A rematch of last year's final is a strong possibility.
That doesn't mean the Cedars Christian School Eagles are expecting their other opponents at the B.C. senior girls single-A basketball championship to politely step aside and leave them an open path to the golden game.
"Houston is No. 1 at the end of the other draw but we've got some work to do on our side of the draw," said Cedars coach Al MacDonald, whose team starts provincials today at the Northern Sport Centre with a game against the St. John Eagles of Vancouver. "There's some good basketball in the Lower Mainland and the Fraser Valley and the Okanagan so we've got our work cut out for us but we think our preparation has been appropriate and we're looking forward to the challenge."
At the 2011 provincials, the second-ranked Eagles and top-seeded Houston Christian Wildcats played for the B.C. banner and the Wildcats won 75-48. This year, in a 16-team field, Cedars and Houston are again seeded No. 2 and No. 1 respectively. If the pre-tournament predictions hold true, the Eagles and Wildcats will fight for the provincial title Saturday at 6:30 p.m.
As the second-ranked team, Cedars drew No. 15 St. John in its opening game, scheduled for 7 p.m. Houston will meet the 16th-seeded Nakusp Cougars at 3 p.m.
The top five contenders are rounded out, in order of seeding, by the Mulgrave Titans of West Vancouver, Princeton Rebels and Pemberton Devils.
The Eagles, single-A zone champions for four consecutive years and city league champs for the first time, will have a true home-court advantage in the tournament because they hold their practices at the NSC.
"That should bode well for us," MacDonald said, adding that being the host team for provincials has helped the Eagles stay focused all year. "Prince George and the Cedars community has a good showcase opportunity and everybody in the community and at Cedars has been working hard to put our best foot forward. That has contributed to our good preparation so far."
Members of the Eagles are Megan Karpenko, Kayla Gordon, Amy Krauss, Melissa Gordon, Hannah Pudlas, Karyssa Church, Janene Giesbrecht, Kayla Eby, Shannon Kragt and Nicole Kragt. MacDonald is assisted by Randy Strybos.
The Wildcats are a well-rounded team but, without question, are led by six-foot-six post player Ruth Hamblin. The Grade 12 Hamblin has signed a letter of intent to play NCAA Division 1 basketball for the Oregon State University Beavers next season.
Other local high school basketball teams also start provincial tournaments today. At the single-A level, the Cedars boys are in Langley. The Duchess Park boys, meanwhile, are in Kamloops for the double-A championship. And, in triple-A competition, the PGSS senior girls are in North Vancouver.
In the junior ranks, the Duchess Park and College Heights girls start provincials Thursday in Langley and the D.P. Todd boys will be on the court Thursday in Vancouver.
