Talk about getting off to a good start.
The Semiahmoo Totems senior girls basketball team – the defending provincial champions and current No. 1-ranked team in B.C. – cruised to victory on Day 1 of the Surrey Fire Fighters Goodwill Classic Monday, defeating the Enver Creek Cougars with ease, winning by double-digits at Panorama Ridge Secondary, one of four host sites for the this year’s 24-team all-Surrey tournament. (After a similarly lopsided result in the first round of last year’s tournament, Semiahmoo coaches asked that Peace Arch News not print the score of the game out of respect for the opposition. PAN has chosen to honour the request again.)
Playing in the Axe Division – essentially the ‘A’ bracket, as opposed to the tournament’s Ladder Division – the Totems went undefeated at last year’s tournament – and in fact, did not lose a single game all season en route to their provincial championship – and defeated Cloverdale’s Lord Tweedsmuir Panthers in the Fire Fighter final, 82-53.
Semiahmoo won the tournament in 2017 as well, beating Tweedsmuir 76-62 in the title game.
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With Monday’s victory, the Totems advance to the second round of the Axe Division, where they’ll face off against another South Surrey squad, the Southridge Storm.
The Storm won their opening-round tilt Monday, 73-63 over the Panorama Ridge Thunder.
Both Semi and Southridge have Tuesday off, and will square of Wednesday afternoon, with tip-off set for 1:30 p.m. at Panorama Ridge.
Also on Monday, Tweedsmuir defeated North Surrey 86-73 to advance to the second round, and the Earl Marriott Mariners beat the Fleetwood Park Dragons 67-53 in the final match of the day.
Tweedsmuir and EMS will square off Wednesday in second-round action.
Today (Tuesday), action gets going in the Ladder Division, with eight games on the schedule.
Three games are set for Lord Tweedsmuir Secondary – Tamanawis versus Elgin Park (3 p.m.), Frank Hurt against Khalsa (4:30 p.m.) while Princess Margaret takes on Holy Cross in the final game of the day (6 p.m.).
At Kwantlen Park Secondary, Kwantlen Park will play L.A. Mathewson (noon), while Johnston Heights will hit the court against Surrey Christian (1:30 p.m.). At Salish Secondary, Salish and Queen Elizabeth will square off first (noon), followed by Pacific Academy versus Fraser Heights (1:30 p.m.), while Sullivan Heights and Clayton Heights will play the late game on the schedule (3 p.m.).
Elimination-round action continues Wednesday through the rest of the week, with the championship game set for Saturday, 4:30 p.m. at Lord Tweedsmuir Secondary.
Saturday afternoon will also include a three-point contest at Tweedsmuir as part of the festivities.
Post-tournament awards are scheduled for 6 p.m.
sports@peacearchnews.com
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