The Argyle Pipers and St. Thomas Aquinas Fighting Saints came up big in North Shore senior girls basketball last week, winning the AAA and AA titles, respectively.
An old rivalry may have come to an end with the Pipers beating the Handsworth Royals 76-63 in the North Shore AAA final Feb. 6 at Handsworth. The Pipers were down 43-34 at halftime but tightened the screws on defence in the second half to race back for the victory. Camie Ward led the Pipers with 25 points, including 11 in the fourth quarter, while Holly Brewer scored 21 points and Ella Mellinghaus cleaned up on the glass, hauling in 17 rebounds. Handsworth was led by star forward Julia Strigl, who scored 19 points.
“That place was jammed, it was a very exciting atmosphere for the kids to play in,” said Argyle head coach Anthony Beyrouti. “We were down early and often. At the half the time rallied and decided to start being a little more focused defensively, and we came out in the second half and really dominated defensively, and that led to our offensive output in the second half. It was fun to watch.”
Things might look different next year as the province will add a senior girls AAAA level, potentially separating the two longtime rivals. According to the Argyle coaches, last week’s win for the Pipers gave them a 13-12 edge over the Royals for all-time North Shore AAA championships.
At the AA level two more fierce rivals battled with STA edging the Seycove Seyhawks 61-52 in the North Shore final played Feb. 6 at STA. Power forward Jessica Clarke led the way with 25 points, with her sister Rebecca Clarke grabbing rebounds and giving the Saints a strong twin towers interior. Pasley VanderMye and Gemma Cutler also played lead roles for the Saints in the win.
All four teams have now moved on to the Lower Mainland Championships. Argyle and Handsworth are scheduled (weather permitting) to meet in the Crehan Cup semifinals Thursday at Lord Byng Secondary starting at 6:35 p.m. The winner will earn an automatic berth in provincials and a spot in the Lower Mainland final while the loser will have more work to do to make the big dance.
STA and Seycove have both advanced to the Lower Mainland AA semifinals, awaiting an updated schedule due to Tuesday’s snowed-out games.
