Jr. Hawks take tourney title on home soil
By Tyler Lowey, Times Reporter
Tyler Lowey Photo
Drawing from their previous experiences this season, everything came together as the Hawks grounded the Webber Academy Wildcats 53-39 in the gold medal match Jan. 13 at the HCC gym.
“Our underlying success was a testament to everyone playing their role perfectly, sticking to our game plan and making unselfish, smart decisions,” said Hawks Head Coach Ben Chin.
Carson Burgemeister led the Hawks in the finale with 16 points, while Chayton Codd and Joe Szasz each piled up 14 points.
The Hawks were bashing bodies in the paint all weekend, sending multiple players in for offensive and defensive rebounds, trying to win every battle on the glass.
Having snagged a bronze medal earlier in the season from a Red Deer tournament, Chin stated that his players were able to draw examples from that tournament which helped them out this past weekend.
“Our defence was very responsible and consistent all tournament. Offensively, we were very aggressive in our drives and distributed the ball well in order to catch our opponents out of position,” said Chin.
The Hawks were able to advance to the finals after dusting the St. John Paul II Collegiate School Gryphons 65-58.
Szasz pulled off his strongest game of the weekend, leading the Hawks with 24, while Burgemeister turned in 21 points.
The Hawks opened the weekend with a 64-29 laugher over the Drumheller Valley Secondary School Dynos Jan. 12.
Szasz’s 14 and Burgemeister’s 13 led the Hawks again, but they also received strong performances from Rick Reynolds with 11 and Kruz Sorensen with seven points.
The Hawks will look to keep their winning ways rolling later this month when they enter a tournament in Airdrie. They also will be in the Bearspaw tourney Feb 9 and 10, before their South Central Zone tournament March 2 and 3 in Black Diamond.
The senior Hawks boy’s team captured the consolation final at the St. Anthony’s tournament in Drumheller this past weekend.
The defence came out and flexed their muscles in the final against the Ecole Francophone D’Airdrie, keeping them in single digits each quarter, allowing the Hawks to dispose of them 70-25 Jan. 13.
Alex Nwoye led the Hawks with 22 points on 7-of-14 shooting. Tyler Dalstra recorded eight points and tied for the team lead with Delray Yellow Old Woman with 12 boards. Tanner Hollingsworth supplied 10 points and five rebounds.
In the consolation semi, the Hawks held the St. Anthony’s School Saints pointless in the second quarter en route to the 70-29 victory.
Nwoye hummed along with 25 points, seven rebounds and a vicious 13 steals, while Colby Tanton chucked in 13 points and Ralph Valencia supplied 11 points on nine shots.
“We had a lot of turnovers in the first half of the first game of the weekend and it cost us in the end, losing a close one like that. But it was good to see the team respond even though it wasn’t the toughest of competition the rest of the way,” said Hawks Head Coach Josh Jalbert. “We took much better shots the rest of the way and made more shots, too, which was nice to see.”
The Hawks dropped a tight one 55-54 to the Our Lady of the Snows Catholic Academy Avalanche.
Tanton turned in his best game of the weekend with 20 points and five rebounds. Nwoye struggled from the floor, going 3-for-15, and only took two shots from inside the arc for 14 points.
“Colby is becoming much more confident with the ball. He is making himself a threat from 3 and his mid-range game is much improved from the start of the year. All the work he has put in is starting to show,” said Jalbert.
The Hawks took on the Oil Fields High School Drillers Jan. 17 at Holy Cross gym in their final game before the exam break.
The senior girls also returned from action following the holiday break with one league game and a tournament in Bassano last weekend.
The Hawks dropped a defensive battle in the opener 29-24 to the Duchess School Eagles. The following morning, the Hawks cranked out a 33-21 victory over the Siksika Nation High School. In the consolation final, the Hawks were trimmed 56-43 by the Clear Water Academy Crusaders.
“It’s always tough to pick things up after a long break. But at the same time, it was good to get back out there for a few games before we have to break for the exams next week,” said Hawks Head Coach Joe Lepage. “We started a little sluggish, but that was expected. We rebounded nicely, won our second game and had a good chance to win the third one.”
The Hawks took on the Holy Trinity Academy Knights Jan. 16 at the HCC gym in their final game before the exam break.