They showed they belong at the higher level but the Langley Christian were denied in their quest for the gold medal.
The senior girls basketball team lost 77-66 to the Vernon Panthers on Friday afternoon at the Langley Events Centre.
The two teams were playing in the semifinals of the BC 2A senior girls provincial basketball championships with Langley Christian — the Fraser Valley champions — seeded No. 2 and the Okanagan champion Panthers seeded No. 3.
This was the Lightning’s first season at the 2A level after they voluntarily moved up a tier. Langley Christian had won the previous two 1A provincial championships.
Langley Christian opened provincials on Wednesday with a convincing 61-33 win over No. 15 St. Michael’s University but had a much tougher time in Thursday’s quarter-finals, holding off the Britannia Bruins 67-59.
The Lightning will play for the bronze medal on Saturday at 1:15 p.m. against either the No. 1 Seycove Seyhawks or the No. 4 South Kamloops Titans.