Spartans girls lose nail-biter in finals

By Brady Grove, Times Reporter

It all came down to the last two minutes of play, but the Strathmore High School (SHS) senior girls Spartans lost 42-39 to the Cochrane High School Cobras in the finals at the SHS basketball tournament on Feb. 16.
“I’m disappointed that we lost but I’m happy with where we are at. I think our kids are competing with every team now,” said Spartans head coach Kyle Larson. “Even though we’re really young I’m pretty excited about it. I didn’t know we would be at this point this year.”
The Cobras were on point in the first quarter and found every hole and opening in the Spartans defense, and held a comfortable 18-5 lead. But things turned around for the Spartans in the second as their full-court press started to yield turnovers and points. The Spartans found themselves trailing 24-19 at the end of the half.
The Spartans continued to inch closer to the Cobras in the third and a couple of big threes from ace shooter Kennedy Shiner and the skilled Justine Larson had them within two points.
It was back and forth between the clubs, with Justine Larson making a free throw to take the lead with two minutes remaining. But it wasn’t meant to be for the Spartans at their home tournament as the Cobras countered quickly and scored a couple of quick baskets, retaking the lead and the championship.
Cobras head coach Randy Peron counted on his team’s experience to guide them through the final minutes, and it paid off.
“When we had to stop them, number 7 (Larson) in particular, our team defense, our Grade 12s stepped up and defended like there was no tomorrow,” said Peron. “That’s a true sign of an experienced veteran team versus a very good opponent who’s still young and they’re going to get better in the next two years.”
According to the Spartans head coach, the club was beaten badly by 25 points by the Cobras earlier in the year. Making it this close was a huge improvement for the club.
The Spartans beat HJ Cody 69-44 in their first game to stay in the winners bracket. They defeated Bow Valley 52-39 to advance to the championship game.
Meanwhile, the girls have a chance to make it to the league final if they can get past Holy Trinity on Wednesday, Feb. 27.

Cobras beat Spartans boys in bronze medal game
The Spartans senior boys co-hosted the tournament with the girls and found themselves facing off against the Cobras in the bronze medal game at Crowther Memorial Junior High School on Feb. 16.
The Spartans fell 105-69 to the Cobras as the Cochrane club had the Strathmore club’s number on the weekend.
“We kind of thought we wouldn’t have to work too hard and we would still win,” said Spartans head coach Matt Laslo. “It was a positive learning experience no matter what. Even if you lose a game you can learn something from it.”
The Spartans won their first game decisively 79-24 versus Canmore. They were beaten in their second game by Brooks.
The Spartans are off for a week and then they will head into league playoffs and zones.