Gold is the only colour Barrhead’s senior Gryphons boys seem to recognize.
It is the colour of their outfit. It is the colour of their favourite medals.
At the weekend zone basketball tournament in Athabasca, the Gryphons swept all before them to become North Central 3A Boys Champions for 2013-14. Success was made sweeter by their tough 63-49 win in the final over perennial rivals Westlock. Cole Knudsen top scored with 22 points.
It means the Gryphons have now qualified for the prestigious provincial tournament in Winston Churchill School, Lethbridge. They will travel there this week, with their first game scheduled for 7 p.m. on Thursday. The opponents: Sturgeon.
“The team is very excited to be going,” said coach Bill Knudsen.
The provincials are likely to provide stiffer competition than the zones. In the first two games last weekend, the Gryphons were in control from start to finish.
They knocked over the first opponents, Parkland, 86-62, with Cole Knudsen top scoring with 21 points.
Next came the hosts, Athabasca’s Edwin Parr. Knudsen was top scorer again, with 25 points, as the Gryphons cruised to a 73-15 victory and a championship confrontration with Westlock. Knudsen said excellent defence gave the Gryphons the edge, with Thomas Koekoek playing one of the best ever games in his high school career.
