The South Delta Sun Devils capped a terrific season at last week’s B.C. Grade 8 Invitational Girls Basketball Championships, hosted by MEI in Abbotsford.
The Sun Devils earned their spot by finishing second in the Delta District playoffs then third at the inaugural South Fraser Zone Championships.They entered as the 12th seed and finished in 11th place with a 2-2 record.
South Delta opened against eventual third place finisher St. Michael’s University and fell by 20 points to the Victoria school.
The Sun Devils rebounded with a 57-53 win over No. 13 WL Seaton from Vernon, then dropped a 49-47 overtime heartbreaker to No. 9 South Kamloops. They closed out the championships with a 55-34 win over No. 7 Charles Tupper from Vancouver.
Player of the Game honours went to Amelia Holifield, Kaija Rutledge, Maddie Dier and Emma Turner. Rutledge averaged 28 points and 15 rebounds over the four games.
It was head coach Sharon Butler’s second trip to the Grade 8 showcase tourney after guiding another SDSS team to a fourth place finish at Semihamoo Secondary two years ago. She says the provincial experience will certainly benefit her players moving forward.
“It was an absolutely incredible experience for the girls and their parents. They got to see what a big time basketball tournament looks like and the best players in the province on display,” said Butler. “MEI did a wonderful job of hosting the tournament, everything ran smoothly and the atmosphere over the three days was electric.
“It was such a fun season and all the girls were so committed and improved so much.”
The Sun Devils finished with a 22-8 overall record that included plenty of big games down the stretch.
Their roster featured just one academy player but some excellent multi-sport athletes who also excel in soccer, volleyball and hockey. Many of them will be playing spring basketball as well as club as they continue to develop their skills and learn the game over the next five months.
“I am very excited to see all their development and excited for the future,” added Butler.
The SDSS team also included Brooklyn Kuchma, Ella Hewitt, Keira Franta, Maddy Plante, Madison Dahl, Maggie Gower, Niki Long, Shaelyn Berger and Talia Dunsmoor.
