The Holy Cross Crusaders pulled off their biggest win of the season when they stunned the top-ranked Brookswood Bobcats 69-66 in the championship final of the Fraser Valley senior girls' AAA basketball championships in Langley Saturday night.
The Crusaders' win marked the first time this season a Canadian team has beaten the Bobcats.
"It was a very important win for us," said Holy Cross coach Steve Beauchamp. "They came from six points down in the final minute to beat us in overtime a couple of weeks earlier and that was really tough on our girls. So to turn the tables and return the favour by winning this one was pretty special. Hopefully this gives our girls a boost of confidence knowing we are right there and we can beat any of the elite teams in the entire province.
"I think that right now, when we play Brookswood, either team can win on any given day. The teams are so close it comes down to who can make a couple of big shots at the right time."
The win capped a winning week for the Crusaders at the Valley tourney. After opening the event with comfortable wins over Terry Fox and Surrey rival Fleetwood Park, the second-ranked Crusaders had a much tougher time in Friday's semifinal round where they knocked off third-ranked Riverside 70-42. That victory propelled Holy Cross into the Valley finale where they had revenge on their minds against the high-flying Bobcats.
Brookswood looked to be in control for much of the proceedings, but the Crusaders hung around within striking distance until the end.
After Holy Cross pared a 16-point Brookswood lead down to a single point in the final seven minutes, Crusaders guard Alli Buck picked an ideal time to put her name on the score sheet. Trailing 66-65 with 20 second remaining, Buck hit a field goal to give the Crusaders the lead and was fouled on the play. Her ensuing free throw missed, but the ball squirted out of a crowd of players into Buck's hands and she calmly drained the field goal to give the Crusaders a three-point advantage as the buzzer sounded.
"The girls were all pretty excited," Beauchamp said. "Beating Brookswood was a big thing, but even better was the fashion in which they did it. We were down by 12 points with less than five minutes to go, but we battled back right to the final shot to pull it out of the fire."
Nicole Vander Helm scored 27 points in the final and was named the tournament MVP.
Rachel Beauchamp hit for 13 points and snagged 19 rebounds, while Michelle Bos scored 11. Rachel Beauchamp and Bos were both named to the tournament all-star team.
The Crusaders will now get ready for the B.C. AAA Senior Girls' Basketball Championships beginning March 5 in Langley.