When the St. Thomas More senior girls basketball team required an eye-opening moment, they got it.
When they needed to respond, they did.
Now, the Knights have achieved one of their biggest goals for the season, and will spend the next week preparing for it.
St. Thomas More locked up a berth to the B.C. senior girls AA provincials on Saturday by knocking off Whistler 61-45 in the battle for third place at the Lower Mainland tournament at STM.
It capped a four-game run where each challenge ramped up the intensity, especially after Thursday’s 73-64 setback at the hands of eventual tourney runner-up St. Thomas Aquinas.
Getting a lead and a firm grip on the driver’s seat against Whistler, which they did with a 20-point lead at halftime, was crucial, said STM’s co-coach.
“That was the game to clinch our way into the provincials, and our girls were motivated and came ready to play,” noted Jen Farano.
“Whistler had such an amazing game the night before. They went into overtime against Seycove and won (61-59). ... But I think they might have been tired because they actually played an extra quarter of basketball and it was an emotional win (for them).”
Grade 11 guard Emma Stewart-Barnett set the offensive pace for the Knights with 28 points, while forward Brooklyn Monks contributed 14.
The route to finish third in the tourney may be the bigger test for any of the survivors who will head to the Feb. 28 to March 3 provincials in Langley. It featured an additional, must-win contest, a play-in game on the heels of the semifinal, to qualify for the third-fourth tilt that was do-or-die to its core.
In the Knights’ game on Friday, while Whistler was battling Seycove, they fended off a fierce challenge from Little Flower Academy to keep their B.C. hopes afloat. Putting Thursday’s semifinal loss to Aquinas in the rear-view mirror, STM showed a lot of resilience in standing shot-for-shot with the Angels for a 70-64 decision.
“They had to dig their heels in against (Little Flower). Both (co-coach Joe Thierman) and I said how hard it is to come in off a loss and be ready to play, ready to go,” noted Farano. “We told them ‘You have to; either your season is done or you continue playing.’”
Stewart-Barnett counted 25 points, while Shiloh Corrales Nelson contributed 21 points.
Stewart-Barnett picked up a first all-star team award, while captain Julia Spagnuolo was chosen as a second team all-star.
“(Spagnuolo is the) glue of our team. She does all the little things that need to get done but doesn’t necessarily get noticed on the scoresheet,” remarked Farano.
When the dust settled, the difficult, extended journey could play dividends in the near future.
“The girls had a goal at the beginning of the season to make provincials and everything they did was geared towards that goal,” she said of the upcoming tourney at the Langley Events Centre. “They will apply what they learned at Lower Mainlands and bring it to provincials.”
They will spend the week preparing for their next test, Feb. 28 at the AA provincials.
