The New Westminster Hyacks jumped out to a 14-0 lead and never faltered in its BurWest high school girls' basketball final Wednesday.
The regular season league champion Hyacks defeated the Rebels 65-43 in the banner final to enter the upcoming Crehan Cup as the No. 1 district seed and third seed overall.
New West's Meriam Ali came out in the opening minutes on fire, gunning 10 first-quarter points, including a pair of back-to-back three-pointers.
New West led 20-6 after the first 10 minutes.
Senior Hyack guard Ariana Sider led all scorers with 20 points. Ali contributed 19 points, including 16 in the first half, to the win.
"I try and start with a bang and end with a bang," said the Grade 11 Ali.
South was led by its two all-star recipients Pavneet Brar and Manpreet Nijjar. Nijjar led the Rebels with 12 points. Brar chipped in with 11, including a pair of first-half treys.
Desiree Lister also added eight points to the Rebels' scoreline, all of them coming in the second half of play.
Burnaby North garnered a wildcard spot, upsetting third-place Byrne Creek 48-47 on Virginia Ukpabi's last-second free throw to steal the No. 3 district wildcard seeding.
The Hyacks open up at the Lower Mainlands on Monday against the wildcard winner of North versus Vancouver No. 4.
A win at the quarter-final level would put the No. 7-ranked Hyacks into the semifinals and a chance at a top-two placing. The top three finishing teams at the Crehan Cup qualify for the upcoming B.C. championships at Capilano College from March 8 to 10.
"We'll try and play our best, so hopefully we'll show that," said Ali. "We're always confident. I just don't want to get my hopes up, but we have to be confident."
In boys' Lower Mainland qualifying, New Westminster upset Burnaby South for a second time this season, earning a berth in the district final against Byrne Creek.
New West defeated South 68-49 in the semifinals at Byrne Creek on Wednesday.
The host Bulldogs also advanced to the BurWest banner final with an 85-33 victory over Burnaby Mountain.
The final game was played Thursday (after Record sports deadlines).
