Arguably the best junior girls basketball team in the province was on the floor Wednesday night at Seaquam Secondary. They just happened to be more than holding their own at the senior ranks.
Led by Grade 9 standouts Callie Brost and Syra Toor combining for 33 points, the host Seahawks rolled to a 65-44 win over cross-town rival South Delta Sun Devils in a battle of the No. 8 and No. 9 teams in the province respectively at the AAAA level.
This is a special era for girls basketball in Delta with two teams in the provincial rankings for the first time in recent memory.
“It’s just nice to have that energy and excitement around our team as well as South Delta,” said Seaquam head coach Lucky Toor. “They’re a great team over there and (Sun Devils head coach) Sharon (Butler) and I talked about it last week that we’re collectively getting girls basketball in Delta on the map, which is terrific. If we’re not playing each against each other, we’re actually cheering each other on.”
The teams are poised to meet again in next month’s South Fraser Zone final and the Sun Devils should be heading to their second straight provincial tournament. However, it’s the Seahawks that seem to have all the ingredients for winning the city’s first-ever senior girls B.C. crown over the next two to three years.
Last February Toor guided the Sunshine Hills school to its first provincial basketball title of any kind at the B.C. Junior Girls Championships with a win over South Kamloops in the title game at the Langley Events Centre. Instead of taking a run at a repeat, the decision was made to age up six junior players with most of them now getting premium minutes with the senior team.
“That was a tough one because it does take that moment (of repeating) away from them,” said Toor, who has coached many of his players at the club level with the Surrey-based AthElite Basketball Academy. But I feel last year, with a really young squad, we already accomplished that goal and maybe accomplishing it again wouldn’t have been the same feel. It was more about personal development. I just thought it was better for player development for sure.”
Toor has watched his young talent evolve as the season has unfolded. It was evident Wednesday in the Seahawks' largest margin of victory over South Delta in four games this season.
“I do think 2025 should be our peak here just based on natural progression with our Grade 10s being in Grade 12 and our nines in Grade 11. That’s going to be a replica of our junior squad that won it last year, but having said that, I think if we can get into that final eight this year, make some noise and see what happens. I do think we'll be right there for the next two to three years.”
