The St. Albert Skyhawks unwrapped a Christmas gift to remember Wednesday in high school women’s basketball.
The perfect present for the No. 1-ranked 3A Skyhawks was their 15th win in 15 games in the 84-28 rout of the St. Francis Xavier Rams at the SkyDome.
“It’s definitely mind blowing when we can be 15-0. I hope we can keep it going,” said Jessa Ivicak, a rugged Grade 10 winger who pumped in 17 points against the 4A Rams.
The 2012 metro Edmonton premier conference champions and three-time reigning provincial gold medallists improved to 5-0 in league play and in three tournaments are 10-0.
“It’s amazing, especially for such a young team with such experienced seniors. It’s such a good feeling,” said Grade 10 post Marinya Marcichiw, one of seven new Skyhawks on the 10-player roster.
The last game before the Christmas break was a done deal after the first quarter with the Skyhawks in control at 25-11.
“It’s a really good feeling when you start off with a lead like that. It gives you a lot of confidence to play with the whole game,” Marcichiw said.
The Skyhawks punished the Rams 28-5 in the second quarter for a whopping 37-point halftime advantage. Twice they rattled off 12-point runs in the quarter to make it a blowout.
After three quarters it was 66-24.
“This was a typical game for us. We were consistently playing hard the whole time,” Marcichiw said. “We like to come out strong and we really like to end up on top like this.”
Paige Knull led all scorers with 20 points, including a three-pointer to start the fourth quarter, and grabbed seven rebounds.
Amber Easthope tossed in 11 points in the first half and 16 overall. Kayla Ivicak added 12 points and a team-high 10 rebounds.
Amy Mildenberger also posted eight points and seven rebounds against the 4-2 Rams.
“We did very well as a team. We worked for this one. We hustled. We ran up and down the floor like (head coach John) Dedrick told us to. We also finished our easys,” said Jessa Ivicak, 15.
Her 13-point effort coming off the bench in the first half gave the team a big boost.
“I actually sprinted this game. I got the easys, focused on my shots and just remembered all the little techniques that Dedrick taught me,” she said.
It’s been a smooth transition to the senior team for the graduate of the Vincent J. Maloney Marauders. Also making the jump with Ivicak from the 24-0 Marauders, the 2012 SAPEC Tier 1 city champions, are forwards Jamie Cole and Riki Steward.
“It was easy because I have an older sister (Kayla, a Grade 11 winger) on the team to help me out at the beginning,” Jessa said. “I was also practicing with them in Grade 9 so it made me more comfortable this year.”
Marcichiw, 15, is another Grade 10 who has hasn’t missed a beat moving up to the Skyhawks after a standout junior high career in basketball and volleyball with the Lorne Akins Gators. The five-foot-10 Skyhawk has been rewarded with starter’s minutes while contributing at both ends of the floor. Against the Rams she contributed eight points and seven rebounds.
“It’s definitely a big transition. Everything is different but it’s been smooth thanks to the coaches (Dedrick and assistant coach Paige Gaudreau) on my team,” Marcichiw said. “I’ve still got to keep working hard and keep my game up.”
Marcichiw elected to attend St. Albert Catholic High School and play for the Skyhawks – the only St. Albert women’s basketball team to win metro premier (twice) and provincial banners (record-setting three times) – instead of hooping it up for the Paul Kane Blues.
“The program has a great history. Paul Kane also has a great program but I felt this was the right decision,” said Marcichiw.
The Skyhawks are headed in the right direction in pursuit of their seventh-straight zone title and ninth-consecutive provincial berth.
“We definitely like to work hard and push each other in practice. We really work for each other,” Marcichiw said. “Our coaching staff is also great. We wouldn’t be where we are without our coaches.”
The Skyhawks resume league play Jan. 10 against the winless Salisbury Sabres at 4:45 p.m. in Sherwood Park. It’s their only premier game in the schedule before the exam break.
“We’ll be approaching it the same way we did this year for the first part. We will attack it strong, run our plays, communicate on the floor, help each other out and cheer for each other,” Jessa said.
FREE THROWS: Grade 10 forward Brielle Wise missed the last three games with a broken finger on her right hand. Wise suffered the injury last weekend at the Sabres Classic in the 75-44 win over the O’Leary Spartans, ranked eighth in 4A. In the final the Skyhawks defeated their zone rivals, Edmonton Christian Lions, 44-32 for their third title in a row. The week before they knocked off the No. 5-ranked Lions 57-25 to win the Camrose tournament.
The second annual Skyhawks Invitational Tournament for male and female teams runs Jan. 31 to Feb. 2.
