Jasper Place – The Paul Kane Blues gave it their best shot as defending champions at the REB Invitational.
Paul Kane held the upper hand for most of the second half in Saturday’s final before the lead slipped away from its grasp in the 70-39 loss to the Western Canada Redhawks of Calgary.
A stretch of missed shots turned a seven-point advantage with about five minutes left in the second quarter into a four-point deficit at halftime as Paul Kane was outscored 13-2.
After the break, Western rattled off nine unanswered points before Ella Stanley’s field goal left the Blues trailing 35-24 with under four minutes to go before the quarter ended with Western in charge at 48-31.
In the last 10-minute period, Western piled up nine consecutive points in the opening 1:33 minutes to widen the gap to 26 points.
“You make some and you miss some,” said Raeesa Cherniwchan, a Grade 11 forward/post with a shrug of the shoulders. “It could’ve been nerves but you know what? We’re good shooters and we can be better and we will get better.”
Stanley drained three three-points in the first half as Paul Kane led 14-12 at the end of the first quarter only to fall behind 26-22 at halftime.
“It was really good at the start. We held our ground,” Cherniwchan said.
As for the second half downturn, “We’ve just got to keep improving,” Cherniwchan said.
Western finished its 11th win in 12 games with six three-balls as Nora Luca hit three of them while posting a team-high 20 points.
Stanley, a tournament all-star and last year’s MVP, netted 15 points, Bella Gaulden tacked up 10 and Cherniwchan added nine.
Paul Kane put itself in position to repeat with victories of 92-50 over the Harry Ainlay Titans and 79-75 in the double overtime cliffhanger against the St. Albert Skyhawks.
“The tournament was an awesome experience coming in as the reigning champs,” said Cherniwchan, one of six returnees from the 70-52 conquest of the host Jasper Place Rebels in last year’s final. ”We kept getting better so it was really good.”
The semifinal showdown with the Skyhawks was too close to call with the score knotted at 55 after regulation time and at 64 after the first five-minute OT period.
“It was such a grind, honestly, and it kept going like that the whole entire time,” Cherniwchan said. “It was back and forth and we just held it through. We knew it was going to be a tough game, but we kept getting better the whole entire time and it was honest improvement.
“It really was a match that showed the work we put in. It was honestly the best feeling to come out with that win.”
The ebbs and flows scoring-wise were wide-ranging with players from both teams taking turns making big plays in clutch situations. The difference was Paul Kane hit its shots when it mattered while battling from behind during various segments in the contest as Cherniwchan, Stanley, Jules Froment and Kaitlyn Kluttig, with a late-game steal and layup, did the bulk of the scoring.
“The turning point was when we got our energy up, especially the bench’s energy. Everyone had their energy going and it was skyrocketing. It was amazing,” Cherniwchan said.
Paul Kane’s overall record is 5-4, including a 2-1 mark in metro Edmonton division one action, after Monday’s 62-48 win against the Strathcona Lords in Edmonton.
“We knew it was going to be a rough start at the beginning of the season (after the graduation of six players from the 2018 4A provincial consolation championship team) but I’m honestly so proud of my girls. It’s amazing how we’re improving,” said Cherniwchan, 16, a key contributor in the paint at both ends of the floor.
Tonight at 6:30 p.m. Paul Kane hosts the Archbishop Jordan Scots in league play.
