South Delta Sun Devils Grade 9 boys basketball team has capped a terrific season with a historic achievement.
The Sun Devils wrapped up their campaign at the B.C. Grade 9 Invitational Championships in South Surrey last weekend. They are the first-ever boys hoop team at the Tsawwassen school to qualify for a provincial tournament in any age group.
They did so but finishing second at last month’s South Fraser Championships, falling to eventual provincial runner-up Grandview Heights 54-45 in the title game. Earlier wins came against Semiahmoo (67-41) and Elgin Park (61-59) in the semi-finals.
Making the feat even more impressive was consistently going up against larger schools with no tiering in the younger grade levels.
South Delta was seeded eighth for the provincials and lost a close battle (50-45) to Kitsilano in the opening round. The Devils closed out the tournament with a 55-52 triumph over Rutland.
Earlier, they captured the Delta championship, marking the second straight year going unbeaten in district play after winning the title in Grade 8. They also placed second at their own invitational, falling to Kits in the final.
The team was led throughout the year by Quinn Sjorberg, Brady Roberts and Damian Dumas. The tireless efforts of Kaden Meyer and Charlie Rogers were prominent at the defensive end of the floor. The team also featured Ishaan Johal, Will Jollymore, Rylan Chima, Kyler Purbs, Luke Dunn, Luke Logan, Nathaniel Kolmel and Jax Jacobson.
The boys were coached by Karsten Purbs and Andy Meyer.
The SDSS junior girls team concluded its fine season with an 11th place finish at the B.C. Championships at the Langley Events Centre.
The Sun Devils opened with a 43-41 win over Heritage Woods to advance to the main draw where they fell 54-45 to Abbotsford’s Yale Lions in the round of 16. Consolation play included wins over Prince George’s Duchess Park (42-26) and Britannia (51-47).
