It was a sweet repeat for the Lorne Akins Gators in junior high girls’ basketball.
The second St. Albert Physical Education Council banner in a row and the eighth in team history was celebrated in Thursday’s 60-43 victory over the Richard S. Fowler Falcons in the Tier 1 city final at the SkyDome.
“It’s really awesome to win back to back. Each year our team has worked so hard and pushed in every single game, especially in this game,” said Grade 9 guard Kaitlyn Kluttig, one of four returning Gators on the 12-player roster. “Last year was like this year, we worked our hardest, especially in this city game.”
The Gators finished their season of excellence with 24 wins in 25 games in league and tournaments combined after going 22-2 last year.
“It’s really, really exciting because the team played such a great game. We worked together as a team really well,” said Grade 9 post Ella Stanley, the top scorer in the final with 23 points. “It comes down to who is more mentally tough and who has got it in them more.”
Last year the Gators won their first SAPEC banner since 2011 by defeating the ESSMY Leopards 42-29.
Both years the Gators entered the final as the second playoff seed after losses to their championship opponents in the regular season.
“This win means more,” Stanley said. “Fowler was more of a bigger competition than the team that we had last year.”
Fowler knocked off the Gators 42-38 at Lorne Akins on Feb. 23 in the last league game before the playoffs after semifinal losses in the SAPEC and Spruce Grove tournaments.
The Gators shot 2-for-18 from the free-throw line in the loss.
“We came in a little cocky because we beat them twice before so when we lost that was like a wakeup call for us to know that we are beatable and we need to work hard every single game,” said Kluttig, who tossed in 14 points in the final.
The Gators wrapped up league play at 8-1 and Fowler was 7-1 after only their third loss of the season.
The first quarter of the final set the tone for the rest of the match as Fowler missed 10 out of 14 free throws to trail 16-4 after the opening nine minutes.
The next quarter, Fowler was only able to sink three field goals, plus a wicked buzzer-beating three-pointer by Aine Murphy to end the first half with the Gators in total control at 33-18.
“Our defence was great,” Stanley said. “We also ran the offence really well. We just had a lot of momentum going. It was really good.”
The six-foot-one Stanley shone bright in the final by draining two of her three three-pointers in the first half while tacking up 14 points before the break. Her inside game also gave Fowler grief as a dominating figure at both ends of the court.
When asked what it felt like to play such a big role in the win, Stanley, who registered a double-double against the Morinville Wolves in Tuesday’s semifinal, replied: “It’s very exciting but obviously I couldn’t have done it without the team.”
Fowler showed some push-back to start the third quarter to close the gap to 35-26, but the Gators replied with a 12-2 point run before the period ended with the Orange Crushers on top 49-31.
“Today it just all went perfectly. Our team had a lot of momentum and we were working with each other,” said Kluttig, who recorded seven points in the first half and her three-ball with 4:14 left in the second quarter made it 26-9.
Paisley Reschke and Raeesa Cherniwchan contributed six points apiece for the Gators.
Fowler was led by Kaya Vandermeer’s 15 points, including 10 in the second half. Murphy finished with two three-balls and 13 points and Bella Cuciz added nine.
A number of players from both teams will join forces on the undefeated defending champion midget A St. Albert SLAM at the Youth Provincial Championships this weekend at the Saville Community Sports Centre.
“It’s a lot of fun to go against your teammates and then come and play together,” said Stanley, a U14 provincial team member last summer with Kluttig, Cuciz and Kenzie Thera of St. Albert and Brooke Froment of Morinville.
During the post-game festivities, head coach Dan Wiles of the Gators was reluctant to compare the two championship teams.
“They’re similar but different. You can never paint them all with the same brush. I’m just fortunate that we played a good game. We played a very good team tonight that played well. We played well too and we’re fortunate to come out on top,” said the longtime Lorne Akins teacher, who noted the toughest competition for the winners of four tournaments season was in the SAPEC league.
“This is a great group of girls. They have worked so hard this year. Their skill and their work ethic and their sportsmanship for the last two years has been tremendous. I have nothing but great things to say about those girls. They’re great girls to coach.”
Visit www.stalbert.gazette.com to view the team’s championship banner picture.
