The Vancity Reign under-17 girls basketball team is two wins away from capturing the biggest youth basketball tournament in B.C.
Consisting almost exclusively of players from Vancouver’s East Side, the Reign defeated the Gitmidiik Thunder 62-25 Wednesday morning.
The girls have now punched their ticket to the Final Four of the Junior All Native Provincial Tournament.
The u-17 squad takes on the Hesquiaht Storm in one of two semifinal games set for Thursday morning. The tourney final goes Thursday afternoon at 3:30 p.m.
The Hesquiaht team defeated the Skidegate Saints 59-23 Wednesday morning.
The Reign began their tournament Tuesday with a 67-28 win over the Hazelton Jr. Mystics. The Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»club finished second in last year’s competition in Kelowna.
The largest youth basketball gathering in the province, the BC Junior All Native tournament began March 18 and concludes March 23. Teams from 82 First Nations across B.C. are competing in the u-13 and u-17 brackets in Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»and North Vancouver.
Four Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»teams are in the running, along with three clubs from the North Shore and another entry from Musqueam. Â
Vancouver’s u-17 entry on the boys side, the Vancity Sons, lost its opening contest 89-87 to the Prince Rupert Tribesmen Wednesday evening and has since been bounced from championship contention. The Sons won the whole kit and caboodle last year.
The Reign’s seminfinal contest Thursday goes at 8:30 a.m. at Britannia Secondary school.
