Sometimes adversity is a good thing to go through early in a season.
That’s what happened to the Edwin Parr Composite senior girls on the weekend at their tournament in Spruce Grove.
It began with a six-point loss in their opening game to Edmonton’s Lillian Osbourne High, where head coach Wade Hicks said they didn’t come into the game with the right thought.
“We had beaten a team that beat them last weekend and maybe thought we would win,” he said.
“The girls struggled as a young team will and we also didn’t play very well. They still battled, but this is something you learn and grow from.”
That put them on the consolation side, where they faced Our Lady of Mount Pleasant from Camrose and this time they came out well to post a 40-point win, then came the adversity.
The group was already down one with a girl not making the trip due to illness, but three more players found the injury bug – one rolling an ankle, one with a bad groin and another suffering from a number blisters on her feet.
“We were really shorthanded in that consolation final. Two of the girls – the ones with the bad groin and the blisters – did what they could and tried to power through it,” said Hicks.
“The rest of the team really picked things up though. I was really proud of them. It didn’t seem to faze them at all and that was one of the number of positive things that came of out this weekend for us.”
Hicks was a bit disappointed in losing their first game, as he knows that had a good chance at making the final.
However, he also knows that sometimes going through the consolation side and being able to work on some things can also be good for a team.
Friday and Saturday will be another busy one for Hicks as EPC hosted their annual invitational tournament. The girls kick things off against Drayton Valley at noon at EPC.
Meanwhile, the senior boys club will get in its first meaningful game when they play Drayton Valley at noon at the Multiplex.
Hicks is looking forward to see them play.
“They have put in a lot of good work in getting ready for this weekend,” he said.
“These kids have a great group mentality which will take them a long ways.”
The rest of Friday’s schedule looks like: girls draw – Cold Lake vs Edson, 1:45 p.m. Multiplex; Barrhead vs Edmonton Aden Bowman, 3:30 p.m., EPC; Westlock vs Edmonton Eastglen, 5:15 p.m., Multiplex; consolation semifinals 7 p.m., Multiplex and 8:15 p.m., EPC; boys draw – Cold Lake vs Morinville, 1:45 p.m., EPC; Barrhead vs Edson, 3:30 p.m., Multiplex; Eastglen vs Westlock, 5:15 p.m., EPC; consolation semifinals 7 p.m., EPC and 8:15 p.m. Multiplex.
Games will run all day Saturday at both facilities with the consolation finals set for 1:45 p.m. (girls at Multiplex, boys at EPC) with the tournament finals at 5:15 p.m. (girls EPC, boys Multiplex).
