You won’t hear Doug Woodward suggest that his team is entering a ‘no-win’ situation.
His New Westminster Hyacks are an impressive 13-1, with the lone loss coming against a ranked Hawaiian team during an early season basketball game.
Facing the No. 3-ranked Brookswood Bobcats today in their opening matchup at the Centennial Top-10 senior girls tournament is something he relishes.
No matter the result, New West in fact can’t lose, he said.
“It’s like a final exam,” Woodward said of the tourney, “and after this weekend we’ll know where we are.”
Unranked and an underdog among the Coquitlam-based 16-team series, the Hyacks will measure themselves against a pool that includes eight of the top-10 Triple-A programs, plus the top-2 Double-A squads.
In the end, his players will know what the next level will take as they gear up for February’s playoffs.
“I just want to see us compete and play some defence against some of the best players,” he noted. “I know we can score, but Brookswood likes to play man-to-man tough, so if we can handle their press and win the turnovers, that will be a good result.”
The Hyacks’ first game since the holidays came last week, when they played Double-A No. 8 Little Flower Academy, walking off with a 70-56 victory.
Devin Strome set the tone offensively with 19 points and Jaime Lee counted 13, while Lee also produced four steals that led to baskets. Chipping in with 12 points was Milanna Obrovac.
New West will play either Double-A No. 2 G.W. Graham or Triple-A No. 7 Argyle on Friday, depending upon the previous day’s results.
