OKM vs. Burnaby Central: One for the Ages

Okanagan Mission Huskies v. Burnaby Central Wildcats

 December 8, 2023

Let’s get this issue out front: Were there ever huskies in the Mission or wildcats in central Burnaby? Park that! In what might have been the best game so far on the girls side of the draw this year, the #7 ranked Okanagan Mission Huskies pulled off the upset in beating the #5 ranked Burnaby Central Wildcats in the late game at Handsworth on Friday night.

Burnaby Central controlled the game early as the trio of Ankita Chopra, Jayla Huynh and Vobia Kalome controlled the pace of the game and showed why the Wildcats were the top AAAA seed coming into the tournament.  Burnaby Central led by as much as 15 points during the first half but OKM closed the gap to 8 at the break. 

Wildcats 34 Huskie 24 at halftime.

Halftime Observation:  The Huskies are becoming regulars at the No Regrets Tournament with both the boys and girls teams on the schedule. It helps lift the team when their counterparts are in the stands. Here the girls were supported by the boisterous Huskies’ boys team who celebrated every three and generally made for a fun atmosphere. 

From the outset the Huskies rolled all 10 players and used full court pressure in an attempt to dictate the pace of the game. As time went on in the game, the relentless pressure of the Huskies wore down the Wildcats, at the end of the third quarter the WIldcat lead was down to 5 and it was game on for the fourth quarter.  

Diminutive Grade 10 point guard Shae Sandhu stepped up for the Huskies scoring 10 of her game high 24 points in the fourth quarter.  "She has ice in her veins!" said an elated Coach Faust after the game, "it did not matter who they put on her, she was consistent all game long".  While Sandhu did the scoring it was really the pressure defence that swarmed the WIldcats in the dying minutes causing turnovers and creating foul trouble for Burnaby Central.   The Huskies took the lead with less than 2 minutes to go after trailing the entire game.

"Our girls play with so much heart and passion, and they play for each other. Even though Burnaby Central got out to that lead, I knew they would not get rattled" said Coach Faust.  "It's a great win for us as they are a very good team, with great talent, and good coaching".

For Burnaby Central the trio of Chopra, Huynh and Kalome accounted for 51 of the Wildcats’ 57 points. Shae Sandhu had 24 points for OKM and was awarded Player of the Game. Presly Hop chipped in with 9 points, but the real hero for the Huskies was their team defence that involved every player on their 10-person roster !  

FInal Score: OKM 61, Burnaby Central 57