G.W. Graham: 2009-2010 AA Fraser Valley Champions

Saturday night was one of this season's most exciting nights for high school basketball in Chilliwack.  In front of a packed gym, the #5 G.W. Graham Grizzlies battled the #4 Southridge Storm in the for the AA Fraser Valley Championship with the Grizzlies prevailing 70-59.

The game started late (due to a nailbiting girls championship game - Mission beat Holy Cross) and the younger Grizzlies showed some nerves early compared to the Storm, most of whom are well versed in playoff play (thanks to being Fraser Valley Champions and the Provincial Runner-Up last year).  Although Jacob Andreou was in early foul trouble for the Storm, their star point guard Jordan Yee picked up the slack and picked apart the G.W. Graham zone at times with precision passes.  The Grizzlies, on the other hand, were absolutely dismal from the floor in the first half and struggled to find easy scoring opportunities.  Southridge went into halftime with an 11-point lead and many in the Graham gym were wondering if the Grizzlies knew what they had got themselves into.

However, judging by numerous performances this year, it should be common knowledge that betting against the Grizzlies in the second half is a futile enterprise.  Saturday night was no different as the Grizzlies had an enormous third-quarter with three-pointer after three-pointer coming from multiple G.W. Graham players.  Leading the charge, as usual, was Micah Cockrill and Chris Thomson who showed leadership down the stretch to lead their team.  Micah Cockrill tickled the twine from nearly everywhere on the floor and Chris Thomson played outstanding defense and drew two offensive fouls which changed the landscape of the game.  It should be noted that after allowing the Storm to score 26 points in the first quarter, the Grizzlies tightened their belts and only allowed a total of 33 points in the subsequent three quarters. 

With five minutes to play there was some slight tension as Lucas Mannes committed his fifth and disqualifying foul but Josiah Cockrill and Francisco Armengual stepped up to fill the hole on the roster and help ensure a G.W. Graham victory.  As the final buzzer sounded, the decibel level in the gym reached its peak and the Grizzlies raucously celebrated their first ever Fraser Valley Championship.  Chris Thomson and Francisco Armengual were named to the First All-Star Team and Micah Cockrill was named the tournament's MVP after pouring in 40 points in the semi-final and 39 in the final game on Saturday night. 

The AA Fraser Valley Championship is quite an accomplishment for the G.W. Graham program, which only a few years ago was the butt of many basketball jokes in the Fraser Valley.  The Grizzlies now advance to the Provincial Championships (February 24-27 in Kamloops) where they will play L.V. Rogers in the opening round.  G.W. Graham has exceeded many expectations this season by winning the Fraser Valley but the appetite of the Grizzlies is insatiable and they are looking for bigger and better in Kamloops.