Skip to content

Wildcats take aim at 6th straight city title

Richmond Senior Girls Basketball Championships start Monday at Palmer
basketball
McMath Wildcats paid tribute to graduating players Jayna Wilson, Morgan Flynn, Bella Lawson, Jazzy Tufnail and Leah Hillman on Friday night at the Richmond Olympic Oval then took care of business against North Surrey for their 15th consecutive win.

The McMath Wildcats are riding a 15-game winning streak into the post-season as they begin their quest for a sixth consecutive city championship tomorrow afternoon.

The senior girls girls basketball team closed out its schedule Friday night with a 79-59 win over the North Surrey Spartans at the Richmond Olympic Oval. The Wildcats have not been able to play in their own gym all season after a fire at the school back in November.

On Seniors Night, the program recognized Grade 12s Jayna Wilson, Morgan Flynn, Bella Lawson, Jazzy Tufnail and Leah Hillman then promptly took care of business. 

All five were in the starting line-up and hit the scoresheet as McMath built an early 20-11 lead and never looked back. Wilson scored a game-high 22 points that included going six-for-11 from three-point range.

The honourable mention Wildcats now turn their attention to the city playoffs, starting with a quarter-final match-up with the McNair Marlins. 

With a win streak of over 50-games against Richmond opponents, they will have little trouble advancing to the championship game which is slated for Thursday (7:30 p.m.) at Burnett Secondary. 

Their potential opponent is one of the intriguing questions of the championships. 

Steveston-London Sharks and Hugh Boyd Trojans are both enjoying solid seasons. The Sharks (9-1) ended up in second place thanks to 78-74 win over the Trojans (8-2) two weeks ago. The semi-final clash would take place at 7:45 p.m. on Tuesday at Palmer.

Both teams also pushed the Wildcats to some extent yet the Richmond champions still went 4-0 in head-to-head meetings.

The Wildcats, Sharks and Trojans are all expected to move on to their respective Lower Mainland tournaments.

McMath should also be the team to beat in the final chapter of the Crehan Cup for top 3A schools in Richmond, Vancouver, Burnaby, New West and the North Shore. That tournament starts next weekend at Argyle before wrapping up Feb. 16 at Lord Byng in Vancouver.

The Sharks are a solid bet to be joining their rivals, while Boyd will be competing at the Lower Mainland 2A Championships.

Next season, Richmond teams will be part of a new zone that will also include Delta and Surrey schools.