Spartans wrap up tournament season

Posted on: Staff Writer

From edition: March 2 2018 Strathmore Times

By Tyler Lowey, Times Reporter

The Strathmore High School Spartan basketball teams used one final weekend of tournament play to gear up for the 3A South Central Zone championships.
Both the senior girls’ and guys’ programs took to the Battle River Tournament in Wetaskiwin Feb. 23-24 and returned with less than impressive results.
The girls’ program started out with a tough draw, as they tipped off against the No. 5 provincially-ranked Monsignor McCoy High School Colts.
“They beat us up pretty bad. They played like one of the top teams in the province and it showed,” said Spartans Head Coach Kyle Larson.
The Colts ran away with it, dominating the Spartans 81-34. No Spartan scored in double figures, but Allie Davidson led the way with nine points, while Sydney Boyd and Natalie Funk supplied seven points each.
On the consolation side of things, the Strathmore Spartans won the battle of the Spartans, as they bested the Strathcona-Tweedsmuir School Spartans 61-48.
Davidson powered the Spartans engine and turned in a season high 35 points on 14-of-29 shooting.
“Allie was absolutely brilliant. It was the best game I’ve ever seen her play,” said Larson. “She just kept knocking down shots and we kept feeding her the ball. It was amazing.”
Funk might have only chipped in five points offensively, but she was a beast on the glass on both sides of the floor, ripping down 12 boards.
Rounding out the weekend, the Spartans fell 59-52 to the Parkland Composite High School Pacers.
The schedule and draw for the zone tourney will be released later next week.
Guy Spartans stuffed
In the boys’ bracket, the Spartans ran into similar problems when they took on the No. 10 ranked McCoy Colts in the opener 86-71.
Up next, they faced a familiar George McDougall High School Mustangs club, ranked sixth in the province, and lost by 15, with the score 67-52.
Laslo’s crew got a bit of a lift on the weekend with the return of Caleb Wilchowy, who completely tore his ACL in the first game of the season.
In the seventh-place game, the Spartans fell 78-46 to the W.R. Myers High School Rebels.
The Spartans Zone tournament tips off March 7 in Brooks.
The junior varsity Spartan boys hosted their Foothills Athletic Council semifinal March 1 at the High School gym against the Holy Trinity Academy Knights. Should they pick up the win, they would advance to the FAC finals March 3 at the Holy Trinity gym in Okotoks.