The basketball teams are in full action after the exam break. The teams will be working hard for the stretch run and the start of playoffs in a few weeks.
JV BOYS BASKETBALL
The JV boys return from a long exam break with a dozen practices since their last competition. The Bert Church Chargers travelled to Chestermere for a league game, last week. Overcoming a sluggish start the Lakers led by 20 at the half, eventually winning the game 68-36. With no tournaments on the weekend, the boys and coaching staff watched former Laker and current MRU guard, Charn Gill, play in his season finale. Charn finished the game with 11 points and, despite not winning the game, had a great reunion with the team. Congratulations to Charn on his 4th year of post secondary basketball (2nd with the Cougars)! We are all very proud of your accomplishments and you are a great example of what the JV boys should strive for.
SENIOR GIRLS BASKETBALL
The Varsity Girls basketball team played a league game on Tuesday at Bert Church. The team had a strong game winning easily. Kasey Haasen led all scorers with 17 points and 10 rebounds and Natalie McKernon, Kendall Russell, Camren Longstaff and Sam Bec also scored in double figures. On the weekend competed in the Rose Tournament at Sir Winston Churchill. Their first game was against O’Leary Spartans from Edmonton and the Lakers won t 66-38. Olivia Armstrong and Ashlyn Sendecki were high scorers with 13 points each. Kendall Russell and Camren Longstaff added 10 points each. Ashlyn Sendecki was Player of the Game. The second game of the tournament was against the home team, SWC Bulldogs. The Lakers won handily 104-21. Olivia Armstrong scored 20 points and Kasey Haasen had 19. Cole Isbister chipped in with 10 points. Olivia Armstrong earned the Player of the Game award. With the two previous wins, the Lakers played in the final against the tough Centennial Coyotes, ranked 6th in the province. It was a 3 point game at half but the Coyotes were tough in the second half and beat the Lakers 70-54. Kasey Haasen was high scorer with 17 points and 11 rebounds. Kasey was Player of the Game and was also chosen as a Tournament All-Star. The team has a league game on Tuesday against George McDougall, in Airdrie, and are in the RIT tournament on the weekend at Western Canada High School.
SENIOR BOYS BASKETBALL
The Senior Boys had a busy week that started with a league game against Bert Church on Wednesday. The game was tight through the first quarter. An unfortunate injury to Bert Church’s Riley Koopang resulted in an hour delay. The coaches and players of the Lakers wish Riley a speedy recovery. When the game resumed, the Lakers came out flat and the Chargers took a commanding lead into the second half of the game to win 77-57. The team was led with 15 point games from Jaxon Kolesar-Lafaut and Devyn Young. The Lakers traveled to Lethbridge to take part in a tournament at Winston Churchill. The weekend was highlighted by an exciting 78-74 win over the Marauder’s from Stoney Plain. It was a strong team performance with a 9 point contribution by Liam Cannon, 13 from Jaxon K-L and an awesome game by Ethan Skrypnek with 23 points. The team took in the Lethbridge Pronghorns game and had a quick visit with Chestermere Lakers alumni Mark and Jeff Rodehutskors. Good Luck to the Lakers as league play winds down before play-offs at the end of the month.
JV GIRLS BASKETBALL
Last weekend the JV Girls won the consolation final in the Canmore Collegiate Rocky Mountain Classic, winning 2 of their 3 games. In our first game against Bow Valley we played a strong first three periods but fell behind in the fourth. The girls gained a lot of confidence in the next two games with wins against Canmore Collegiate and West Central High. The team had a strong outing where they earned a league win against Bert Church High School, 61-43. In their game against Bert Church, there was excellent play by Kassandra Nyenhuis, Haley Kennedy and Haylee Bailey. Girls are in action again on February 6 at 6:00, when they take on the George McDougall Mustangs in Airdrie. Best of luck to the team.
