HUMBOLDT, MIDDLE LAKE, LAKE LENORE — Two local senior girls basketball teams placed in the top three at the Avenger Athletics Basketball Classic in Middle Lake last weekend.
Wynyard defeated the Humboldt Collegiate Institute senior girls in the finals. The host Middle Lake Lake Lenore topped Norquay to finish third in the eight-team event. Lakers head coach Curtis Strueby expressed appreciation for the referees, volunteers, and parents who made the tournament a success.
HCI Girls
The HCI squad opened the event with a Friday night win over Creighton, 64-60. The Humboldt team advanced to defeat the hosts in the semifinals, 43-33.
“The girls played an aggressive trapping defence, which gave Middle Lake Lenore some grief in the first half,” HCI assistant coach Kerri Archibald said. “Katie MacLean also shot well from the perimeter, hitting five three-pointers.
HCI lost to Wynyard, 74-29, in the championship game.
Middle Lake Lenore Girls
Strueby was happy with his team’s efforts at the tournament. The Lakers triumphed over Gladmar by about 20 points on Friday.
In the semifinals, “We had a solid game against Humboldt, but went ice cold from the field. We played well, just could not score. “
Against a good Norquay team, Middle Lake Lenore won the third-place game, 48-45. Strueby said the Lakers played hard. They trailed by eight points after three quarters but battled back – scoring four points in the final minute and a half to earn the win. What allowed the Lakers to take the victory?
“The fourth quarter and our relentless pressure,” Strueby said. “We then finally got hot and hit three threes and were able to pound the ball inside to our strong post player for a few points. The winning points were off two turnovers on the front end of our press. Very good win against a tough team.”
HCI Boys
Last week the HCI senior boys team took on Lake Lenore and Prince Albert Collegiate Institute on the same day. Lake Lenore prevailed in the first contest, but the Humboldt squad rebounded and beat PACI.
On the weekend, at the Vanier Invitational in Moose Jaw, the HCI team went 1-2. In the opening contest, the squad lost to Sheldon Williams Collegiate, who went on to win the tournament.
“They were a good athletic team with several good shooters,” assistant coach Ashton Chappell said. “Our guys played great defence the whole game, but we had trouble finding the basket in the first half.”
The HCI team suffered a let down in game two to an undermanned Shaunavon squad. It rebounded with a strong effort in a loss to Herbert.
“It was a hard-fought battle,” Chappell said. “Great defensive effort from the team. They found their rhythm on offence and played with poise and determination all game. In the fourth quarter, we struggled on offence and Herbert started hitting threes repeatedly and we couldn’t hang in to win.”
