Spartans Christmas Classic

Times Reporter   

 

Strathmore High School (SHS) Spartans and Holy Cross Collegiate (HCC) Hawks teams took to the courts last week to compete in their annual basketball tournament. For the girls it was the Strathmore Spartans Christmas Classic held at SHS.

The first game of the tournament was on Dec. 14, which saw the two home teams compete against each other. The first game was a bit of a battle with both teams hoping to start off the tournament with a win. The Spartans kept their defense strong, which helped the girls etch out a 36-29 win. 

Strathmore High School:

The Spartans have had trouble playing at a level of their competition to start the season, said coach Dion Galandy.

In the semi-final, Strathmore played against Eagle Butte from Dunmore.  This team has consistently been in the top 15 of the provincial rankings for the past four years, so the Spartans were going to have their work cut out for them. 

The girls started out well pressuring the ball and being rewarded with a 15-14 lead after one quarter, and tied 29-29 at the half.  Because of their aggressive play, the Spartans got into foul trouble and began to lose a little bit of momentum, eventually losing 59-73.  They played a very good game that got away from them in the second half.  

Eagle Butte went on to beat George McDougall from Airdrie in the final 77-64.  Because of the loss to Eagle Butte, the Spartans were regulated to play in the Bronze Medal Game against Olds.  They handled them well and won 62-39.  

This year has been a good start for Strathmore as they have been on the winning side of each of the three tournaments they have participated in.  They finished third at the SAIT tournament, took second in Canmore and finished third this weekend at home.  After Christmas holidays, Strathmore will be back on the court with a tournament in Fernie.  February is busy for them as they have tournaments in Olds, Strathcona Tweedsmuir and Eagle Butte, not to mention league play-offs at the end of the month.  The basketball season will conclude with Strathmore High School hosting 3A Girls Basketball Provincials March 14-16.

Holy Cross Collegiate:

This year there were four returning players to the Hawks senior girls team, though only three were playing in the annual tournament. 

“We placed sixth in the tournament this weekend. We lost 36-29 to Strathmore High in our first game and I was quite happy with the result,” said coach Angela MacLean. 

The Hawks carried on to win against Ecole de la Rose Sauvage 40-24, and finished with a 55-40 loss to Fernie. The Most Valuable Player (MVP) from the tournament was Riley Sangster who is also the team captain said MacLean. 

“Our year has gone well so far. We won the Christ the Redeemer tournament on Nov 30-Dec 1 and we have won one league game (against Notre Dame Collegiate) and lost one league game, Oilfields by 19,” said MacLean. 

The Hawks had a home game on Dec. 19; the results were unavailable at press time. All teams will get a two-week resting period for the Christmas break before heading into the final half of the season. 

With files from Dion Galandy.