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‘Still room to grow’ for Semiahmoo team

Totems ace Surrey Fire Fighters Senior Girls Goodwill Basketball Tournament title with 76-62 win over Tweedsmuir Panthers Saturday in Cloverdale
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Semiahmoo forward Izzy Forsyth rushes past Tweedsmuir forward Sam Vidovic. (Aaron Hinks photo)

Saturday’s championship-winning game for the Semiahmoo Totems’ senior girls basketball squad at the 2018 Surrey Fire Fighters Goodwill Basketball Classic tournament could be just the beginning of a great year, according to head coach Lori Pajic.

“We’re excited to have won the title,” Pajic said Monday, adding she feels the squad still has room to grow as a team.

“(We’re) looking forward to seeing how strong we can be by the end of the season.”

The Totems wrapped up the title after a convincing 76-62 win over the Lord Tweedsmuir Panthers on the latters’ home court in Cloverdale.

That result came on the heels of a 91-22 win over Queen Elizabeth and an 82-41 score against Holy Cross.

“We were very happy with how our team played throughout the tournament,” Pajic said.

“Our team has learned that most of the teams we play are hoping to bring their best game against us. We have a young squad and it appears that some teams’ strategy is to be physical with us.”

The final against Tweedsmuir was a good example of that, she said.

“They came out strong and fast, looking to run the ball in transition and drive and dish.

“Fortunately, though, our girls are young, they played a controlled, disiplined game and were able to keep their composure on the court. That was probably the most significant factor in securing the victory.”

She noted the contributions of point guard Deja Lee (named to the tournament’s 15-player dream team), who she said “has an innate ability to see the floor and handle pressure.”

The tournament’s most-valuable-player, six-foot guard Tara Wallack, she added, has a “natural athleticism makes her a threat on offence and defence.”

Forward Izzy Forsyth had a stellar weekend and is proving to be a strong scoring threat and a force on the boards, Pajic said, while Raushan Bindra was given some challenging defensive roles throughout the course of the weekend and worked hard to hold down the scoring of some of the best shooters in the tournament.

Pajic also noted Faith Dut, six-foot-three – awarded best defensive player in the tournament – is “a vocal, passionate team leader who made it difficult for Tweedsmuir to get an inside game going against us.”

“They had a hard time matching up with our size inside the paint and it started to wear them down in the second half,” she added. “Our defensive pressure and foul trouble made it difficult for them to stick to their game plan and we limited their number of offensive rebounds by going hard to the glass.”

READ MORE: South-end teams shining at Surrey Fire Fighters Goodwill Classic

– with files from Bala Yogesh

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Semiahmoo forward Izzy Forsyth (right) looks for an open player. Below, Tweedsmuir guard Harneet Sidhu frees up space to make a play against Semiahmoo. Aaron Hinks photo
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Tweedsmuir guard Harneet Sidhu frees up space to make a play against Semiahmoo. (Aaron Hinks photo)