The Barrhead Jaguars traded inflatable basketballs for harder and smaller bowling balls.
On March 21, both the boys and girls teams teamed up for a fun filled, end-of-year event at Blue Heron Bowl.
“It was a very rewarding year. There were lots of improvements on both teams. It was awesome to host zones, even though it was a lot of work,” said girls coach Lorna Hiemstra.
Both teams mingled, laughed and tried their hands at getting strikes. But mostly, it was a time to reflect on a successful season with great times, and great memories.
“It’s been a fun year with all the tournaments we had, and it was such a fun experience with my friends and the coach,” said first-year senior player Zachary Sadoway.
Despite finishing fourth in their zone finals, the Jags have kept their heads up and their spirits even higher.
“The zone tournament is what sticks out to me the most. We lost two games and that really hurt us. But it was still an exciting day for us,” said boys coach Colin Erickson.
“That was a really exciting tournament. Our competition has been tough all year, but we managed to get through it as a team,” said first-year senior player Nada Seifeddine.
Over the season, the Jags faced trials and experienced the heights of high school athletic successes, but what the players will take with them is their sense of teamwork, and the skills they’ve learned through their trials.
“We had a great group of guys. We improved over the year and we did quite well at the end of the year,” said Erickson.
“We learned to stick together as a team and to stay positive,” said Seifeddine.
“Our court sense really improved over the year. As the year went on we got smarter with the ball, and with that our passing ability improved, too,” said Erickson.
For Hiemstra, it was the rivalry with the Westlock R.F. Staples Thunderbirds she’ll remember the most.
“We had some good battles with Westlock. In Mayerthorpe we lost by one, and at our own tournament we lost in overtime. It will be good to see how things will play out next season,” said Hiemstra.
Now that the season is over, the kids can forget about basketball. But it won’t be far from their minds.
“If I have a chance I’ll play next year. I think the team will be pretty good especially if Neerlandia comes. We’ll have taller guys, which will make us better,” said Sadoway.
