Senior Boys basketball: Dragons defeat Hawks

Toni Lucas

Team spirit was in evidence throughout the final game of the regular season for the games held at St. Michael's in Pincher Creek on Monday, March 3. The Senior Girls and Senior Boys Dragons hosted their home town counterparts, the Hawks, for one final league game.

Senior Boys: Dragons 76 Hawks 68

The Dragons won the Senior Boys game.  Despite the loss, this game was a complete turn-around for the Senior Boys Hawks. They have not had a lot of success on the court this season, but during this game, they were on.

The Dragons have played well throughout the season. There have been impressive performances throughout the year by each of the players but just as importantly they have learned to be able to work together as one cohesive group with a single goal. They have been a good team to watch, making it all look effortless. Robbie Smith, Bailey McDougall, Sam Parkinson, James Lowry and Eddie Many Guns will all be graduating this year, after inspiring leadership, team spirit, and cooperation among their younger teammates.

The Hawks have struggled this season.  As it draws to a close they seem to have had a collective moment of enlightenment, which has greatly enhanced their teamwork. Some of this may have to do with a recent re-addition to the team, point guard Jake Varley, who was high scorer in the game with 38 points. Varley started the season off with the Hawks, but had to absent himself from it for most of the season, coming back in the last two weeks.

The Hawks were ahead at the half, 27 - 33.   During the third, there were a number of times when the score was tied. The Dragons pulled ahead and led the score by one point, 50 - 49 at the end of the third.

Somebody declared "Barnburner", and that third quarter filled all the requirements.  Terrific basketball from both teams.

The Dragons came in snorting fire in the fourth. They put 6 points on the board in less than two minutes, widening their lead considerably. The battle was on in full force, the Hawks scrambling to make ground. They scored 19 points in the final quarter, the Dragons scored 26 to win it 76-68.

 High scorer for the Dragons was Robbie Smith with 20 points. Players of the game were Dragons James Lowry, and Hawks Teigan Lissel. 

"I was really proud of the boys that game, pumped," said effusive Hawks Coach Nikki McNab. "I'm so excited. The boys really wanted it. In my mind they won that game, I don't care what the scoresheet said, my boys played awesome!  They came out really hard, they gelled as a team, finally. I'm really proud of the boys, they worked well together, It was a great way to close our season, for post-season."

"I'm, looking forward to this weekend. I'm sure the guys are going to come out gung-ho, after this game. I'm really happy for them."

 McNab was also happy to see Jake Varley back on the team. "I wish I had him all year long. He is an awesome player."

Graduating from the Hawks this year are Jared Duffield, T.J. Ratzloff, Austin Sinclair, Josh Foster, and Dawson Jarvis.

"I lose five guys, and I'm going to miss them, very much," said McNab.  "I hope these boys have learned a lot through basketball. That you have to set a goal, and work hard towards it. You have to work well with each other, and in the future, co-workers."

"I think we did really well," said Hawk Jake Varley. "We fell apart at the end of the second and in the third, but we definitely came back in the last five - six minutes."

Jake Varley checks out his high score

"We've grown a lot since the beginning of the season," said Senior Boys Dragons Coach Frank Welsch.  This is the first year that he has coached the team.   "They started to play better together. At the start of the season, there was only three guys returning from last year, so it was pretty much a whole new team this year. They had to get used to each other, and they are definitely getting there. If it was a longer season, they'd be doing even better."

"I felt that first quarter we weren't playing our best game off the bat.  We were giving too many turnovers, trying to rush the ball to court. It wasn't working for us and I got the guys to slow down and get it together. We tried to play our game the second half, and it worked. We are ranked 7th out of eight, but I think we can punch above our weight."

Welsch was proud of Dragons Robbie Smith, Bailey McDougall, Sam Parkinson, James Lowry and Eddie Many Guns, who will all be graduating this year. Even with the large number of students moving on, Welsch was pragmatic.  "The grade nines are a pretty good group that are coming up."