The McMath Wildcats took their season to where no Richmond senior girls basketball team has been in 19 years.
A magical ride concluded with a 73-50 loss to three-time defending champion Brookswood Bobcats in Saturday’s B.C. AAA final at the Langley Events Centre.
The last Lulu Island team to play for the provincial title was the McRoberts Strikers back in 1997. Since then, it has been a tough go for senior girls teams just to make the AAA tourney with Steveston-London ending a 12-year city drought in 2013.
The Wildcats served notice when this talented group arrived at the Steveston school five years ago.
Along the way there have been plenty of challenges, including finding enough multi-sport athletes to stay with hoops when other interests were pulling some in different directions. In the end, it took a pair aged up Grade 10 standouts and even a promising Grade 8 to come up with enough depth to chase their dream.
After a fifth place finish a year ago, McMath took it couple steps further in its second attempt, highlighted by Friday’s 72-52 semi-final win over Lord Tweedsmuir. It meant finishing their career on a Saturday night when every big game in B.C. high school basketball is played.
“The whole season we have been calling ourselves the ‘Saturday Night Girls.’ Just to make it (to the final) is a real big accomplishment,” said star guard Jessica Jones following the breakthrough result against Tweedsmuir. “Win or lose, we will be ending our season on a high note.”
Of course, the ideal conclusion would have been one more victory on the biggest stage of all but the Bobcats weren’t interested in helping write a storybook finish. The Langley powerhouse came out on fire at both ends of the floor and raced out to an early 14-0 lead.
Led by three-time tournament MVP and North Carolina State bound Aislinn Konig, the Bobcats have been lighting up the scoreboard all season. But it’s their defensive work that’s even more impressive.
McMath three-point sharpshooters Lyric Custodio and Jones were smothered all night. Julie Marshall’s work on Jones helped her lock up the Top Defensive Player Award. When the Wildcats tried to push the ball up the floor in transition, cross-court passes were being routinely intercepted.
“They were doing stuff to us that we typically do to other teams,” said co-coach Paul Jones. “We are at this level (of game speed) compared to everyone else. Brookswood is at another level above that. Everyone talks about how explosive they are but they don’t get enough credit for just how good they are defensively too.”
The Wildcats were getting some quality looks inside but shots weren’t falling. An 18-7 first quarter deficit grew to 40-17 at the intermission and the game was essentially over.
McMath was 0-10 beyond the arc in the opening half and forward Bobbi-Jo Colburn went out of her usual range to hit her team’s first trey of the game with seven minutes remaining.
“We talked about handling the pressure, not turning the ball over and finishing when we had our chances. Those were the two things that let us down,” added co-coach Anne Gillrie-Carre. “We had lots of opportunities to score from two feet out and, oh my goodness, it never did seem to get much better.
“But it’s been a great season and great journey for these kids. Sure we would have liked to have won, but I don’t think they are ever going to forget they got to the final.”
Jones was a first team all-star selection, while Colburn and Jessica Zawada earned second team and honourable mention honours respectively. All three will be continuing their careers at the university level next season. Jones is going to SFU next fall. Colburn is taking her game to Calgary and Zawada is headed to Fraser Valley. Zawada was also a recipient of the Quinn Keast and Telus scholarships. Jones was among the five Telus winners as well.
The Wildcats won't be completely decimated by graduation. Abby Zawada and Custodio are a pair of Grade 10s who played heavy minutes this season. Abby chipped in with seven points in the final, while Custodio was spectacular in the team’s quarter-final win over Abbotsford with seven 3-pointers The experience Liz Kennedy gained as a Grade 8 at the senior level is immeasurable.
Gillrie-Carre wouldn’t mind adding another chapter to her storied coaching career if her daughter Kira continues teaching at the school. She worked with the junior team this past season. Gillrie-Carre coached the last Richmond team to win the B.C. title when the Steveston Packers did it on their home court back in 1993.
“We do have some really good younger kids here and coming up too,” added Gillrie-Carre. “It really depends on if Kira gets a job (again) year. It would be a great honour (to coach with her).”
