The New Westminster Hyacks gave BurWest regular season champions Burnaby South Rebels a run for the money on Wednesday.
The Hyack senior girls’ started fast but struggled with mid-court turnovers, finishing up as the No. 2 BurWest district seed following an 81-63 loss to the Rebels in the playoff final at Burnaby South on Wednesday.
Sonia Heer set the opening tempo, draining a long-range three-pointer to spur the visitors to an early 8-2 advantage following the opening tipoff.
But that seemed to rile the Rebel girls, who quickly reclaimed the lead on an Anna Lukic set shot.
Shortly after, shooting guard Amie Morrison nailed a pair of treys to put South into the lead for good as the Rebels outscored New West 25-6 for the remainder of the first quarter.
South started the second quarter in earnest, picking up eight points off turnovers, threatening to turn the game into a runaway.
But the Hyacks did not wilt.
New West played its hosts even in the second quarter and brought the deficit down to just five points on a number of occasions in the third quarter before South rallied to a double-digit lead.
In the third, team captain Amanda Zacharuk scored six straight transition points to spark the comeback.
Princess Frias, with seven third-quarter points, including an arching three that reduced the deficit to 47-42, and Lauren Denusik, who tallied 16 points in a strong team contribution, were both key players in the rally.
But it was Zacharuk who never lost that never-give-up Hyack pride.
The 5-8 wing led the Hyacks with 23 points, including 13 of 14 free throws, 10 of them coming in the second half.
A day earlier, New West upset league runner-up Burnaby Mountain 71-50 to advance to the banner final.
“Yesterday was a turnaround game for us,” said Zacharuk. “It gives us momentum. … Our coach has prepared us. We feel prepared. I think we’ve really improved and we responded.”
New Westminster will host the first three days of the Crehan Cup Lower Mainland girls’ basketball championships in the Massey gym, beginning Friday.
New West takes on Steveston/London on Saturday. Tipoff is at 2 p.m.
