Tamanawis Wildcats came close to taking both Senior and Junior championships at the all-Surrey boys RCMP Classic basketball tournament, until Lord Tweedsmuir Panthers ruined the party for the Newton school.
Saturday afternoon (Jan. 20) at Enver Creek Secondary’s gym, the junior Wildcats won their division with a 66-58 victory over Grandview Heights.
That evening, the elder Tamanawis team had their eyes on the prize in the senior division final, an 8 p.m. tip-off with Cloverdale’s Tweedsmuir squad.
The game went down to the wire in the packed gymnasium, where Tweedsmuir won 96-93 in overtime, capping another Classic in dramatic fashion.
Highlights from the 32nd Annual Surrey RCMP Basketball Classic Championship LT 96 Tammy 93 in OT. Great Final..A true Classic @Surrey_classic @LordTweedsmuir @Tamanawis pic.twitter.com/v7GcqYGT9S
— david zuskind (@dzuskind) January 22, 2024
Congratulations to @lordtweedsmuir for winning the 32nd annual Surrey RCMP Basketball Classic. Exceptional week of teamwork, camaraderie and sports entertainment. @surrey_schools @Surrey_classic pic.twitter.com/bK41yV0ki2
— Surrey RCMP (@SurreyRCMP) January 21, 2024
Also Saturday, the annual RCMP/Coaches game saw the police team pull away with a 64-55 win.
Tournament scores, stats and photos are posted on surreybasketballclassic.ca.
• RELATED: Surrey boys teams battle for RCMP Classic basketball crowns starting Jan. 14.
For a week starting Jan. 14, dozens of teams representing Surrey secondary schools played for senior and junior division championships at the tournament, which concluded Saturday with final games at Enver Creek.
The 2024 edition of the Classic was played in tribute to co-founder Kevin DeBoice, who died last March after battling cancer. DeBoice, a Surrey School District employee since 1985, was a basketball trailblazer in the city alongside others including fellow Classic co-director Rick Inrig, who continues to manage the tournament.