(GIRLS) Argyle Pipers fend off visiting Archbishop MacDonald Marauders

Argyle Pipers Vs Archbishop Macdonald Marauders

Written by Connor Lewis

The Thursday afternoon game (4:00pm) featured out-of-province Archbishop Macdonald getting their first taste of North Vancouver’s Argyle Pipers.

This was a battle of two defensive juggernauts and two very well coached teams. Early, it was the Marauders full court press that rattled the cage of the Argyle Pipers ball handlers in the opening Q. As soon as a basket was scored it was #4 Makenna Graham who was in the grill of the Argyle Pipers guards forcing them to the sideline where a trap would be waiting. And when the Pipers tried to reverse the ball, or pass through the middle, it was #5 Mateya Bevezowsky who was flying around like an NFL safety, forcing multiple turnovers. These turnovers, however, did not result in many buckets and the score remained low.  

The short-handed Pipers (who had many players missing due to their graduation winter formal) were able to keep it within striking distance because of some stellar two-way play by #25 Gabbie Francis, who was able to block anything in a 5-foot radius around the hoop and finish in close on the opposite end.

The score at the end of the first quarter was 8-12 For AB Macdonald. As coach Anthony Beyrouti said to his team during the break, the Arglye Pipers were “getting bullied.”

Argyle came out with more composure and energy in the second quarter thanks to #5 Aiko Williams who was able to break the press, facilitate the offence, and lead her team vocally. The back and forth match up had many lead changes with the score at half seeing Argyle up 22-16.

The battle of defence continued in the second half. It was true battle of grit and determination with both teams playing great on-ball and team defence. The refs were letting the girls play this afternoon and the girls on both teams were showing no fear in driving hard to the hole. The score remained tight through the 4th with Argyle coming out on top 45-41. It was a game that could have gone either way, but Argyle was able to make a couple key plays down the stretch that sealed the deal.

Argyle will play Heritage Woods on Friday at 6:30 at Handsworth while you can see AB Macdonald playing host team Handsworth at Handsworth at 3pm. Good luck to both teams!