Hawks honoured to compete at Hanna’s Hoops for Hope tourney

By Tyler Lowey, Times Reporter

The Holy Cross Collegiate girl’s senior Hawks program won more than just a basketball game last weekend in Hanna.
Competing in the long-running Sweet Heart Hoops for Hope tournament Feb. 16 and 17, the Hawks might have only went 1-3, but they were able to help raise money for cancer research and kids with cleft lips in under developed countries, along with the promotion of anti-bullying campaigns.
“Perspective is something that students this age are becoming aware of and they are noticing social issues more. It was nice to participate in a tournament like that and to see other schools take the initiative,” said Hawks Head Coach Joe Lepage. “Our girls were asking about doing something like that with a hosted tourney next year hopefully. It’s something that one day, I think we can see all of our tournaments help out causes locally and those around the world, too.”
On the court, the Hawks were able to pick up a win in their third game of the weekend, when they took on the Three Hills School Royals Feb. 17. Hope Given was the Hawks leading scorer with 22 points in the 60-40 win.
“We came out and played really well as a team for the first time all weekend,” said Hawks Assistant Coach Michelle Leitner. “We had a lot more scoring opportunities because of our defensive rebounding and we scored on a lot more of those scoring chances, too.”
A slightly longer tournament than the team was accustomed to this season, the tournament was constructed with four pools featuring three teams in each, followed by a pair of playoff games.
The Hawks took the lid off the weekend with a 58-39 loss Feb. 16 to the Drumheller Valley School Dynos. Given and Alyssa Gillis tied for the team lead with six points each.
“We basically went right from the bus to our warm up, which was shortened, so we started quite slow. Overall, given the circumstances, we played well. Drumheller was just a better shooting team than we were,” said Leitner.
The Hawks followed that up with a 58-16 loss to the host J.C. Charyk School Hawks.
“They are a very well-coached program. Those girls have played together for years and it showed,” said Leitner. “Sometimes it’s great to play a team like that and see what a dominant team looks like.”
Wrapping up the weekend, the Hawks were pushed aside 67-40 by the Marwayne Jubilee School Wildcats.
“That was the most physical game of the tournament for our girls,” said Leitner. “On every shot, there was a battle underneath the basket. Post players were fighting hard for rebounds and scoring opportunities. They had a lot of depth that just overwhelmed us physically underneath the hoop.”
The Hawks will be off this weekend as they prepare for their Foothills Athletic Council semifinal against the Holy Trinity Academy Knights. The game is set for March 1, but the location is yet to be determined.
The Hawks senior boys’ team was off last weekend and will again be without action this weekend as they prepare for a playoff game to determine who earns the right to advance to the 2A South Central Zone tournament, which takes place March 9 and 10 in Brooks. The Hawks will not find out who they play in the play-in game until early next week.