The girls high school basketball season is only a week old and it’s hard to imagine the McMath Wildcats being any better than they were on Friday night.
A 29-point opening quarter and a sizzling 40 percent from three-point range powered McMath to a stunning 82-67 home floor exhibition victory over the No. 1 ranked Abbotsford Panthers. The Wildcats received honourable mention status in the pre-season “AAA” poll thanks to returning the majority of players from last year’s team that was 12th at provincials.
The group is led by fourth-year member Abby Zawada who has established herself as one of the top shooting guards in B.C. She was at it again with 23 points and 14 rebounds against the Panthers but it was the additional support that was equally impressive.
Coming off a solid Grade 11 season, Martha Melaku is poised to do even more at the offensive end of the floor. She poured in 22 points on nine of 16 shooting. The Wildcats also got a big outing of Liz Kennedy — the Grade 10 forward who is already in her third-year at the senior level. She added 19 points.
“We shot the ball well and it was multiple people doing it,” said Wildcats coach Chris Kennedy who is once again sharing the reigns with Anne Gillrie-Carre and Steve Flynn. If we have more than one player scoring for us it’s such a key. It’s not all on Abby and teams can’t key on one player.”
The Wildcats are not blessed with a lot of size.
If their offensive game was going to evolve it was going to take work beyond the usual practice time during the season. Liz Kennedy was most noted for her work in the paint last season as a rebounder and she usually had to defend larger and older post players. She was determined to do even more to help her team this year.
“For Liz to have a good year, she had to get a jump shot and all the work she put in over the summer is paying off for her,” said her proud father. “She just puts in so many hours and you could see the result of it (tonight).”
Are the Wildcats suddenly the team to beat in B.C.?
Hardly. Only so much weight can be put into an early season game and they simply can’t shoot that well every night. However, they certainly look poised to take a significant step forward and at least now be included in the conversation with some of the top schools in the province.
Multi-sport standout Dakota Chan has found the time away from her busy soccer and field hockey schedule to contribute. The Grade 12 provides excellent athleticism and even chipped in with four points and seven rebounds Friday.
Jalen Donaldson came off the bench to go perfect beyond the arc for nine points, while Janya Wilson provides another shooting option after having a leading role with the juniors last season. McMath were playing without an injured Jessica Porter and Morgan Flynn who also will significant roles in the rotation.
“Who knows where we will be in the next three months but what a great kickoff and great for them to know (of their potential),” added Kennedy. “They really didn’t think they were in that top group with three or four others teams but now they know they can play with them.
“Even when we had to sit Martha and Liz for a bit (with foul trouble in the third quarter) we kind of kept even with them and that was great to see. They are a much bigger team but we did a great job on the boards.”
The Wildcats will dominate Richmond play once again. In fact, they likely won’t be challenged by another city school until a talented group at Steveston-London reaches the senior level in a couple of years. The Richmond Senior Girls League also includes: Hugh Boyd, Richmond Christian, Richmond High, Steveston-London, McRoberts, McNair and Cambie.
