The basketball teams were back in action last week, after the holiday break. There are no games for the next two weeks due to the exam break.
JV BOYS BASKETBALL
The JV Boys returned from the break with a busy week of games. On Tuesday they travelled to Springbank to take on the Phoenix in RVSA league play. The Lakers managed a 77-55 victory. It was a total team effort, won on the defensive end. On the weekend, the boys travelled to Red Deer to compete in the Hunting Hills tournament. In the opening round, the team had a sluggish second quarter but the Lakers managed to turn the tide in the second half and come away with a 60-46 victory. In the semi-final the Lakers posted a convincing 65-45 victory over the host Lightning. Again, the Lakers defensive execution led the team to the victory and a matchup with Lindsay Thurber in the championship game. The Raiders posed a significant height advantage to the Lakers, but with a great defensive effort the team led by 9 at the half. The lead swelled to 14 in the third quarter but dwindled to 1, midway through the 4th quarter. The Lakers dug in and finished the game on a 12-2 run and sealed a 77-66 victory and the championship. The Lakers were led in the final game by Zach Lucey with a season high 15 points and Aeden Kershaw with 12 points and a great defensive effort on Thurber’s two 6’8″ big men. The Lakers take a couple weeks off from games due to the exam break, but will see plenty of time on the practice court.
SENIOR GIRLS BASKETBALL
The Lakers Varsity Girls defeated Springbank in league play last Wednesday, 109-22. Kasey Haasen was the high scorer with 16 points. Olivia Armstrong, Natalie McKernon, Kendal Russell and Carley Smigel all scored in double figures. The team then travelled north to compete in the very competitive Paul Kane Invitational. Their first game was against the Spruce Grove Panthers. It was a close game at half and the team broke away in the 2nd, winning 55-36. Kasey Haasen and Camren Longstaff were high scorers with 10 points each. The second game of the tournament was against the host team Paul Kane Blues. The Blues, the top ranked team in the province, handled the Lakers winning 59-26. This put the team into the 3rd place game against the St. Albert Skyhawks, another strong team in the province this year. It was a hard fought game and the Lakers came out on top 67-61. Kendall Russell was unshakable making 4 straight free throws at the end of the game, finishing with 13 points. Camren Longstaff had a strong performance scoring 20 points in the win and earned a tournament all- star. This was a great experience for the Lakers as they had a taste of the best competition in Alberta. The Lakers are now off until their next league game on January 30th at Bert Church.
SENIOR BOYS BASKETBALL
The Varsity Boys team started the week off strong with their first win in league play in a back and forth battle with the Springbank Phoenix. The Lakers followed that up with 3 hard fought games in the Knights Classic, at Holy Trinity Academy, in Okotoks. The Lakers lost a tough game against the host Knights Friday afternoon, following that up by playing a tight game against George Mcdougall Friday evening, coming up just short. Saturday afternoon the Lakers lost their final outing of the weekend in a fast paced game with Salisbury Composite out of Sherwood Park. The Lakers look forward to a few productive weeks of practice as their next game play will be Wednesday January 31st when they host Bert Church in league play.
JV GIRLS BASKETBALL
The JV Girls Lakers played a competitive game against Springbank on the 9th, losing by 13 points. They were in action again on Friday and Saturday in Okotoks for the Foothills Composite Falcons Invitational, where they had two tough matchups against Raymond and Mount Baker, and a very competitive game against the host Falcons. Some exceptional individual performances were given, this past week, by Alysha Matchett, Kiah Isbister, Isabella Rawleigh, Haley Kennedy, and Haylee Bailey. The girls will not be in action again until a tournament in Canmore January 26 and 27 and back to league play on January 31st.
OLIVIA ARMSTRONG SIGNS WITH CONCORDIA
Congratulations to Senior Girls’ basketball player, Olivia Armstrong. While in Edmonton, this past weekend, for the Paul Kane tournament, Olivia signed to attend Concordia and play basketball for the Thunder. She has been accepted into the BA sociology program. Olivia has worked very hard to develop her skills to play at this level. Congratulations to Olivia.
