Many of the best senior girls high school basketball teams in the province will be at Holy Cross high school this weekend, participating in Tessa’s Tournament.
Named in honour of Tessa Beauchamp, a student at the school and a member of the Holy Cross Crusaders hoops team who lost a battle with cancer in 2012.
A dozen senior girls teams will be playing, including seven Senior AAA teams and four Senior AA squads listed in the provincial rankings.
Two of the best Senior AAA teams will give the province’s second-ranked Crusaders a test. Holy Cross will play the No. 8 South Kamloops Titans tomorrow (Friday) at 2:45 p.m., then tip-off with the No. 6 Oak Bay Breakers at 9 a.m. Saturday. The Crusaders will play a second game Saturday with the Sahali Sabres, a team from Kamloops ranked among the top Senior AA teams in the province.
Four junior teams and four Grade 8 teams will also be playing in Tessa’s Tournament, which will feature games all day at both Holy Cross and Surrey Christian high schools. Fleetwood Park Secondary will host five games Saturday.
The second annual Tessa Beauchamp Charity Day will take place two weeks later, on Feb. 21, with students and staff at schools in British Columbia encouraged to wear purple (her favourite color) and raise money for a charity of their choice. The Tessa Beauchamp Foundation will award a prize to the school showing the most support.