The result Thursday night wasn’t what they wanted, but the future of girls basketball at Sardis secondary seems bright.
The Grade 9 Falcons traveled to Abbotsford to take on the Abbotsford Traditional Titans in a Fraser Valley championship game.
A win would have brought the first basketball banner in Sardis history, but the Falcons fell 35-31 in heartbreaking fashion.
“It was a two point game with a minute left,” said Adam Smith, who coached the team along with Richard and Megan Tagle. “We stole the ball and were going in for the tie, but we missed the shot.”
The rebound was in the hands of a Sardis player momentarily, but as she battled an Abbotsford defender it slipped from her grip and bounced out of bounds.
“From there we had to foul,” Smith said. “They hit both shots and that was the final.
“But the girls played so hard and you haven’t seen that much hype for a long time for Sardis basketball. We are starting something special here.”
Daisha Lightle and Aidan Miller were named Fraser Valley all-stars.
Other members of the team were Mari MacIsaac, Abigail Bates, Larissa Cote, Vanessa Geary, Tyler Dueck, Alia Herrin, Katelyn Bethine, Sydney Rodger, Chelan Portier and Peyton Johnson.
The Falcons will now play in Grade 9 girls provincials, running Feb. 28 to Mar. 2 at Heritage Woods secondary in Port Moody.
Smith expects his team to be a top five seed heading into the tournament.