They were latecomers to the party, and were not even initially invited. They only showed up because one of the guests could not make it.
Yet when they walked away from the Barrhead Composite High School gyms on Saturday they were the ones covered in golden glory.
Barrhead’s Gryphons #2 – made up of Grade 10 and 11s from the senior team and four Grade 9s from Junior High – completed a hat-trick of victories to win the boys draw in Saturday’s JV basketball tournament.
They swept aside Stony Plain’s STA 57-39 in the final with a scintillating performance that had coach Dave Mueller singing their praises.
“It was a fabulous win,” he said. “Our team handled themselves with class and respect today and did the community proud. They are great ambassadors for Barrhead.
“We want to thank the Grade 9s for the effort they made and how well they fitted into the team. We could not have been as successful without them. As always it’s the best team and not individuals that win.”
“I would also like to thank the parents for cheering them and contributing to a very positive atmosphere. The referees did a great job as well,” he added.
Barrhead #2’s win was all the more remarkable because the team had not been originally scheduled to play.
They were a late addition after Westlock were unable to compete and organizers decided to plug the gap with BCHS players rather than give other teams a bye.
The decision gave the tournament a huge lift, although the other three sides, Barrhead #1, Lamont and St. Thomas Aquinas, were made to suffer on the court.
Meanwhile, in the girls draw the Lady Gryphons had to settle for third place despite pulling off a thrilling 36-34 victory over eventual champions Athabasca.
A three-way tie for first place was settled by points for and against so visiting teams could head home early because of the snow.
Unfortunately, the ruling did not do the Lady Gryphons any favours, with Westlock’s T-Birds grabbing the silver medal position.
Gryphons coach Karen Fischer, also BCHS associate principal, was delighted with her team’s display, pointing out that every girl scored.
“It really was a great overall team effort,” she said. “This was the second time we have played and we improved as the day wore on. I was pleased with all aspects of our game.”
The main tournament talking point, however, had to be the display of Barrhead boys team #2, which included four Grade 9 players – Marcel Jansen (forward), Justin Johnson (guard), Cole Knudsen (post/forward) and Tyson Chizma (forward).
They began the day with a crushing 64-32 defeat of Lamont and then took on Barrhead #1, wearing gold jerseys to distinguish themselves from their opponents.
After a hard-fought, competitive match, they came away with a 51-36 win to face STA.
With both sides having won two matches, organizers decided to turn the game into a final.
Back in their Gryphons jerseys, Barrhead #2 took early control of the match and by half-time were leading 33-15. In the second half they always had an answer for any question STA posed and looked comfortably on top by the finish.
Cole Knudsen (Grade 9) scored 22 points, bringing his tally to 46 for the tournament.
Brian Vader, Sam Nanninga and Thijs Dewildt each scored eight in the final, while Sytse Akkerman was the leading rebounder with 17. He also made five steals.
Mueller, however, was keen to underline a team effort.
“It’s all about the kids and they all played well today,” he said. “The defence could not have been better and the communication was also terrific.”
Mueller said captain responsibilities had been shared by Grade 11 player Sytse Akkerman (forward/guard) and Brian Vader (post/forward). Both had helped the team play as a unit.
Akkerman said: “It was a lot of fun, everybody played really well.”
For Barrhead #1 coach Bill Knudsen the tournament had been a valuable learning experience for his young side.
After a tough 34-40 loss to STA, and the defeat to Barrhead #2, the team ended on a high with a 42-34 win over Lamont.
“It has been a positive weekend,” he said. “They improved through the day and played better as a team. We’ve been working on individual skills and trying to increase intensity levels.”
Knudsen said focus on sportsmanship and respect was an important part of the training.
In the girls draw, the Lady Gryphons also showed steady improvement game by game.
In the morning they lost 22-37 to Westlock with post Hanna Schuring (10) and guard Tanya Chilito (6) doing most of the scoring.
“We came out a little flat and had some difficulty shooting,” said Fischer. “The ball just wasn’t going into the hoop. But we improved a lot as the day wore on. ”
In perhaps the game of the tournament, the Lady Gryphons recorded a nerve-pounding victory over Athabasca, with guard Justine Hunter scoring six points, and post Mackenzie Loitz and forward Gina Schulz contributing eight apiece.
With their confidence high, Barrhead then trounced Morinville 53-19. Chilito and forward Jody Hassett each scored ten points while guard Erin Schmidt chipped in with eight.
Next tournament for the Lady Gryphons is in Whitecourt on Jan. 27-28.
