For the third year in a row, Barrhead boys claimed first place in the junior high divisional tournament, hosted at Barrhead Composite High School over the weekend.
The boys however faced some tough competition in order to get there.
In the semi final, the Jaguars tipped off against Jarvie. In the end Barrhead only won by five points, however coach Colin Erickson said the boys played very well.
“Personally, I thought we outplayed Jarvie throughout the entire game,” said Erickson. “It was just one of those games when the ball wouldn’t go in the basket.”
In the final, Barrhead faced R. F. Staples. The boys played with great strength, and were up by at least 10 points for most of the game.
Though Westlock had a strong push in the last couple of minutes to make the game an exciting one, Barrhead still walked off the court victors with a score of 43-36.
Erickson said the Jaguars only had two returning players from last year: Landon Sonnenberg and Quinn Meunier. The two boys led the team throughout the year, said the coach, along with five other grade nines.
“I was very impressed by the way we finished off the year. I only had two returning players from last years squad,” said Erickson. “I am already looking forward to next year. I have seven returning players who are very skilled.”
The Barrhead girls also faced their fair share of challenges during the tournament. Though they didn’t come out in first place, they still managed to claim second.
The Jaguars made it to the gold medal match against R. F. Staples, but fell short against their Westlock opponents.
“The girls were closely matched with Westlock all year with each team taking two games,” said coach Warren Warehime. “They played well over the course of the tournament and showed maturity and composure even in a losing effort.”
Erickson said he would like to thank Subway for donating subs for the referees, Kal Tire for sponsoring the banners, and Ken Degner for driving the bus to all road games. Most importantly though, a thanks to all the parents who came to support and cheer on their kids.
“I was impressed with the number of fans who watched the final,” said Erickson.
