The Argyle Pipers are all smiles after winning bronze at the senior girls AAA provincial
basketball championships.
by Andy Prest, North Shore News
The Argyle Pipers senior girls went into overdrive in overtime to
score bronze medals and match the team’s best ever finish at the B.C.
AAA basketball championships Saturday at Langley Events Centre.
The fourth-ranked Pipers had a late lead over third-ranked R.A.
McMath from Richmond in the bronze medal game, but the Wildcats made a
late push to send the game into overtime. The Pipers picked it up in the
extra frame, however, with Kate Walton and Holly Brewer both popping in
three pointers and guard Aiko Williams controlling the flow of the game
as Argyle scored a 75-70 win to claim a provincial medal for the first
time since 1988 when the team also took home bronze.
“I was very proud of them,” said head coach Anthony Beyrouti about his
team’s performance. “It was a culmination of five years for a lot of
these kids, and they left it all on the court. This is probably the most
dedicated group I’ve ever had. They spent a lot of time in the gym
working on their game and the results took care of themselves.”
Argyle's Holly Brewer (right) tracks down the ball during a quarterfinal win over South Kamloops
at the senior girls AAA basketball championships Thursday at Langley Events Centre.
The Pipers travelled a tough path to make it onto the podium. Argyle
opened with a 71-30 win over Delta and then earned a tough 65-57 win
over fifth-ranked South Kamloops, the two-time defending champs at the
AA level.
That win set them up in a semifinal against the No. 1 Abbotsford
Panthers and their star Marin Lenz, who registered 37 points, 12
rebounds, eight steals and four assists in a 76-49 quarterfinal win over
Duchess Park the day before, and went on to win tournament MVP honours.
The Pipers played the Panthers tough but ultimately fell by seven, the
closest anyone came to beating the eventual champs in the tournament.
“We gave them a great game, left it all on the court. They made some
big shots down the stretch,” said Beyrouti. “Your goal is to leave it
all on the court. Everything you have, you leave it out there. Sometimes
that’s not enough, and that’s what ended up happening against Abby, but
then the kids responded in the [consolation] final by taking care of
business.”
Brewer was named to the tournament’s second all-star team, and
Beyrouti also credited Gabbie Francis, Hope Pearmain, Julia Gocal and
Ella Mellinghaus for their strong play in the tournament, adding that
all 15 players on the team’s roster played in the bronze medal game.
“We had a bunch of kids chip in,” he said. “That was kind of one of the
things with our team. We only got one all-star at provincials for a
third-place team which is pretty crazy, but everyone kind of does their
part. We have a bunch of kids who come in and do their job.”
