If the provincial rankings are accurate, the 13th annual Surrey Fire Fighters’ Classic currently under way at Lord Tweedsmuir Secondary will conclude with a repeat of the last two championship games.
The Holy Cross Crusaders and Fleetwood Park Dragons are the only two teams listed among the best senior girls high school teams in British Columbia and are expected to meet in a third consecutive Fire Fighters’ championship game at 4 p.m. Saturday afternoon.
The Dragons surprised Holy Cross last year, winning 70-65. In the 2012 final, the Crusaders topped Fleetwood Park 68-56.
Holy Cross is third in the current Senior AAA provincial rankings, while the Dragons have earned honorable mention and are just outside the top 10. It’s a familiar position for Fleetwood Park, but not so much for the Crusaders.
Holy Cross won a provincial championship last season as a Senior AA team, but after three consecutive top three placings and six consecutive trips to the B.C. championship tournament, the small private school has moved up to compete against the bigger schools at the Senior AAA level.
Two weeks ago, they were in Phoenix for the 15th annual Cactus Jam tournament where they won three close contests to become the first Canadian team to place first. Grade 12 guard Alli Buck was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player while Grade 12 forward Samantha Beauchamp was a first-team all-star.
The Crusaders received a bye through the first three days of the tournament, but will need to win three times in two days to repeat as Fire Fighters’ champions.
They will tip-off against the Mariners tomorrow (Friday) at 1 p.m. in the only quarterfinal game of the day, and with a win will be back on the floor for a semifinal contest at 5:30 p.m.
Fleetwood Park will play the Panorama Ridge Thunder in a quarterfinal contest today (Thursday) at 2:30 p.m. Other quarterfinal match-ups will see the Lord Tweedsmuir Panthers play the Tamanawis Wildcats at 11:30 a.m. and the Elgin Park Orcas up against the Fraser Heights Firehawks at 4 p.m.
All games are at Lord Tweedsmuir Secondary.
Nineteen teams will play in this year’s all-Surrey Classic, and after preliminary round play Tuesday eight teams remain in the Axe (Tier 1) draw, while another eight have dropped to the Ladder (Tier 2) category.
The championship game in the Ladder category will take place at 2:30 p.m.