Archbishop MacDonald – Look out, here come the Paul Kane Blues.
The women’s basketball team is on a mission to surpass last season’s winning record with an eye on the prize.
“We’re going to go after it this year for sure,” said Bronwen Barter, a durable Grade 11 post/wing, after the Blues dismantled the Archbishop MacDonald Marauders 64-37 Monday for their fourth win in five days.
“Everyone is just really focused. We lost (two graduating) players but we’re still committed and so dedicated.”
The Blues are poised to build on their 22-14 overall showing in 2015/16, including a 10-4 mark as the metro Edmonton division one semifinalists, and 1-2 result at the 4A provincials, after running the table at the 19th annual Mike Dea Classic last weekend.
“It’s a great start. Honestly, it just creates the feel and the atmosphere for the season,” Barter said. “Now, we have to get better and just keep going from there.”
The first Paul Kane team, male or female, to win the championship trophy at the St. Francis Xavier High School tournament toppled the Holy Trinity Trojans 71-40 in Saturday’s final.
Visit www.stalbertgazette.com to view the team picture.
The Blues outscored the metro division two pool B team 20-9 in the first quarter and led 45-29 at halftime.
After a low-scoring 9-6 third quarter by the Blues, the last 10 minutes of play ended in a blaze of glory.
“That was a lot of fun,” Barter said. “We came out really pumped. We were so energized. We were like let’s start the season with a win. We really wanted it so we really went after it.”
Team captain Allie Hunder received MVP honours and Ella Stanley was a tournament all-star.
Hunder played with passion in the team’s three tournament wins as a defensive standout while generating offence. In the final, the Grade 12 guard produced 10 points.
Stanley, a prominent six-foot-one Grade 10 guard/forward, led the Blues in several categories at the tournament. Stanley grabbed 10 rebounds in the final, including seven offensive boards, after dropping in 18 points in the semifinal against the Beaumont Bandits, another division two pool A team.
All 10 players on the Blues registered points in the final. Barter topped the scoring charts with 16 and Alesha Stanley, a Grade 11 guard/forward, wired four three-points for 14.
“We have only one captain and only one senior so the (six) Grade 11s that are returning this year have to really step up their leadership as well as scoring-wise. There is only 10 of us so you really have to step up your game,” said Barter, 16, who played at an all-star level throughout the tournament.
“I wanted to win so bad.”
In the league opener, the Blues rolled to victory in the second quarter with 22 consecutive points after the first 10-minute period ended tied at 11. The Marauders tacked up one point in the quarter, a free throw with 35 seconds to go, to trail 33-12 at the break.
“We did have our first tournament of the season so we came out a little tired,” Barter said. “We just had to get warmed up in the first half and once we kind of got a feel for the game we just went hard.”
It was smooth sailing the rest of the way as the Blues pulled away 46-23 with one quarter to go.
A sketchy-looking scoresheet by the home team officials listed Barter and Alesha with 14 points apiece and Ella was credited with 11. The Stanley sisters also sank two three-balls each.
Kaitlyn Kluttig, one of three Grade 10s in the lineup, Tegan MacKinnon and Anika Steele also provided offensive support for the Blues.
“We came out as a team and really played together,” Barter said of the strong finish by the Blues. “We’re a really fast team and use a lot of energy so we really picked it up.”
