It’s a tall order playing basketball against the senior boys Gryphons.
With three players in the 6ft 8in to 6ft 4in range, they will almost certainly out-jump you, outreach you and outrun you.
Over the weekend, three teams took on the Gryphons in a tournament at Barrhead Composite High School – and each one came up short.
The Gryphons’ victory was a huge morale-booster before the zones in Athabasca this month.
It was also a great way for Grade 12 students in the team to sign off their Barrhead high school basketball career. Those leaving include Tyson Grohn, Isiah Raju, Zach Sadoway, Thijs Dewilt, Mamoud Elkhouey, Jett Sigoun and Lane Borle,
“It’s always nice to win at home,” said coach Bill Knudsen. “We’ve done pretty well this year and are working our way to the zones in a couple of weeks.”
The Gryphons began last weekend’s tournament with a 96-27 rout of Bonnyville on Friday. Saturday morning saw a very different encounter, when CACHS put up spirited resistance against Barrhead, before going down 65-58.
It was then on to the final where the Gryphons played Ardrossan.
Once the giant trio of Cole Knudsen, Thijs Dewilt and Thomas Koekoek found their shooting groove the result was never in doubt. The Gryphons won 51-35.
“In the fourth quarter we showed lots of composure,” said Knudsen.
Over the season Knudsen has seen lots of improvement in his players, particularly with their teamwork.
Meanwhile, the senior girls Gryphons also enjoyed a successful tournament.
After beating Westlock 65-39, they narrowly overcame Bonnyville 47-41. In the final they met Whitecourt’s Hilltop. For much of the game they held their own, before the Chargers lived up to their name and raced away with the game 40-56.
Coach Leahan Schaffrick drew lots of encouragement from the final.
“The girls played a great game,” she said. “It’s nice to see them improve so much before the zones, but you can’t win a final if you only score three points in the last quarter. Whitecourt had a very nice last quarter.”
