Langley teams will be battling some of the best in B.C. and beyond at the Tsumura Basketball Invitational (TBI) tournament that got underway Wednesday, Dec. 6 at Langley Events Centre.
Brookswood Bobcats and Walnut Grove Gators are playing in the Super 16 field for the boys’ bracket, while the TBI Girls’ Super 16 bracket will see Brookswood Bobcats and Langley Christian Lightning on the courts, and a second Select 16 bracket will include the Walnut Grove Gators.
Last year, Langley Christian Lightning Lightning captured the Draw 3 (Regional) championship in the two 8-team brackets.
READ ALSO: Langley Christian Lightning and Victoria’s Spectrum Thunder crowned champs at Tsumura
Gators took silver in the 2022 Girls Tsumura Basketball Invitational and Kiera Pemberton was named Most Valuable Player.
READ ALSO: Walnut Grove Gators take second at Tsumura Invitational
This year, the event will have a slightly different look.
After expanding to 64 teams in 2022 for both the Boys and Girls Tournaments – featuring one 16-team bracket and two 8-team brackets for each, this year’s event has two 16-team brackets: the Super 16 and the Select 16 for each Tournament.
Also new this year will be the inclusion of two out-of-province teams in the boys’ field with the addition of California’s Santa Margarita Eagles and Calgary’s St. Mary’s Saints.
The boys’ teams are on the court December 6 to 9 while the girls play their games the following week, December 13 to 16.
“As we now move well into our second decade of the TBI, I ask the student-athletes, their parents, the coaches and all of our fans to drink up the incredible atmosphere that you alone produce through your presence over our two weeks of annual competition,” said Tournament namesake Howard Tsumura.
“We will feature (some of) the most accomplished teams in B.C., all learning those all-important early-season lessons on how best to play to their greatest strengths as a team, and I salute the efforts of all our teams taking those first big steps towards the grand possibility of a return trip in February and March of 2024 to this very same facility.”
Among the 32 boys’ teams are the top nine in the BC School Sports 3A pre-season rankings, as well as four of the top 10 teams in the 4A rankings and two of the top 10 teams in the 2A polls.
Among the 32 girls’ teams, both the 2A and 4A defending champions will be taking the court at LEC.
All TBI games are free to attend. For those unable to make it out to LEC, game can be streamed free of charge at TFSETV.ca.
For schedule and scores, please visit www.langleyeventscentre.com/tbi
