The Southridge Storm overcame a first-round loss to win three consecutive games and snare the final berth to the B.C. Senior AA girls high school basketball championships.
The Storm, ranked fourth among the eight teams competing for three berths at last week’s Fraser Valley championships hosted by Holy Cross Regional High School, fell 57-54 to the G.W. Graham Grizzlies last Wednesday. One loss away from having their season come to an end, the Storm rebounded for a 61-37 victory over the Pitt Meadows Marauders on Thursday, outlasted the Samuel Robertson Technical Titans 62-60 Friday night, then blew past G.W. Graham in a rematch Saturday night, clinching third place in the tournament with a convincing 74-51 triumph.
“It’s always a gong show when you have to go through the war of attrition, knowing you need to win to extend your season. And we played our best game of the year in the last game,” said Storm coach Paul Chiarenza.
Stephanie Pak led the way for Southridge Saturday, netting 24 points and adding seven rebounds. Emily Schenk had a strong all-around game, scoring 16 points to go with seven assists, six rebounds and five steals. Katie Punia contributed eight points and eight assists.
Punia was a first team all-star selection, with Schenk and Pak earning second-team honours.
The top-seed Holy Cross Crusaders won the tournament, capping a perfect three-game run with a 63-53 victory over the Rick Hansen Hurricanes in Saturday’s championship game.
Crusaders’ Nicole Vanderhelm was named tournament MVP.
