A trio of Abbotsford high school basketball teams took home Eastern Valley Athletic Association titles last week.
The Yale Lions junior girls team captured the EVAA title on Saturday (Feb. 19) with a 33-32 win over Walnut Grove.
The Lions went a perfect 10-0 during the regular season and entered the tournament ranked as the number one seed.
Yale opened the EVAA’s with a 52-30 win over Credo Christian on Thursday (Feb. 17) and then defeated Abbotsford Traditional 59-28 on Friday (Feb. 18) before the big win on Saturday. MEI finished third and Abby Traditional finished fourth, which clinches a provincial berth for both squads.
Yale’s Ava Heppner was named the tournament’s most valuable player, with Yale’s Kendal Dueck, Abby Traditional’s Taneesh Sran and MEI’s Mya B earning all-star nods.
The MEI Eagles junior boys have not yet lost in EVAA regular season play this season and they continued that unbeaten streak into the EVAA championships, which wrapped up in Langley on Saturday.
MEI opened the tournament with a 53-39 win over the Abbotsford Panthers on Thursday and then defeated the Brooskwood Bobcats 68-61 on Friday. They clinched the EVAA title with a 51-44 win over Rick Hansen on Saturday.
Both MEI and Hansen clinched a spot at provincials as a result. MEI’s Ben Brandsma was named the tournament’s MVP. Hansen’s P. Kalra and J. Kooner, along with MEI’s S. Tatlock received all-star recognition.
The W.J. Mouat Hawks took home the Grade 9 boys EVAA title, defeating the Abbotsford Panthers 70-58 in the championship game on Saturday in Chilliwack.
The Hawks opened with a 60-45 win over R.E. Mountain on Feb. 16 and then defeated Yale 49-44 on Friday.
Mouat’s Danny Aulakh was named the MVP. The all-star team consisted of Abby’s Rajan Sidhu and Anthony Dabi, Mouat’s Marek Guynup and Yale’s Ryan King and Kaleb Ginter. Both Mouat and Abby have qualified for provincials.
The EVAA senior girls AAAA tournament saw Walnut Grove defeat the Abbotsford Panthers 105-73 on Saturday. Despite the loss, the Panthers have clinched a spot at the upcoming provincials. The Yale Lions finished third at the event. Abby’s Lakresha Edwarda and Nyah Vermeulen, as well as Yale’s Maggy Curtis were named all-stars.
Clinching provincial spots in the senior girls AAA provincials were the MEI Eagles and the Robert Bateman Timberwolves. MEI lost 63-57 to Brookswood in the EVAA final on Saturday. MEI’s Makenna Reimer and Jazmin Avila were both named all-stars.
Senior boys EVAA championships are expected to wrap up this upcoming weekend. Provincials for all ages begin in March.
