and Maecon Glifonea added 15 to lead the Jugglers.
M.E.I. 64 Britannia 61
Twenty points from Grade 11 guard Olivia Sidhu and 19 from Grade 10 forward Ella Tatlock helped the M.E.I. Eagles hold off the Britannia Bruins 64-61 after the Bruins last-second three-point attempt came up short. Britannia was led by 22 points from Grade 10 guard Chen Kagande while Bianca Padolina (13 and Cheyenna Wilson (12) also reached double digits.
Oak Bay 42 Clayton Heights 39
The Oak Bay Breakers were held to just a single field goal in the fourth quarter, but one field goal they did make was a huge three-pointer from Eden Henderson, while the rest of the team’s points came from the charity stripe in a 42-39 win over the Clayton Heights Riders. Henderson finished with 21 points while Molly Andulajevic had 17. The Riders’ Emma Yarwood led her team with 25 points.
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