The Abbotsford Panthers senior girls basketball team are the Fraser Valley champions.
The club capped off a perfect 10-0 regular season with a title win on Saturday, after defeating the Walnut Grove Gators 90-78 in the Fraser Valley final at Abbotsford Senior.
The Panthers entered the tournament ranked second in the region, and opened with a 95-54 win over Terry Fox on Feb. 13. They followed that up with a 74-66 win over Riverside on Feb. 14.
Abbotsford then took down Sullivan Heights 85-65 on Feb. 16 to advance to the final on Saturday. The Panthers then took care of the number one ranked Gators to earn the banner.
Panthers star Sienna Lenz was named the Fraser Valley’s most valuable player, with her younger sister Marin Lenz named a first team all-star. Abbotsford’s Sydney Fetterly earned a second team all-star nod.
The big win means the Panthers head to the AAA senior girls basketball provincials with a high ranking. Abbotsford advanced all the way to the provincial final last year, but fell to the Lord Tweedsmuir Panthers.
Abbosford opens the provincials at the Langley Events Centre this year against North Peace on Feb. 28 at 8:15 p.m.
Also heading to the AAA senior girls provincials is the Yale Lions, who punched their ticket on Tuesday with a 68-50 win over Nanaimo in a wildcard game for a provincial spot.
The Lions finished the regular season with seven wins and three losses, and then finished sixth at the Fraser Valley tournament. Yale’s Tana Pankratz was named a second team all-star for the Fraser Valley.
Yale opens the provincials against Argyle on Feb. 28 at 10:15 a.m.
Both our Jr. and Sr. Girls are now into provincials!!!! Way to go and good luck!! @YaleLions @BCHoopGirls https://t.co/eiQSfHA3OS
— Yale Lions BBall (@YaleBasketball) February 21, 2018
Over in the AA senior girls tier, the Abbotsford Christian Knights finished fourth in the Fraser Valley playoffs after falling 50-42 to Pitt Meadows in the third place game in Langley on Saturday.
The Knights defeated Southridge 64-53 on Feb. 16 to advance to the third place game. Jaelynn Berger from ACS was named a second team all-star at the event.
Despite the strong showing at the event, the Knights failed to qualify for provincials.
Meanwhile, the Yale Lions and St. John Brebeuf Bears both punched their ticket to the junior girls provincials after strong showings at the Fraser Valley regionals.
The Lions finished third at the regionals, finishing off the event with a 49-43 win over Riverside. Yale’s Kyleigh Boldt was named an all-star at the tournament. Yale enters the provincials ranked third in the province. They have a first round bye at the provincials, and play the winner of Argyle vs. Lord Tweedsmuir on Feb. 28 at 5 p.m. at the LEC.
The Bears concluded the Fraser Valley tournament in seventh place, after defeating Tweedsmuir 45-44 on Saturday. They open the provincials against Cowichan on Feb. 28 at 1:30 p.m. at the LEC.
The junior girls crown a provincial champion on March 3 at the LEC.
A pair of Abbotsford teams have also qualified for the Grade 8 girls provincials, which occur at Semiahmoo Secondary in Surrey from March 1 to 3.
The MEI Eagles qualified for the big dance after finishing second at the Fraser Valley regionals, which wrapped up on Monday. MEI fell 34-29 to Langley Christian, but still qualified for the provincials as the second ranked Fraser Valley team. Eagles players Makenna Reimer and Sidney Giesbrecht were named all-stars at the event.
The William A. Fraser Falcons also qualified for the event after finishing fourth at the Fraser Valley regionals. The Falcons fell 32-24 to South Delta in the third place game on Monday, but still qualified for the provincials.