The Barrhead Seniors Gryphons went Christmas treasure hunting on the Dec. 21-22 weekend.
When the Hinton Rookies hosted their annual basketball tournament, the Gryphons searched for gold. And they were not disappointed.
All 13 players showed that working as a team pays off handsomely as they won the gold medal match.
“Once again our boys represented our school, our town, and themselves very well,” said coach Dave Mueller. “We should all be proud of the way they present themselves.”
The Gryphons got their tournament under way on Friday afternoon against a team from Edson. Although the Holy Redeemer Rebels played well, Barrhead’s offence was clicking in the first half and scored 50 points. The final score was 89-38.
Saturday afternoon featured a rematch from last spring’s bronze metal match at the Zone Playdowns. The opponents were the Pacers, Edson’s other representative in this tournament, and Barrhead was out for a measure of revenge.
The first quarter was a defensive battle with Edson holding on to a 17-14 lead. But by half time Barrhead had taken a slight lead 32-29.
The boys’ conditioning was to pay off in the second half – Edson could simply not keep up with the pace the Gryphons had set. The Barrhead boys restricted their opponents to just five points in the third quarter and seven in the fourth while the Gryphons scored 36 on their way to a 68-41 victory.
This would set up a gold medal match against the Athabasca Predators. The Gryphons had only seen this team once before in an exhibition game, which they had won quite handily. However, the Predators now had three more players who could challenge Barrhead’s talented young men.
The game was very fast paced in the first half. But once again the well-conditioned Gryphons dictated the flow of the game. The longer it went the more dominant the Gryphons looked.
Barrhead went on to a 78-44 victory, once again holding the opponents to just 16 points in the second half of the game.
The Gryphons’ top scorer in the tournament was Cole Knudson with 57, while Sytse Akkerman had a tournament triple/double. A number of players had tournament double/doubles. The team shot 74 per cent from the free throw line.
Mueller said he was impressed with the organization of the tournament, which gave the Gryphons time to bond as a team. It was a collective effort that turned to gold, he added.
“The boys would like to thank Mr. Raju for driving the bus and for providing both the treats and the entertainment package,” he said. “They would also like thank the Lakeview Inn and Suites for their hospitality, the parents who made the trek to Hinton and Mrs. Mueller for organising all the tournament meals.”
Mueller wished everyone a merry Christmas, adding that the Barrhead players had received golden gifts.
The Gryphons are not in action again until January 11/12, 2013 in Edson.
