Officially the Steveston-London Sharks finished ninth in their first-ever appearance at the B.C. AAA Girls Basketball Championships. An even bigger accomplishment was the level of respect this unheralded team earned.
The Sharks entered last week's 16-team tournament at the Langley Events Centre as a relative unknown. Their only significant accomplishment this season was an upset win over ninth ranked Burnaby South in the third place game at the Lower Mainland Championships that got them into the provincials.
Many expected them to be overwhelmed in their opening game against a perennial powerhouse then quietly exit the championships with a loss in consolation play.
Instead, the Sharks showed their grit and courage from start to finish against a steady diet of Fraser Valley teams.
Steveston-London was within five points of Port Coquitlam's Riverside Rapids with four minutes remaining before dropping a 79-66 decision in a entertaining first round match-up. The Sharks then moved onto the consolation side of the draw where they cruised passed Cranbrook's Mt Baker 79-66 before an impressive 70-62 victory over WJ Mouat.
The memorable campaign concluded Saturday afternoon with a 64-53 overtime loss to the Fleetwood Park Dragons in a battle for sixth place.
The Sharks enjoyed a 46-39 second half before running out of steam. They were outscored 14-3 in the five minute overtime. The loss was overshadowed by what this group accomplished as the first Richmond team to reach the "AAA" tournament in 12 years.
"One thing I told the kids, and most have now realize, is they belonged at this event with all these other teams," said veteran coach Les Hamaguchi, making his first appearance at the provincials since 1996. "There is always people who have different opinions and we didn't really play lot of top teams this year. No one really knew what we can do. Now they do."
Grade 12 star guard Anmol Mattu finally got a chance to bring her game to the province's biggest stage and the former She led the tournament in scoring, averaging 28 points per game. The future Calgary Dinosaur was at her best against Mouat with 31 points and nine assists. She hauled in 13 rebounds in the loss to Riverside.
Her Grade 10 backcourt mate Aliya Prasad also enjoyed a solid tournament, highlighted by her 24 points against Mouat.
The progress of their teammates since December is what made this memorable run a reality. The unsung work of players such as Alyssa Graeme, Shayla Kaplan, Alyssa Critchley and Emily Ip who had 20 points against Cranbrook. Precilia Kong provided seven crucial points in the win over Mouat. The team also includes Joan Canave, Alexa Santiago, Michelle Koo, Joanne Ki, and Johwena Si.
"The girls really embraced the whole experience," added Hamaguchi. "We also gained a little respect among the players and the coaches in this province."
