2014 Chinook Senior Post Season Basketball Tournament

Chinook Post Season Senior Girls Champions: Coalhurst Crusaders

Chinook Post Season Senior Boys Champions: Livingstone Sabres

Toni Lucas

The 2014 Chinook Senior Post Season Boys and Girls basketball tournament was held in Pincher Creek at St. Michael's and Matthew Halton High Schools on Friday and Saturday March 7-8. Boys teams included  Nobleford's Central Blades, Matthew Halton's Hawks, Livingstone's Sabres, St. Michael's Dragons, F.P. Walshe's Flyers, Piikani's Redskins, Coalhurst's Trojans, and the County Central Hawks. Girls teams were St. Michael's Dragons, County Central's Hawks, J.T. Foster's Raiders, Nobleford's Central Blades, Matthew Halton's Hawks, Crowsnest Pass Pandas, and the Coalhurst's Crusaders.

 The Livingstone Sabres won the boys championship banner, and the Coalhurst Crusaders won the girls championship banner.

"This is our second year hosting it in a row, but we've hosted it four, five times in the last eight years," said Tournament organizer, Matthew Halton Athletic Director, and Halton Hawks Senior Girls Coach Randy Whitehead. "This really can't be done without the parents support, and all those that help out."

Game 1 Boys: Blades 100, Halton Hawks 43

This was a good game for the Blades, with Nathan DeBoer coming out 24 points. Teammate Tyson Pariseau showed his skills by sinking some beautiful mid court baskets. Hawks Austin Sinclair was the team high scorer with 18 points. Jared Duffield and Dawson Jarvis had the chance to step up. They scored 4 and 6 points respectively. The Blades moved on into the next round.

Game 2 Girls: Dragons 73, Central Hawks 22

The Dragons were the winners early on with this game taking them into the next round. Rebecca Lowry was the game high scorer with 28 points. For the Vulcan Hawks Ashlynne Smith was the team high scorer.

Game 3 Boys: Sabres 100, Dragons 50

The Sabres boys took the lead early in the first quarter and kept it. It was good to see Ross and Morgan Cook working well together, as this will be the last season the two brothers will be playing high school sports together. Morgan is graduating at the end of the year. Chad Cadonic was the game high scorer with 29 points, and it seemed that he could not miss a foul shot when opportunity arose. James Lowry and Justice One Owl tied for Dragons high scores with 13 points each.

"I thought we could have had them,"  said Senior Boys Dragon Coach Welsch.  "Each time we played them in the season, things didn't go right, and it just didn't go right today. They are definitely a good team, but if we were on, it would have been a lot closer."

Coach Welsch expressed enthusiasm that Mitchell, Michael and Calvin are coming in for next year. They are in grade 9 and have been playing on the Senior team this year. "They are going to come to Zones and play in the big gym this year." The Dragons start at Zones Monday, March 10 at 5:00 pm.

Game 4 Girls: Raiders vs Blades

A win for the Raiders, other information not available.

Game 5 Boys: Flyers 102, Redskins 71

The Redskins took an early lead and kept it for much of the game. Redskins players Josh and Johnny stood out. The Redskins were working with a short bench, and it hurt them in the second half. The Flyers pushed through to a clean win. Flyers Justin Atwood, Aiden Kidd and Jack Dietze worked well as a team, scoring the majority of points.

"I wanted them to do a little bit better, I had higher expectations for the guys," said Senior Boys Redskins Coach Barnaby Provost.  "A few of my players had issues with commitment, all year long. They are young, grade 11, so I'll be back next year. I have five really strongly committed kids, it would be nice to have 8 or 9. I told you guys at the start of the year we were going to be the center of the pack, and that's essentially where we are. We won a third of our games, we lost a third, and a third were close wins and losses."

"I'm really surprised by a few of my guys. John North Peigan played consistently all year around. He's quiet, but a good leader. Blaze too, is another grade 10 that I have that has been solid. I look forward to having those two guys on my team next year. Josh Cross Child has been a consistent offensive threat all year. He won the Chinook League scoring, so I am happy with Josh's year. I am hoping for a little more maturity next year. I wish my wife, Kristy Provost, a speedy recovery."

Game 6 Girls: Halton Hawks 65, CNP Pandas 24

The Hawks walked away with the win. Hawks Dakota Van Loon and Alissa Bonertz heated up the scoreboard with 22 and 16 points respectively. Dakota LaDuke scored 14 points for the Pandas.

"Overall we improved. We are a pretty young team," said CNP Senior Girls Pandas Coach Dave Vigna. "Overall, we did okay. We won a few, we last a few. They grew a lot, they are a really hard working group of girls. Very supportive of each other. They are a good bunch of kids." The Pandas will play in Zones with their first game on Tuesday March 11 against Claresholm.

"We haven't played Claresholm yet, so it will be good to play somebody different. Raegan Jackson, Dakoda LaDuke, Jillian Montebette, and Alexis Bruno will all be graduating from the team, so the team will stay young into next season. "I told the girls on our last practice that I hoped that they enjoyed their last year, and I hoped that they look forward to going to school, whether it's university or college. I think it has ended well."

Game 7 Boys: Trojans 70, Central Hawks 39

This was a tight game with the Trojans having a tenuous lead into the third quarter. Both teams were on, playing to win. Partway into the third the Trojans stepped up their game to the disadvantage of the short-benched Hawks.

Trojans Lee Firth and Jeremy McDonald really pushed the scoring in the last half, and Hawks Bradon and Nolan put in a strong effort throughout the game.

Game 8 Girls: Crusaders vs Raiders

The Crusaders won, no scoring information available

Game 9 Boys: Blades 77, Flyers 66

The Flyers held a slim lead in the first quarter, with the Blades leading by a slight 2 points at the half. The larger Blades bench made a big difference, with the Flyers wearing down in the last half. Tyson P. of the Blades was game high scorer, putting 25 points on the board. Shody Perry scored 20 for the Flyers.

Game 10 Girls: Dragons 51, Hawks 44

This was an entertaining game to watch. The Dragons held the lead into the the second quarter, when Alyssa Barbero tied it up 20 -20 for the Hawks. The Dragons pushed to make another 6 points and held off the Hawks to be up 26 -20 at the half. The Dragons made some serious headway in the third, ending the quarter up 14 points at 40 - 26, with standout performances from Carlee Fitzpatrick and Rebecca Lowry. The game ended with only a 7 point difference, with the Hawks really pouring it on in the last quarter.

This game was filled with fouls on both sides of the court. Standout performances from Hawks Dakota Van Loon and Megan McGlynn. A fast paced and highly charged competition,.

Game 11 Boys: Sabres 83, Trojans 47

The Sabres earned an early lead that they maintained through out the game. Sabre Chris Cail scored 10 points and Brandon Hilbert scored 9 points. Trojans Keegan Zmurchyle and Jeremy McDonald tied for team high score.

Game 12 Girls Third Place: Halton Hawks 63, Raiders 37

The Raiders looked like they were in the zone, scoring seconds after taking control of the tip off. This was a back and forth battle of wills with 4 points or less between the two teams for much of the game, each having the lead for short periods of time.

2013/14 Halton Hawks

Raider Georgia was team high scorer with 11 points, and Tianna was working the defense. Dakota Van Loon put the lion's share of 28 points on the board, but all the Hawks made it onto the scoreboard. In the final quarter the Hawks flew high, winning 63-37 to earn third place.  A great game that could have gone either way.

Game 13 Boys: Third Place:  Trojans 75, Flyers 73

This contest between the Trojans and the Flyers was one of the tightest games of the tournament. Each team would gain ground, and then the other would fight back for every point. Both teams were stacked with players pulling their weight.

In the final quarter the Trojans were behind by five points at 71 - 65.  With only 50 seconds left on the clock the Trojans tied it up at 73 - 73. The two teams played an epic few minutes, with the Trojans ultimately earning two more points and the win at 75-73.

"We have seen a lot of growth, I'm really happy with how the boys have improved," said Trojan Boys Coach Natasha Quinton. "They were working everyday, trying to improve, and that is what they've done. They worked very hard all season."  Quinton  said the first game the Trojans will play at Zones will be against Piikani's Redskins.

Game 14 Girls Championship game: Crusaders 51, Dragons 41

This was another evenly matched and exciting game with tie scores in the first, second and third quarter, and scores rarely getting to more than a 6 point lead for either side. The tipping point in this game came late in the second quarter when Dragon Jayden Kennedy was bumped out for the rest of the game with an ankle injury. Crusaders Rhonda Walner and Alisa Peterson put a lot of points on the board in the second half,  and the Crusaders won it  51 - 41.

2013/14 Senior Girls Dragons

"We had some key moments from our bench," said Girls Dragons Coach John Lowry. "They controlled the ball really well," he said of the Crusaders team. "At the end, they got every one of those rebounds. They really controlled that. We rushed our shots, because they were defending very well. The girls worked really hard, and they worked hard the whole season. We'll see how Wednesday goes," he said, speaking of Zones. "Zones are next week, Provincials the week after. Then season basketball is over, and club basketball begins."

"The girls had an undefeated season," said Crusaders Coach Ben Swen. "They were unbelievable. They kept their calm when they needed to, and didn't worry about what the other teams could bring. Our game plan is to keep our head, get in there, do what we need to do, and get in their faces when things get tight." Four of the team will be graduating off of the team. At Zones the team will start with a game against Milk River at 7:00 on Tuesday March 11.

Game 15 Boys Championship game: Sabres 83, Blades 77

The final game of the tournament was another one that was well worth watching, and the stands were packed for it. The Sabres maintained a slim lead from first and well into the third quarter. The Blades took the lead briefly in the last two minutes of the third. Sabre Morgan Cook tied it up 63 - 63 to the end of the third quarter.

The two teams worked hard, tied 74 - 74 in the fourth with 3 minutes left on the clock, bringing the excitement to a high pitch.  In the end the Sabres prevailed, putting another 9 points on the board to 3 for the Blades.  Final score Sabres 83, Blades 77.

"I think they played stronger against the Coalhurst team in the semi final, but overall I'm pleased with how the season turned out," said Senior Boys Sabres Coach Duane DeCock. There were some struggles because the bench normally has some grade 9 students. "They are away at Zones. We were missing them, they are a big part of our team." The Senior Sabres start Zones on Wednesday against Coaldale's Christian Cobras.