The senior boys Gryphons have once again done Barrhead proud.
They shone at a weekend basketball tournament in Edson, returning home with silver medals after losing 58-53 to the host team in a pulsating final.
“The boys should be very proud of their weekend,” said coach Dave Mueller. “But silver is a very hard metal to come home with.”
The Gryphons got off to a flying start with a thumping 86-24 victory over Hinton.
On Saturday afternoon, they showed off their defensive prowess against the aggressive Evansburg Grizzly’s, restricting their opponents to one point in the first quarter to lead 13-1 after ten minutes.
Although Evansburg made a game of it the Gryphons finished on top, winning 55-45.
It was then to the final, which turned into a back-and-forth thriller. At the half the Gryphons were up 23-22.
“The boys battled hard but the hosts had a late run to pull out the win,” said Mueller. “Once again thanks to the fans who travelled over to Edson.
“The support was very much appreciated. I know you had to be entertained as well.”
Top scorer was Gerben Delmun with 49 points, while Sytse Akkerman scored 38 and Arthur DeBoer 21.
Mueller said that the Gryphons were set for a busy few weeks, competing at STA and Devon before their home tournament.
Meanwhile, the senior girls Gryphons showed why Christmas and exams are not the best preparation for basketball.
The girls have been away from the court for a month, and the rust was evident at Edson.
After losing 50-33 to the home team Edson, they played Hinton and fell 51-43.
Their final game was against St. Joes from Grande Prairie. The score was 31-30 at the half, and 64-64 at the buzzer.
The teams went into overtime, but the Gryphons could not buy a basket and lost 73-64.
Top scorers for the weekend were Janet Vandermeulen with 40 points and Krysta Schaffrick with 22 points.
“We showed improvement each game and hope to have better results at the weekend in Spruce Grove,” said coach Leahan Schaffrick.
