R.F. Staples’ junior high basketball teams brought home some hardware over the weekend from the Junior Strike Energy Service Tournament at St. Joseph’s School in Whitecourt.
The boys took home gold Jan. 21, while the girls were close behind, earning a silver medal at the tournament.
Both teams squared off against Valleyview’s Hillside School in the final game.
“We weren’t sure what to expect because we’ve never played any of these schools before, but it was a surprise that we were so far ahead,” said junior boys head coach Matti Hurst.
“I thought it might be a little bit more of a challenge.”
Early on, the boys launched a huge lead against their opponents and came out on top with a 68-28 win in their first game, a 67-16 victory in their second and conquered Hillside 74-35 in the finals.
“They played really well,” Hurst said. “It’s taken them quite a while but now they’re finally starting to communicate on the court and work as a team and pull together, so it’s really nice to have that.”
It was redemption for the girls as well, who didn’t make it to finals in last year’s tournament. This year, the girls fought hard for silver in their second tournament of the season.
The final was a neck-and-neck battle against Hillside School, but a top scorer Rees Victoor’s late game injury cost them gold in a 52-49 defeat.
“It was a tight game all along,” said junior girls coach Margaret Benham.
“We got a lot of competition that game, which is fun. I’ve seen them in other tournaments, like last year, but I don’t think we’ve actually played each other until this year. They’re a very good team, very technical team. They pressed and we pressed, and we’re equals.”
Throughout the tournament, Benham said her point guard Delaiya Dutchak held the team together and called the right plays, and another top scorer, Mary Bokenfohr, also stood out for her defensive plays.
“There are a lot of Grade 8s and a lot of Grade 9s on the team this year so we’re definitely on the strong end than what we’ve had in the past,” she noted. “All in all, the girls pulled together. Even the new girls that played this year really showed some good promise.”
Hurst saw the same on her team.
“Even the Grade 9 boys are working with the Grade 7s and 8s,” she said. “They’re a really great team.”
Both teams play Neerlandia Public Christian School on their court Jan. 31.
