Sir Alexander Mackenzie Secondary School (SAMSS) seniors girls basketball team won the North Central Zones held in Fort St. James Feb. 15 to 17.
The team will be representing the zone at the 2024 BC School Sports Provincial Championships Feb. 28 to March. 2 at the Langley Events Centre.
Coach Ryan Parr said the Grizzlies won the final game 81-73 against Cedars Christian School from Prince George. Cedars got second place and a seed to the provincials as well.
Hosts Fort St. James garnered third.
In their first game at the zones, the SAMSS Grizzlies won 106-21 against Hudson’s Hope and in the second game won 68-21 against Chetwynd.
There was a lot of rotation on the bench during the first, and Parr played some of his bench players quite a bit.
“I thought the team performance was really good. My starters are my starters and my go-to, but I had three of my bench players this year who have put in work and gained my trust,” he said. “To be able to throw those players out on the court in any situation in the game is sure nice.”
Parr praised their development as players and said he was “super, duper” proud of all the players and grateful for all the support back home.
Members of the team include Tiara Milton, Camila Saunders, Cierra Rurka, Shaylen Moody, Glory Gordon, Alaina Legault, Kashlyn Mack, Annika Parr, Nevaeh Squinas, Ayanna Parr and Mariah Hall.
Winning accolades for the team were Ayanna - tournament MVP, Anika Parr - tournament high scorer, Maria - first team all star and Alaina - sportsmanship and honourable mention.
At the the provincials they will go up against 15 other teams from around B.C.
“They played phenomenal,” he said of the team’s efforts at zones. “It’s our first year as a senior team and this is back-to-back-to-back provincial showings for us.”
Parr said the team is going to the provincials but they have the dreaded number five seed against the 12th seed.
“In the sports world that is usually a recipe for an upset. I’m praying that it’s not going to be us.”
READ MORE: SAMSS girls basketball #1 going into North Central Zones
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