The New Westminster Hyacks moved on to the final four at the Crehan Cup Lower Mainland AAA high school girls' basketball championships.
The Hyacks, behind a 35-point contribution from senior guard Ariana Sider, defeated Vancouver champion Kitsilano 70-56 on Monday to advance to a final-four berth against No. 5-ranked Handsworth Royals.
The Hyacks raced out to a 21-7 lead after the opening 10 minutes and stretched the lead to 17 points by halftime, before allowing Kits to work its way back into the game.
"We got out to a really good start, but we're still a pretty young team and got a little jittery," said Sider after the game.
Kits opened the third quarter with an 18-10 run, but New West closed the period well, finished off by Ali's buzzer-beating three-pointer.
In an earlier game, Handsworth showed its offensive prowess, defeating Burnaby South 91-53.
But Sider is confident the No. 7 Hyacks can handle whatever the Royals can throw at them.
"I don't doubt we can give Handsworth a pretty good run," Sider said. "The first game can be a bit nerve-racking, but we control our own destiny, that's the important thing. I'm excited. I want to make it five in a row for provincials."
New Westminster will play Handsworth in the Lower Mainland semifinal at Steveston-London Secondary on Thursday at 6: 35 p.m.
No. 1 seed York House plays Argyle in the other semifinal, which follows at 8: 15 p.m.
Burnaby South played with just five players in the loss to Handsworth in its quarter-final matchup on Monday.
""We have to give it our all every single game," said South guard Pavneet Brar. "It's tough for us, but we're going to pull through as far as we can."
