The R.F. Staples Thunderbirds senior boys basketball team has emerged victorious at its season-opening tournament in Whitecourt for the second year in a row.
Coach Jon Hutchison said that with three of his 12 players missing he wasn’t sure how the T-Birds would do but in the end, the boys’ speed and endurance is what put them over the top.
“It was our speed and the conditioning,” he said. “Our overall conditioning was superior to other teams; we could outrun them for the most part.”
The first match on Friday night was a relatively easy one, with the Thunderbirds posting an 88-28 win over Onoway — a school that has not had a senior basketball program for several years.
“It was a good first game for us,” Hutchison said.
Saturday morning the T-Birds got off to a slow start against the host Hilltop Chargers, but in the end came away with an 80-68 win.
“At the start of the game it was pretty slow, but as it rolled on we started to build a bigger lead,” Hutchison said.
He added that one of the Thunderbirds, Dustin Gatzki, had a spectacular game earning a triple double with 33 points, 11 rebounds and 10 steals.
“That’s pretty phenomenal at the high-school level,” he said. “That would be the best game of his high-school career, and he’s only in Grade 11.”
The team carried that momentum into the final match Saturday night, where they faced Edson for the gold.
“I think our team underestimated them,” he said. “In past years they haven’t been as strong but this year they came to play. They were shooting threes and they were making almost every three they shot.”
It was tough for the T-Birds to get ahead, but after the first quarter they had a 16-15 lead, and over the second and third quarters they widened that lead to 20 points. They were a bit less aggressive in the fourth quarter, but nonetheless came away with a 62-49 win for the gold.
Hutchison said it was a great way to start the season, especially since all the teams they faced are from within the north central zone.
The team’s goal at this point is to win the zone tournament and earn a berth at provincials, but for now they’re focusing on what’s immediately ahead of them.
The next action for the Thunderbirds will be a tournament and Augustana in Camrose on Jan. 3-5.
