Seaquam Seahawks' Historic Three-Peat Bid Ends in Opening Round Upset
The Seaquam Seahawks entered this week's British Columbia high school girls basketball provincial championships carrying both the weight of history and the burden of significant adversity. As two-time reigning Quad A champions, the North Delta squad aimed to become just the fourth program since the year 2000 to secure three consecutive provincial titles. However, their pursuit of this rare achievement was dramatically cut short on Wednesday at the Langley Events Centre.
Underdog Champions Fall to Charles Best Blue Devils
Despite their championship pedigree, the sixth-seeded Seahawks were surprisingly eliminated in their tournament opener, falling 80-62 to the eleventh-seeded Dr. Charles Best Blue Devils from Coquitlam. The Seahawks' campaign was severely hampered by the absence of reigning tournament Most Valuable Player Camryn Tait, a 6-foot-1 Grade 12 forward who played only four games all season due to a foot injury originally sustained during summer club basketball.
The Blue Devils seized control of the contest with a decisive 16-3 run in the third quarter, establishing a commanding 54-37 lead. Grade 11 guard Bianka Mazan led the offensive charge for Charles Best with an impressive 29-point performance. For Seaquam, Grade 12 guard Syra Toor contributed 23 points in the losing effort.
A Season of High Expectations and Crushing Setbacks
The Seahawks began their season ranked second in the province, trailing only the Argyle Pipers of North Vancouver. An early-season victory in a Victoria tournament, with Tait in the lineup, briefly propelled them to the top provincial ranking. However, Tait aggravated her existing foot injury during the Tsumura Basketball Invitational at the LEC and was subsequently shut down for the remainder of the season.
"It's heartbreaking. It's absolutely heartbreaking," said Seaquam coach Lucky Toor before the tournament. "She's a Div. I talent. There's the family connection. You look at what this year could have meant to her and the opportunity that was put in front of her. There's no other way to put it — it sucks."
Tait, who was seeking an NCAA Division I scholarship, also aimed to surpass her father's high school championship legacy. Brian Tait was the point guard for the Richmond Colts teams that won back-to-back Quad A titles in 1987 and 1988.
Tournament Landscape and Competitive Depth
The top-seeded Argyle Pipers, featuring 6-foot-5 centre Eva Woodward and boasting a 27-3 record entering the tournament, remain the clear favorites according to many observers. Coach Toor acknowledged their dominance, stating, "I think Argyle has been the clearcut No. 1 team all season long."
He also noted the competitive depth among other top teams this season. "After that, it's been interesting, because I think anybody else on any given day has been able to beat anybody else, or at least be competitive. This is as deep a group as I've seen in years, at least from the top group of teams."
In other early tournament action on Wednesday, the Riverside Rapids defeated the Lord Tweedsmuir Panthers 104-48, while the MEI Eagles downed the Handsworth Royals 91-53. The tournament continues through Championship Saturday, featuring title games for Single A, Double A, Triple A, and the premier Quad A finale.
Longtime Riverside coach Paul Langford commented on the state of high school basketball in the province, noting, "There are very good teams at the top. Argyle is obviously who everyone is aiming for. But the top dozen are pretty good. And there are a lot of good teams at the Triple and Double A tiers. So the top of basketball is as good as it's been, but the bottom of it really is not. It drops off big time."
The Seaquam Seahawks finish their season with a 19-7 record, their losses including two each to Holy Cross and Riverside and one to Argyle. Their quest to join the Heritage Park Highlanders (2000-02) and the Brookswood Bobcats (2004-06, 2014-16) as three-peat champions since the turn of the century has concluded, leaving the path open for a new champion to be crowned at the Langley Events Centre.
