Upsets have been abound early into the B.C. junior girls basketball provincial tournament, and Abbotsford teams have been a big part of the surprises.
Both the Yale Lions and the MEI Eagles scored huge wins over higher-ranked opponents on Wednesday, and the two squads play each other later today (Thursday) with a shot at the final four on the line.
Yale and MEI both played two games on Wednesday, with the 12th-seeded Lions defeating W.L. Seaton 60-42 and then taking down fifth-ranked Pacific Christian 59-40.
1st upset of the tournament!!! #12 Yale Jr girls take down. #5 Pacific Christian. 59-40. ELITE 8 here come the LADY LIONS!!! @YaleLions @YaleBasketball @theBCSportsHub @BCHoopScoop @SportAbbotsford @BCJrGirlsBBall @AbbyNews
— Chris White (@vankam3) February 28, 2019
The Eagles followed suit, taking down Duchess Park 62-44 and then handling fourth-ranked St. Thomas More Collegiate 42-30.
The Lions and Eagles square off today at 2:30 p.m., with the winner moving onto the semifinal.
Two Abbotsford teams are still in the mix for a provincial title in the B.C. senior girls 3A tournament, with the Bateman Timberwolves and the Lions winning big tournament games.
Bateman crushed Argyle 87-48, and were led by star Jayden Gill with 19 points. Yale also dominated Nanaimo District, with a 107-44 win. The Abbotsford Panthers failed to advance, falling 91-77 to Okanagan Mission.
@BatemanBball defeated @argyleschool in first round action today! @BCHoopGirls pic.twitter.com/dB47uuVSq9
— BC Sports Hub (@theBCSportsHub) February 27, 2019
Yale takes on Kelowna on Thursday at 11:45 a.m., while Bateman challenges the Walnut Grove Gators on Thursday at 5 p.m.
The B.C. junior boys basketball tournament wrapped up on Tuesday, with Yale finishing seventh and MEI placing 10th.
Yale’s Joseph Ho and MEI’s Jayden Cousins were both named to the honourable mention all-star team at the event.
Meanwhile in senior boys competition, both Bateman and the Rick Hansen Hurricanes have a chance to battle for third in the Fraser Valley regionals if they win on Thursday.
Bateman defeated Thomas Haney 93-81 on Wednesday, while Hansen narrowly fell 81-79 to Pitt Meadows.
Tough loss to a tough team. Pitt came out on top in the end 81-79. Proud of our guys for never giving up and giving themselves a chance right to the very last second. We play Delta tomorrow night at 6pm
— Hansen Sr. Boys Basketball (@hansen_bball) February 28, 2019
Hansen now takes on Delta on Thursday night, while Bateman battles North Delta.
Over in Port Moody, a trio of Abbotsford Grade 9 girls basketball teams hit the court this weekend at provincials.
Fresh off a Fraser Valley title win on Thursday, the Abbotsford Traditional Titans enter the event as the number two seed.
Also competing in Port Moody is the Bateman Timberwolves and the Hansen Hurricanes. The Grade 9 title will be awarded on Saturday night.
Also this weekend is the Grade 8 boys and girls provincials at Semiahmoo Secondary in South Surrey.
Boys teams heading to the event are the C.G. Howe Bulldogs and the Abbotsford Middle Huskies. Girls teams qualified are the Huskies and the W.A. Fraser Falcons.
The championship games are set for Saturday afternoon, with the girls game set for 2:30 p.m. and the boys set for 4:15 p.m.
Stay tuned to abbynews.com for further coverage from all the tournaments.