The New Westminster Hyacks were one of the victims of opening day blowouts at the 63rd B.C. high school AAA girls' basketball championships.
The seventh-ranked Hyacks were upset by the Fraser Valley No. 3 Yale Lions 72-36 in a first-round matchup at Capilano University on Wednesday.
New West shot 19 per cent from the floor in the opening quarter and made just two more buckets in the second period to fall behind 36-11 after 20 minutes.
"I could tell in the warmup," said New Westminster head coach Doug Woodward. "I saw (Yale) in the warmup and they were just hitting (shots)."
Further insult to injury occured when team captain Ariana Sider hit the floor hard late in the second quarter while driving to the basket and did not return for the remainder of the game.
Without its season high scorer, the Hyacks were unable to get any appreciable point production from the remaining players.
As a team, New West shot just 23 per cent and made just one-of-11 from beyond the arc in the one-sided contest.
The Hyacks were also outrebounded 57-45 by the Lions.
"We're just mentally not tough," added a disappointed Woodward. "We don't work hard in practice, and guys are coming late. That can't happen."
Hailey Kendall and Kendra Arnold led Yale with doubledoubles. Kendall had a game-high 15 points and 12 rebounds, while Arnold chipped in with 13 points and 10 boards.
Sharmaine Hayley led the Hyacks with 10 points. Meriam Ali added nine points, six rebounds and four steals for New West.
On Thursday, New West opened the second day of competition with a victory in the consolation round over Prince George.
The Hyacks will take on Gleneagle at Capilano University today at 1: 45 p.m.
The winner of Friday's matches will play on Saturday in the consolation final with a best possible sixthplace at stake.
The losing team will have a shot at finishing either 11th or 12th in the 16-team tournament.
The championship games will be held Saturday at Capilano University, beginning at 2 p.m. with the bronzemedal final.
The championship final will follow at approximately 4 p.m. between the winners of Friday's semifinal matchups.
