Holy Cross a game away
The first game is often the most difficult.
But not Wednesday afternoon at Holy Cross high school. The host Holy Cross Crusaders, the second-seed at the Senior AA girls high school Fraser Valley Championship basketball tournament, humbled the Archbishop Carney Stars 100-39 in the opening round of the eight-team competition.
Ranked fifth in the province, Holy Cross quickly dismissed the possibility of looking ahead to a third straight berth at the provincials, taking care of business against the Stars by building up a 29-5 first quarter lead.
“Anytime you’re in the playoffs, getting the first win under your belt –- whether it’s by two points or 30 points – it gets you over the jitters,” said Crusaders coach Steve Beauchamp. “The girls know if they win their first two games, they’re going to provincials and that’s all they’re focusing on right now.”
Grade 10 guard Bianca Palitti was the top scorer with 18 points, with Grade 9 forward Tessa Beauchamp netting 17. Also scoring in double figures were Kim Damaso with 14, Diana Wilson with 11, and Amanda Gares and Amy Beauchamp with 10 each.
Building a huge lead early allowed Holy Cross to get all 13 players on the bench into the game, and 10 were in on the scoring.
Holy Cross played the D.W. Poppy Redhawks in a semifinal game yesterday, with the province’s top-ranked Mission Roadrunners facing the Fraser Valley Christian Falcons in the other.
Poppy defeated the Sands Scorpions of North Delta 67-40 in their first game. The Scorpions were paced by 13 points from Jackie Trautman.
The Falcons reached the final four by edging the Robert Batemen Timberwolves 40-38 in a defensive battle. Emily Kwee with nine points and Anna Vanderloo with eight led Fraser Valley Christian scorers.
In the final game of the first day of play, the Panorama Ridge Thunder fell 78-19 to Mission. Mehtab Rai has six points in a losing cause for the Thunder.
- The Crusaders boys team dropped the first game at their Fraser Valley tournament in Mission, falling 79-73 to Robert Batemen.
“It was a one-point game until the last few minutes,” said Holy Cross coach Matt Lechasseur. “The kids play hard, we just have to do it the hard way now.”
Billy Green with 23 points and Spencer Betts with 16 paced the Crusaders, who now must win three straight to secure a berth to the provincial tournament.
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