B.C. high school basketball provincial championships tip-off starting on Saturday at the Langley Events Centre, with a number of Abbotsford boys and girls teams in the mix for the title.
The lone local team in the junior boys tournament is the Abbotsford Panthers, who enter the event ranked sixth in the province. Abbotsford opens against the 27th-ranked Summerland on Saturday at 10 a.m. The junior boys championship game is set for Tuesday night.
The senior girls tournament, which opens on Wednesday, sees the Panthers ranked first in the 3A tier. Abbotsford finished with an 8-0 record during the regular season and went on to win the Eastern Valley title last Saturday. The Panthers open against 16th-seeded Magee Secondary on Wednesday at 8:45 a.m.
Abby Senior Girls are the AAA EVAA Champions!
— AbbyPanther (@AbbyPanther) February 15, 2020
Marin Lenz- MVP
On to the Provincials!
Let's go Panthers! pic.twitter.com/OI0fDj4XkR
The MEI Eagles have also qualified for the 3A tournament, and enter the event ranked sixth in the province. MEI opens against Vernon on Wednesday at 3:15 p.m. The 3A title will be crowned on Feb. 29.
The Yale Lions have qualified for the senior girls 4A tournament and are ranked sixth in the province. The Lions open against Handsworth on Wednesday at 3:15 p.m. That championship will also be awarded on Feb. 29.
The St. John Brebeuf Bears will also be heading to the LEC, and have qualified as the 10th seed in the 2A tournament. The Bears take on Southridge on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. The 2A winner will be determined on Feb. 29.
The junior girls tournament, which also opens on Wednesday, features MEI, Yale and the Robert Bateman Timberwolves. The Eagles enter the event with a first round bye and are ranked eighth in the province. They kick off the tournament against the winner of Belmont vs. Nisga’a.
The Lions (ranked 12th) open against St. Thomas More Collegiate and the Timberwolves (ranked 19th) begin the event against Sa-Hali.
For more information, visit bchighschoolbasketballchampionships.com.