2019 proved to be the year of the Panther in the senior boys and girls divisions at the Abbotsford Police City Basketball Tournament.
Both the Abbotsford Senior boys and girls took home the top spot at the annual event, which wrapped up on Saturday at Columbia Bible College.
The boys edged the Yale Lions 90-87, with Karn Brar (Abby) and Jayden Bains (Yale) earning player of the game honours.
The Panthers avenged a one-point loss to the W.J. Mouat Hawks at the 2018 edition of the event, while Yale appeared in the senior boys final for the first time since 2016.
Abbotsford advanced to this year’s final with wins over the Abbotsford Christian School Knights on Tuesday (113-34) and the Hansen Hurricanes on Wednesday (101-60).
Yale opened with a 91-66 win on Tuesday over the Bateman Timberwolves and then eliminated the defending champion Hawks with an 87-54 victory on Wednesday.
Good day for the program at the Abbotsford City Police Tournament - 3 Championships Senior Boys - Senior Girls and Junior Boys pic.twitter.com/qtJgGk79ls
— AbbyPanther (@AbbyPanther) December 15, 2019
The senior girls saw the Panthers defeat the Lions 73-62. Marin Lenz earned player of the game honours for Abbotsford, while Kyleigh Boldt was named player of the game for Yale.
Yale was aiming to three-peat at the event, but were also competing at the Tsumura Basketball Invitational tournament in Langley. The Lions fell in the quarter-finals to Britannia on Friday, but opened the tournament with a 92-65 win over Valleyview on Thursday. The Lions also beat R.A. McMath 82-59 in the consolation bracket on Friday.
The Panthers senior girls, who last won the tournament back in 2016, beat ACS 94-36 on Tuesday and then defeated the MEI Eagles 88-62 on Wednesday. Yale advanced to the finals with wins over Hansen (93-15) on Tuesday and Mouat (86-57) on Wednesday.
The Panthers also took home top prize in the junior boys division, as Abbotsford defeated MEI 72-42 in Saturday’s final. Abby’s Lockhard MacGregor and MEI’s Jacobus Heke were named the players of the game.
The Yale Lions managed to prevent the Panthers from winning all four major divisions, as Yale beat Abbotsford Senior 65-42 in the junior girls final. Yale’s Samora Mason and Abby’s Eve MacInnes took home player of the game honours.
The Abbotsford Traditional Middle School Titans won the Grade 8 boys division, as the club edged MEI 47-44, with ATMS’s Shivraj Khangura and MEI’s Kaden Meeker winning player of the game awards.
The W.A. Fraser Falcons dominated in the Grade 8 girls final, as they took down the St. John Brebeuf Bears 60-17. Fraser’s Hannah Singh and SJB’s Hannah VanVugt earned player of the game nods.
The W.J. Mouat Hawks got on the board, as the Grade 9 boys team beat Yale 62-35. Mouat’s Armaan Sandhu and Yale’s Ryan Thind were players of the game.
Rick Hansen also earned a division title, with the Hurricanes beating Abbotsford Traditional 38-21 in the Grade 9 girls final. Hansen’s Arun Grewal and ATSS’s Puneet Jhajj earned player of the game honours.
For complete results from the tournament, visit abbypdbasketball.com.