It appears Burnaby Central Secondary's senior girls basketball team is poised to make another deep run this season, according to one poll.
The Wildcats were recently selected as the fifth-best team in the preseason rankings by BC Sports Hub — an outlet that covers amateur sports across the province.
Half of AAAA Central's roster is expected to return for 2023-24 as six players graduated in the summer.
The Wildcats went undefeated in Burnaby New Westminster Schools Athletic Association (BNWSAA) league play, 9-0, last season.
BC Sports Hub ranked the red and white squad behind Riverside (#1, Port Coquitlam), Seaquam (#2, Delta), Argyle (#3, North Vancouver) and Kelowna (#4).
However, Burnaby Central is one spot ahead of Yale (#6, Abbotsford), whom they defeated in the bronze-medal game of the 2023 senior girls provincial championships.
The reigning BNWSAA district champions were the second-ranked team heading into Langley last March and clawed their way to the semifinal.
After loosing to eventual B.C.-champion Riverside, the 'Cats completed a second-half comeback to beat Yale 68-63 and claim third place.
The medal was also the culmination of a year's long journey to get onto the provincials podium after missing out in 2022.
The new B.C. AAAA senior girls basketball season is set to begin in late November.
