The GW Graham Grizzlies will play for a AA provincial basketball title Saturday afternoon.
The senior girls basketball squad beat Langley Christian 74-68 in a Friday night semi-final at the Langley Events Centre, gaining sweet revenge for a defeat in last week’s Fraser Valley championship game.
Now, they get a chance for more revenge.
Their opponent in the provincial final is the South Kamloops Titans.
Led by future UFV Cascade Maddy Gobeil, the Titans beat the Grizzlies in overtime in last year’s championship game.
Difference is, this year GW Graham is powered by not one but two Tuchscherers.
Deanna and Julia combined for 60 of GWG’s 74 points against Langley Christian. The Grizzlies took 77 shots from the field against LCS. Deanna took went 11 for 30 en-route to a game high 34 points. Julia went 11 for 21, collecting 26 points. The Tuchscherer Towers combined for 27 of GWG’s 47 rebounds (14 for Deanna, 13 for Julia), with Deanna adding a pair of blocked shots.
Kennedy Hall gave the Grizz a third rebounding beast, pulling down nine.
Such down-low dominance will be hard for the Titans to stop, but South Kam has their own threats to account for.
Kendra McDonald grabbed 18 rebounds in a 62-58 semi-final win over the St. Thomas Aquinas Fighting Saints, and Gobeil is no slouch on the boards. The Titans like to shoot from the outside. They launched 34 three point shots against St. Thomas Aquinas.
Gobeil chucked up 13 on her own, hitting three. Fiona Brisco was a more efficient three of nine.
But as we mentioned off the top, GW Graham sends two Tuchscherers into the battle this year. Julia, who was just finding her way in Grade 9 last year, managed four points in the 2018 title game and left about halfway through with an injury. Deanna scored a game-high 32 points while the rest of the team combined for 35.
Having two of them performing at a high level at the same time may give the Grizzlies the edge they need as they seek the first provincial basketball championship in the school’s history.
The title game tips off at 3 p.m. on the center court at the Langley Events Centre.
Check theprogress.com postgame for a full report.