The first basketball team from Sturgeon Composite High School to hoop it up at provincials won the consolation final at the 3A men’s championship Saturday at Winston Churchill High School in Lethbridge.
Jacob Kaup poured in 19 points as the No. 6-ranked Spirits knocked off the No. 4-ranked Ponoka Broncs 88-49 for the consolation plaque in the 12-team tournament.
In the provincial opener the Spirits clobbered the Barrhead Gryphons 70-37 as Zane MacDonald paced the attack with 16 points.
In the quarter-finals the Spirits fell 76-61 to the No. 3-ranked W.R. Myers Rebels of Taber. Kaup scored 16 points against the eventual bronze medallists.
The loss dropped the Spirits into the pool B consolation bracket and in the semifinals beat the No. 7-ranked Fort McMurray Miners 82-79. Josh Hardick rolled up 18 points for the metro Edmonton division one team.
The Spirits finished the season 18-19 overall. In league play they placed 12th out of 14 teams at 2-11 in a very tough metro division.
The Spirits lose four players to graduation off their 12-man roster.
Visit www.stalbertgazette.com to view the team picture at provincials.
The Paul Kane Blues finished their second trip to provincials in three years with a 2-2 record against teams ranked below them in the 4A women’s draw.
The No. 8-ranked Blues lost Saturday’s consolation final 70-50 to the 10th-ranked Medicine Hat Kwahommies in what was billed as the fifth/sixth game for positioning in the 16-team tournament.
In Thursday’s provincial opener the Blues suffered a 72-64 setback to the No. 9-ranked Ernest Manning Griffins of Calgary despite a 31-point performance by Grade 12 forward Tiana Woyewitka.
The Blues were shorthanded with their top player, Grade 11 forward Sydney Hurlburt, sidelined with an injury.
The loss dropped the Blues into the consolation bracket where they posted wins of 50-47 against the No. 16-ranked Grande Prairie Composite Totems and 73-60 against the No. 13-ranked St. Francis Browns of Calgary. Grade 11 guard Rachel McIntyre led the Blues with 21 points against the Browns in the consolation semifinal.
The Blues, seeded third out of four Edmonton zone teams at provincials, finished the season 26-11 overall, including an 11-3 showing in metro Edmonton division one.
Eight players are eligible to return next season.
