It wasn’t the storybook run at the B.C. 3A senior girls basketball championships that they hoped, but the New Westminster Hyacks exited with some well-deserved validation.
The unranked squad wrapped up the tournament with a win to provide a tidy finish to the season and a solid lead-in to the next chapter.
New West topped fourth-seeded Kelowna 77-65 on Saturday, finishing the provincial tourney in 11th place and pushing up against the Top-10.
“The kids got to see all the different teams in the tournament, watch how they perform and feel that kind of pressure,” said Hyacks head coach Doug Woodward. “For everyone, whether they are graduating or coming back, this was a good experience and something they’ll grow from.”
Settling in as the 11th-best team in B.C., New West grew together through some adversity along the road to the B.C.s. Once there, they rolled with the punches at the vaunted Langley-hosted four-day tourney.
To finish it off with a win was satisfying, said the coach.
“You always want to win your last game.”
The Hyacks conceded the first six points to Kelowna and trailed 17-14 early in the second quarter, but dominated the rest of the way. New West outscored the formerly-
No. 1-ranked Owls 23-14 in the second quarter and 27-18 in the fourth to produce a convincing win – although Kelowna did make it a three-point game late in the third frame.
Grade 10 Sarah Forgie led the way with 26 points, including a 14-for-16 performance from the penalty stripe – sinking 8-of-9 in the fourth quarter. Senior Rhiannon Leidl contributed 20 points, while fellow graduating guard
Justice Steer counted 13 points.
The response came on the heels of Friday’s disappointing 64-51 loss to Handsworth, echoing their reaction to the opening setback.
“Our warm-up (before the Handsworth game) wasn’t very good,” he noted. “We didn’t have the intensity you need… I know it happens, and we’ve beaten (Handsworth) twice this year, where you play that third time and it goes the other way.”
Forgie again led the offence with 23 points, while Steer counted 10 points. Contributing four points and 11 rebounds was player of the game Zoe Roberts, one of the five graduating seniors.
A day earlier, New West bounced back on the heels of the opening overtime loss to Abbotsford, trumping Mount Baker 78-49, with Steer putting up a player-of-the-game total of 30 points, including seven three-pointers. Sarah Forgie chipped in 14 and Madisen Obrovac notched nine.
The big disappointment was delivered on opening day when they suffered a 71-67 overtime loss to the Abbotsford Panthers. The Hyacks, who led the Panthers 38-26 at the half, actually scored the first five points in extra time, only to miss three chances to lock it up.
“We scored quickly, with a three and a two (point shot),” said Woodward of the extra session. “They came down, we got the rebound and moved down the floor then – Boom – a turnover… It happened three times but we just didn’t get it done, and (Abbotsford) turned it around and scored seven (unanswered) points.”
Forgie posted 20 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists to garner player-of-the-game honours. Steer netted 18 points and Obrovac added 13, along with 10 boards.
The team also brought a handful of juniors up for the tournament, exposing them to provincial action. Seeing some floor time were Kaylee Colville, Natalie Nastase and Devin Strome.
Woodward said the graduating seniors led by example over the final week, no matter what their game-time roles were.
“We got better each step along the way,” he said. “It takes a good year to learn all the plays to the point where you aren’t reacting or thinking what to do next. The kids came together and achieved a lot this season.
“Basically the last win came down to a team game, where everyone stepped up.”
