The VSS Panthers open the Okanagan Valley Senior AA Girls Basketball Championships Thursday afternoon in Penticton against the NorKam Saints.
The Panthers, who are rated No. 4 ahead of NorKam, grounded the Fulton Maroons 76-32 in the North Zone playoff final Saturday at VSS.
Fulton takes on the Westsyde Whundas of Kamloops in their first Valley game Thursday night.
Kelsey Falk fired 34 points, while Mackenzie Horst flushed 18 for the Panthers, who jumped out to a 31-8 lead with some early pressure. The Panthers were able to get easy opportunities off their defence as well as some outside shots to cruise to their sixth straight zone championship.
The South Kam Titans tangle with host Princess Margaret Mustangs, while the Okanagan Mission Huskies of Kelowna take on the Sa-Hali Sabres of Kamloops in other opening-round tilts Thursday.
Meanwhile, Fulton bowed 70-58 to the host Rutland Voodoos in Saturday’s final of the Voodoos’ invitational senior boys tournament.
Nate Banga canned 22 points for Fulton, while Ike Olson collected 15 points and nine boards and Caden Doyle added 11 points and four rebounds.
The Maroons opened by dispatching Okanagan Mission 75-60 with Olson recording 17 points and 22 rebounds, Teigan Derkach earning a dozen points and seven rebounds and Doyle producing 15 points and eight rebounds.
Fulton then outlasted the Pen-Hi Lakers 57-49 with Hunter Krieger dialing 17 points and nine boards, Doyle getting a dozen points and eight rebounds and Olson garnering 17 points and 11 rebounds.
The North Zone championship game goes tonight at 6:00 with the consolation at 7:45. The Maroons will take on the Prince George Polar Bears Friday at 7 p.m. on Senior Night.
The playoff run for the Thompson Rivers University WolfPack men’s basketball team is over. The WolfPack were eliminated in the Canada West play-in game, losing 93-68 to the host University of Regina Cougars.
The Cougars will move into the Canada West quarterfinals with a best-of-three series set with the University of Lethbridge Pronghorns on the horizon.
TRU was led by their lone fifth-year player as forward Luke Morris (Mission) had 21 points and 11 rebounds. Regina had five players in double figures led by Shaquille Harris with 18 points.
The WolfPack were led by Derek Rhodes (4th year, forward, Antioch, Calif.) with 10 points, while Fulton grad Mike Rouault (3rd year, guard, Vernon) had nine.