Silver, now Zones

Times Reporter   

 

After beating Holy Trinity Academy (HTA) 48-36 at home on March 5 for the league semifinals, the Strathmore High School (SHS) Spartan girls were paired to battle with Foothills Composite High School for basketball gold on March 8. The Spartans earned silver, dropping 61-45.

“Foothills has been stronger all year. Did I want to win? For sure. Did we expect to win? Not necessarily,” Spartans coach Dion Galandy said. “They’re 4A, so it doesn’t really hurt us or effect our confidence because we’re 3A. They’re a bigger school so they should really win.”

Foothills finished first in the season (to Strathmore’s second place), winning all of their eight games, including previous games against Strathmore on Jan. 8, 72-39, and on Feb. 27, 69-46.

Strathmore had also lost to third place HTA in league play in December, but won another matchup against them two months later.

“Beating HTA was not anything we didn’t expect. It was a game that we should have won, and we did,” Galandy said. “It was just another win.”

Next up for the Spartans is zones, which began March 12, against Olds – who are eighth in the zone. SHS is seeded number one, and seventh in the province. 

“Being the number one seed is good. We just can’t lose sight that just because we’re number one means we’re going to go and win,” Galandy said. “We certainly get an easier path. As long as we play well and we’re healthy, we should do it.”

In the league final against Foothills, Galandy only had five players to put on the court.

“We twisted two ankles, and had a stomach thing. Hopefully, with tape jobs, we should be ready,” he said.

For the quarter-finals against Olds, Galandy expects eight of his girls to be healthy enough to play.

“Of that eight, seven would be 100 per cent. One would maybe still be 90 per cent,” he said.

Should SHS win against Olds on March 12 (not known prior to print), they will play in the semifinals against either Chestermere or Highwood the next night, with the finals being the following day. When facing Olds, Highwood and Chestermere this season, SHS has yet to lose against all three.