The Big Ticket: Championship Finals

It's the day we've all been waiting for: who will take home the gold for the boys and the girls?

Junior Girl's Final - Terry Fox Ravens vs. Riverside Rapids

To kick off the day, the Terry Fox Ravens hit the scoreboard first, but the Riverside Rapids crashed right back with their own layups. At the end of the first quarter, the game was tied at 22 a piece.

In the second quarter, both teams stayed fairly even at 39-38 in favour of the Ravens.

It wasn't until the third quarter that Fox completely kicked it up a notch and BAM, they went ahead of Riverside by 10 points, leading 59-49 heading into the final stint of the game.

The Rapids were not ready to give up, though. They rocked it on D like a winter storm, holding the Ravens to just 2 points in the first three minutes of play. But Terry Fox was relentless in the paint--Alisha Weloy sunk a beauty layup to keep her squad ahead by 11 points. The scoreboard continued to climb for the Ravens.

However, with just one minute remaining, Riverside hit a crucial 3. A few more easy layups brought their deficit even closer and with 22 seconds on the clock, the Rapids trailed by only 5 points. But despite the tremendous effort, their hopes of taking the lead were just not enough.

The Ravens defeated the Rapids 78-69 and were crowned the queens of The Big Ticket!

Congrats to Ravens' Cerys Merton who won MVP for her team.

Junior Boy's Final - Burnaby South Rebels vs. Sir Charles Tupper Tigers

Burnaby South came to win right from tip off in this one! The junior Rebels led in the first 13-12 over Sir Charles Tupper. Though the Tigers were never far behind throughout the rest of the half. The Rebels led by just 3 points, 23-20.

But the third quarter saw Burnaby South completely dominate in ball possession. With some slick moves on both ends of the court, the Rebels went to 49-36 over the Tigers.

With key players all working flawlessly in each position, the Burnaby South Rebels defeated the Sir Charles Tupper Tigers with a final score of 68-47. Congrats to all the junior boys teams who came out with a special shut out to the junior Rebels on their first Big Ticket Championship win!

Senior Girl's Final - Riverside Rapids vs. Walnut Grove Gators

With just two games left on Championship day at The Big Ticket, the senior girls came out with a whole lot of heart in their final match of the tourney.

Walnut Grove hit the hoops first and went on a 7-0 run before Riverside could sink their own. After the first quarter, the Gators proved they would be a force on the court leading 25-7.

The duration of the opening half showcased the girls in green doin' their thing on both ends! Grove held a dominant lead of 20 points to close out the second quarter. At halftime, the Gators were up 40-20 over the Rapids.

And the rampage did not end there. Walnut Grove consistently found the basket, while Riverside struggled to do the same. At the end of the third, WG led 67-37.

In the end, the Walnut Grove Gators kept their cool and the lead with a huge 83-53 win over the Riverside Rapids.

Congrats to the Gators on a HUGE Big Ticket Championship win and for going undefeated throughout the entire tournament!

Senior Boy's Final - Abbotsford Panthers vs. GW Graham Grizzlies

It was a battle of the beasts in the final championship game of The Big Ticket tournament! With Abbotsford and GW Graham duking it out on the court, both teams were neck-and-neck. After just the first quarter, the Panthers led by just 1 point; 24-23 over the Grizzlies.

The second half saw much of the same play from both GW and Abby. While the Grizzlies put up a mean fight, the Panthers scratched right back. Abbotsford continued to stay on top 51-46.

But don't you dare count out those Bears! GW Graham came out with a vengeance in the third, finally taking the lead over the boys in black. This epic matchup continued to teeter, with both teams tied AGAIN, each with 74 points. After an easy layup, Abby took 76-74 lead to close out the quarter.

In the fourth and final quarter, the Abbotsford Panthers turned up the heat! They allowed just 2 points by the Grizzlies in the opening three minutes. Offensively, they were on fuego leading by 11 points at their peak. GW bounced back to within just 7; however, Abby held on slightly. With under three minutes to go, the Grizzlies trailed by 5 points.

At the two-minute mark, GW Graham hit a gnarly 3 to come within only 2 points! After an unfortunate foul, the Grizzlies were unable to sink another one to tie it up. The buzzer went and the Abbotsford Panthers were the final champions of the tournament defeating the GW Graham Grizzlies 96-94.

Congrats to both teams on a tremendous matchup and a big shout out to Abby on their first Big Ticket trophy!

Huge thanks to all of the teams who came out! And good luck to everyone this season.

Written by: Crystal Scuor