The Tamanawis Wildcats were head and shoulders above the rest of the field at Abbotsford Traditional Middle School's Grade 8 boys basketball tournament last weekend.
The Surrey squad, boasting a tall, talented and deep lineup, rolled to the gold medal, winning all of their games by at least 20 points. They capped the tourney with a 56-33 win over Abbotsford's W.A. Fraser Falcons in the final.
"They're very, very good," marveled Abby Traditional athletic director Jasvir Gill. "Some of their kids look like they could at least be in Grade 10."
Local teams also showed very well, as four Abby squads finished among the top seven at the 24-team event. The Falcons, who won the Abbotsford city tourney earlier this season, finished second, followed by the No. 3 Chief Dan George Wolves, No. 4 Clayburn Cougars, and No. 7 Abby Traditional Sabres. The Wolves beat the Cougars 35-28 in the bronze medal game.
Gill said those showings point out the strength of the local hoops scene at the younger age levels.
"Abbotsford has a lot of strong programs when it comes to Grade 8 basketball," he noted. "Overall, it shows there are a lot of kids here who have a desire to play."
The Abby Traditional tourney was huge in scale, bringing together 48 teams from across B.C. – 24 girls squads and 24 boys – over the course of two weekends. The girls' side of the draw was contested the previous week, with the St. Thomas More Knights of Burnaby winning gold.