Julia Marshall may not get the glory or the attention of some of her teammates, but her role in her team’s provincial title did not go unnoticed.
“I don’t think Marshall gets credit,” said Brookswood coach Neil Brown.
“(Louise) Forsyth and (Aislinn) Konig score all the points, so they are the stars. But what is the value of Marshall tonight?”
He was referencing Marshall’s ability to shut down the opposition’s top scorer on a regular basis.
And Marshall was at it again, holding Jessica Jones to 10 points as the Brookswood Bobcats won their third consecutive B.C. senior girls 3A provincial basketball championship on Saturday night at the Langley Events Centre, defeating the McMath Wildcats 73-48.
Jones entered the game averaging 25 points per game at provincials and was named a first team all-star but could not get going in the championship final in large part to Marshall’s tenacity on the defensive end.
Marshall finished with four steals as she helped hold Johnson to shooting five-for-20 from the field.
Marshall was named both a second team all-star and the tournament’s top defensive player.
“I was not expecting that at all, I was shocked,” said the graduating senior.
“I take my role seriously. I pride myself on being able to shut down the other team’s best player.”
“I don’t really (play defence) to get rewarded, it is rewarding in itself.”
All season long, Brown has talked about the importance of the Bobcats defensive core Marshall, Mana Katori and Tavia Jasper — to the team’s success.
It was a sentiment echoed by Konig, who became the first player in the tournament’s history to win three consecutive most valuable player awards.
“We would not have won without Marshall, Mana and Tavia working as hard as they did,” said Konig.
“They shut down some very good players.”
Brookswood, the top seed, was in control from the get-go against the second-ranked Wildcats, as they scored the game’s first 14 points.
Konig scored 35 points, to go along with 11 rebounds and seven assists, while Forsyth had 27 points and a dozen rebounds, to account for 62 of the Bobcats 73 points. Forsyth was a first team all-star while Konig became the first player in tournament history to win three consecutive most valuable player awards.
Marshall hit a trio of three-point shots while Jasper had one bucket.
The win was also payback for a loss to McMath back in December — on the same LEC court — in a game in which Konig missed the second half with a sprained ankle. The teams were tied at the half.
“We wanted payback a little bit,” she admitted. “I don’t think we had the defensive matchup ready for that.
“We wanted to come out and win the game in the first quarter. It is a lot easier to stay up when it is not a battle the whole time. We did our hardest to come out on fire and take over as soon as possible.”
Konig — who is off to North Carolina State on scholarship next year — also dealt with McMath fans chanting overrated every time she touched the ball for the first three quarters.
“I think it was funny honestly. You have to be pretty good for people to want to attack you, I actually liked it,” she said. “It fires me up a little bit.”
Konig said it felt great to go out as a champion in her final high school game.
“It feels great to go out with another one. I am very lucky to have won a championship every single year I was at Brookswood and that has a lot to do with the great people surrounding me,” she said.
“It is a very good feeling.”
