An opening-game loss was the only defeat the R.F. Staples girls’ basketball team suffered in their tournament action Jan. 11-12 in Edson.
With the loss, the girls ended up on the consolation side of the tournament, but rebounded strongly to bring home the consolation crown.
The highlight of earning that crown came in the team’s final game against Onoway, when each player scored at least one point, the first time that had happened this season.
“Everybody got lots of playing time and we got to try and run a few new plays and execute a few different things on the floor,” coach Rod Carlyon said.
The final game wasn’t even close, he added.
“Our girls had a good, balanced game and we won quite easily, 56-17,” he said.
Still, despite the large margin of victory, Carlyon said his team didn’t take Onoway lightly, saying the two teams had met before when Onoway had a short bench. This time, Onoway had more players, so the T-Birds weren’t too sure what to expect.
The T-Birds opened the tournament with a 48-38 loss to Grand Trunk from Evansburg. In that game, the girls started slow and found themselves down 10 early.
They managed to chip away at that lead and cut it to only four points with a few minutes left to play. With victory within their grasps, Carlyon said the girls started to increase the pressure in hopes of eliminating the deficit, but to no avail.
“You try to put on a little extra pressure and try and steal the ball,” he said. “It’s kind of a desperation move, and sometimes it works. But most of the time it doesn’t.”
That loss put the T-Birds on the consolation side of the tournament, and set them up against Bellerose from Edmonton.
Bellerose had just come off a tight win over Barrhead, so Carlyon knew the matchup would be a close one.
Much like against Grand Trunk, the girls found themselves down early, but this time only by seven. However, unlike their last game, the girls rebounded and were able to tie the game at the half.
In the second half, they were able to outscore their opponents by four, and came away with a 48-44 win.
Overall, Carlyon said he likes how the T-Birds played and sees good things for the rest of the season.
“We’re getting better,” he said. “A few other teams are getting better too, but I think hopefully we’re getting better faster.”
With a break coming up due to high school exams, he said there won’t be any practice or game action for a while. They next play in a tournament Feb. 1-2 in Stony Plain.
In the lead up to the Stony Plain tournament, Carlyon said the team is going to work on getting each and every player to improve her strengths and strengthen her weaknesses, with the idea being a chain is only as strong as its weakest link.
“At the end of the day, if you’re individually good then that helps your team game,” he said.
