The Century 21 Classic, one of B.C.'s elite high school girls basketball tournaments, tips off at a trio of local gyms this week.
The event, hosted by the W.J. Mouat Hawks, features a stacked field, including five provincially ranked AAA squads – No. 1 South Kamloops, No. 2 Riverside, No. 3 Brookswood, No. 6 Oak Bay and No. 7 Maple Ridge. The host Hawks, the defending B.C. champs, are an honourable mention in the rankings, while other local content includes the Rick Hansen Hurricanes and the MEI Eagles.
The tourney opens on Thursday, with games tipping off from 1:30 p.m. to 6:45 p.m. at Mouat and Columbia Bible College. Games run from 8:30 a.m. to 8:45 p.m. at Mouat, CBC and MEI on Friday, and the championship game is set for 2:15 p.m. Saturday at Mouat.
LIONS OFF TO PROVINCIALS
The Yale Secondary senior boys volleyball team punched its ticket to AAA provincials by winning three games at the Fraser Valley championship tournament last week.
The Lions opened the season by losing their first five games, but turned things around after a five-set defeat to No. 2-ranked Earl Marriott in late October. Yale then began putting some wins together, and posted a sixth-place finish at the Valleys to earn a B.C. berth. The provincials begin on Thursday at UBC-Okanagan in Kelowna.
The Lions are led by Kristof Schlagintweit, a setter/right side who is considered one of the best players in the province, and they also get key contributions from outside hitter J.J. Pankratz and middle Abraham Falls.
BRUINS EXCEL AT HOME
The Fraser Valley Bruins major midget hockey team had a terrific weekend against the North Island Silvertips, taking three of a possible four points.
The Bruins beat the Silvertips 5-1 on Saturday at Matsqui Recreation Centre, with Michel Holub notching a goal and two assists. Matt Revel scored twice in Sunday's rematch, as the Bruins settled for a 3-3 draw.
The Bruins (6-8-4) head to Kelowna this weekend for a two-game set with the Okanagan Rockets.
T-WOLVES TOPPLED IN B.C. SEMIS
The Robert Bateman junior football team saw its playoff run come to an end in the provincial semifinals, as they dropped a 41-7 decision to the John Barsby Bulldogs of Nanaimo last Thursday.
Austen Zacher scored the lone touchdown for the Timberwolves. Bateman, in just the second year of football at the school, is fast becoming one of the province's better AA programs.