North Delta Huskies : Celebrating a Historic Win

NORTH DELTA HUSKIES

CELEBRATING A HISTORIC PROVINCIALS WIN

BY HARJAN PADDA

North Delta Huskies team with Coach Gary Sandhu (first row, extreme left), Coach Manvir Gahir (top row, second from right), Coach Bill Edwards (top row, extreme right), and Coach Jesse Hundal (second row, extreme right)

Earlier in March, the North Delta Huskies basketball team won the Triple-A Provincial Championships held at Langley Events Center. The win was significant as it was North Delta’s first provincials win in 29 years, a historic achievement for a program with a rich tradition. After a long, gruelling season with tournaments and playoffs, the Huskies went into the provincials with the belief that they could win it all, and that is exactly what they did.

Suraj Gahir was the MVP of the tournament

The North Delta Huskies basketball team comprises mostly of East Indian youth and Grade 12 students. The team’s major hardships came in the form of two serious injuries to a couple of their best players. Starting center Vikram Hayer suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) early in the season that could have ended his high school career right there. However, after discussing options with doctors, Hayer chose to play out the season wearing a brace and being extra careful with his leg.

It was a tough time for the team to come to grips with a key member getting significantly hurt. Additionally, the team’s top player, Suraj Gahir, had torn ligaments in his ankle due to a previous injury which could have hampered his game going into the final tournaments. Team manager Sonia Grewal revealed how “whenever one man went down, the rest of the team picked them back up. These are great players; great people and we are very proud of everything they have done.” Despite both injuries, the team never lost sight of their goal, and remained committed to their plans. In the tense final against the Vernon Panthers, the game became a tight, defensive battle that coaches were not expecting. The Huskies were down 22-19 at the first half, shooting just 24 per cent from three and 20 per cent overall.

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