Lord Tweedsmuir Panthers fend off Tamanawis Wildcats sweep in Surrey RCMP Basketball Classic
The Lord Tweedsmuir Panthers are this year's winners of the Surrey RCMP Basketball Classic senior boys' championship, securing the win with a 96-93 win over the Tamanawis Wildcats and preventing the Newton secondary school from a junior and senior tournament sweep. (Photo by Silvester Law)
The claws were out on Saturday night (Jan. 20) as the Lord Tweedsmuir Panthers swiped victory from the Tamanawis Wildcats in a heated overtime final to win the 32nd annual Surrey RCMP Basketball Classic senior boys’ championship.
The scoreboard read 96-93 as the final buzzer sounded, marking the culmination of the Cloverdale team’s ascent to the top. It was a particularly bittersweet end for Tamanawis as the junior boys’ Wildcats had won their tournament just hours earlier, 66-58 against the Grandview Heights Grizzlies.
In the weeklong tournament, Lord Tweedsmuir started strong with a commanding 93-59 win over the École Salish Wolves but faced tougher competition, fighting tooth and nail in the quarterfinals against Fleetwood Park 77-73 and a high-scoring semifinal facing Sullivan Heights ending 94-89.
Likewise, Tamanawis proved to be dominant force on the court, handily defeating the Frank Hurt Hornets 105-54 before holding the Queen Elizabeth Royals to a 20-point deficit, 82-62, and sidelining the Pacific Academy Breakers in the semis 85-74.
On the juniors side, Tamanawis held strong leads against the Princess Margaret Lions (79-48), Holy Cross Crusaders (75-61) and Enver Creek Cougars (59-46) on their way to the junior championship. Grandview Heights had good showings against École Salish (72-55), Lord Tweedsmuir (68-56) and the L.A. Matheson Mustangs (71-59) before the finals.
Senior Results:
1st Lord Tweedsmuir Panthers
2nd Tamanawis Wildcats
3rd Pacific Academy Breakers
Junior Results:
1st Tamanawis Wildcats
2nd Grandview Heights Grizzlies
3rd L.A. Matheson Mustangs
Congratulations to the senior boys Lord Tweedsmuir Panthers and junior boys Tamanawis Wildcats! And thank you to the Surrey RCMP for hosting another great tournament for our student athletes!
