The MEI Eagles junior boys and girls basketball teams used home court to their advantage during the finals of the Abbotsford-Mission Secondary Sports Athletic Association tournament finals on Saturday.
The junior boys battled back from a late 10-point deficit against the Yale Lions to tie the game and send it to overtime. The Eagles persevered in the extra frame to pick up the 82-76 win.
Eagles players Travis Veerman and Jordan York provided much of the scoring, while Arshraj Sidhu and Noah Letkemann provided solid defensive work. Yale’s Bradley Braich led his team, with a game-high 38 points.
Next for the Eagles and Lions is the Fraser Valley tournament. MEI is ranked third, and Yale is ranked fifth in the 32-team field. Other Abbotsford teams in the tournament include W.J. Mouat (#6) and Rick Hansen (#9).
The MEI junior girls took on Sardis in Saturday’s final, and won the back-and-forth game 52-48.
The Eagles were led by their Grade 10 guards, Sierra Joiner and Teaghen Boughen, but Grade 9 Kailey Reimer had to shoulder most of the ball handling duties when Joiner went down with an injury in the second quarter.
Tamara Alexander also played a major role off the bench in the second half to provide some clutch scoring and defence.
The junior girls are ranked eighth heading into the Fraser Valley tournament, with Mouat (#16) and Abbotsford Senior (#18) also participating.
Mouat defeated Yale in the Grade 9 boys final, and the Lions and the Hawks are the lone Abbotsford teams heading to the Fraser Valley tournament.
Saturday’s Grade 9 girls’ final saw the Bateman Timberwolves defeat the Abbotsford Christian School Knights 39-19. Bateman, ACS and the Abbotsford Traditional Titans all head to the Fraser Valley tournament starting this week.
In Grade 8 boys action, the Abbotsford Middle School Huskies defeated Abbotsford Traditional 58-49 to earn the AMSSAA title. The Huskies were led by Karndeep Brar with 27 points and 21 rebounds, and Carlin Dick, who added 15 points and seven boards. The Huskies, W.A. Fraser, St. John Brebeuf and MEI all head to the 32-team Fraser Valley’s.
The CG Howe Bulldogs took home the Grade 8 girls title by beating the previously undefeated W.A. Fraser Falcons 30-27. Howe, Fraser, Abby Traditional and MEI all head to the Fraser Valley tournament.
Read Friday’s print edition of The Abbotsford News for details on how the teams fare in the Fraser Valley’s.
