For the fist time in recent memory all four basketball were idle this past weekend, as far as invitational tournaments go. This week is a busy one for the teams with 4 league games, as well as three invitational tournaments.
VARSITY BOYS’ BASKETBALL
The Chestermere Lakers played their most difficult competition of the new season last Tuesday. They traveled to Cochrane to face the Cobras, last year’s 3A Provincial Champions. The game was a see-saw affair as both teams took control of segments of the game. Just when one team looked like they were about to take control of the game, the other team surged and took the lead. With 1:42 remaining in the game, the Lakers found themselves down 6 points. Three timely offensive rebounds, two timely 3-point shots, and tough, aggressive defense allowed the Lakers to win the game 77-73. The win was even more satisfying because the Lakers were without one of their key players, Keith Davis (broken finger), and without centre Drake Bruney (flu) who would have helped battle on the defensive boards. Furthermore, Lance Olson had been out of practice for 3 weeks (knee) and the game was his first time on the floor in that span. This was a great team win for the Lakers. The Lakers host George McDougall, on Tuesday at 7:45 this week and then travel to the Bert Church tournament in Airdrie, this weekend.
JUNIOR VARSITY BOYS’ BASKETBALL
The Chestermere JV Lakers played their second game of the season last Tuesday when they took on the Cochrane Cobras. The game was close from start to finish never more than a 6 point lead either way. The Lakers started out a little slow but still was able to command an early lead at half time 29-27. It was hard fought down the stretch with some untimely injuries that did the Lakers in. The final score was a 65 -59 for the Cobras .The Lakers were led by Jag Gill and Charnjot Gill, for the second straight week, leading the scoring with 21 and 16 points respectively. Bailey Grabmuller added a solid 9 points and 11 rebounds off the bench. Next up for the Lakers is their home opener with the George McDougall Mustangs on Tuesday, December 13th at 6:00.
VARSITY GIRLS’ BASKETBALL
The Lady Lakers had a tough outing last Wednesday against the Cochrane Cobras. The girls played well at times, but ended up losing the game 56-41.Yasmene Saghir led the team with 12 points and 9 rebounds. Jordan Brown continues to step up her play and added 8 points and 5 rebounds. Inconsistent shooting and defense is plaguing the team right now. Both will get better and you will see the team improve each week. The team is working hard to get better and looks forward to getting healthy. The team expects junior guard, Rachel Cooke, back soon. This Wednesday the Lady Lakers travel to Airdrie to take on the first place, George Mc Dougall Mustangs, in a big league game. On the weekend the girls will compete in the Bert Church Invitational.
JV GIRLS’ BASKETBALL
It was a quiet week for the Junior Lady Lakers as they only had one league game on their schedule. In their home opener on Wednesday night, the Chestermere squad hosted the Cochrane Cobras.The team started strong and their full-court pressure defense allowed the girls the opportunity to score some transition baskets. With many parents and family members cheering in the stands, the Lady Lakers played with energy and jumped out to a convincing 40-8 half-time lead. Laura Costello led the team in scoring with 21 point and played strong defense. All the players saw valuable minutes of floor time and contributed to the 60-32 victory. With no tournament action on the weekend, the Lady Lakers held an intra-squad game on Saturday at the high school. The roster was split into two teams which meant lots of floor time for all the girls. The White team was lead in scoring by Makayla Boisjoli with 25 points while Chestermere Athlete of the Week Kendall Armstrong led her Red team with 24. The coaches were happiest with the play of the younger players who stepped up and played well at both ends of the court. The Lady Lakers travel to Airdrie on Wednesday to take on the George McDougall Mustangs. Game time is set for 6pm. This weekend the team will travel to Okotoks to play in the FCHS tournament
Bailey has had an excellent start to the basketball season. He averages 12.5 points per game and is dominating the boards with 13.1 rebounds per game. Bailey, also an outstanding football player, is a rookie with the JV Boys basketball team who leads by example and is incredibly coachable.[/box] [box] ATHLETE OF THE WEEK-KENDALL ARMSTRONG
The Athlete of the Week is Kendall Armstrong of the Junior Varsity Lady Lakers Basketball team. She has had an outstanding start to her season. She has become a tough defender and has developed into a more consistent outside shooter. She leads the team in scoring on most nights and continues to work hard at taking her game to the next level.[/box]
