The five-day Surrey Fire Fighters’ Goodwill Senior Girls Basketball Classic starts today (Tuesday, Jan. 3) with 11 games at six high schools in Surrey.
The all-Surrey girls tournament involves Axe and Ladder division draws for a 21st year.
Twenty teams battle for the crown of the city invitational, presented by Westland Insurance.
The finals will be played Saturday (Jan. 7) at Lord Tweedsmuir’s gym in Cloverdale, 3:45 p.m. start.
The top-tier Axe division this year involves teams repping Fleetwood Park, Semiahmoo, Southridge, Panorama Ridge, Clayton Heights, Lord Tweedsmuir, Holy Cross and Salish.
Last year, Fleetwood Park Dragons won the Goodwill championship in March, beating Semiahmoo 68-45 in the Axe division final at Lord Tweedsmuir’s gym. The Ladder division was won by Johnston Heights in a fight with Fraser Heights, 65-54.
The 20th annual tournament was delayed for close to two months by pandemic restrictions, resulting in games played at season’s end, from March 7-12, rather than mid-season, in early January.
Many firefighters volunteer their time organizing game schedules, sponsorship and providing barbecue sales, with all proceeds supporting the tournament.
“The theme of the tournament involves promoting volunteerism, diversity in the fire service, and female sport,” notes the tournament website (surreyfirefighters.com/basketball), where the schedule, rosters and photos are posted.
tom.zillich@surreynowleader.com
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