Peaking for the playoffs is the game plan as the St. Albert Skyhawks take flight in high school men’s basketball.
At the controls are eight returning Skyhawks from the 2014 metro Edmonton division two finalists that finished 9-3 in league play.
“We’re slowly taking steps forward but it’s a work in progress,” said Grade 12 captain Andrew Salcedo of the team’s 1-1 start to the season. “We graduated more of our veterans, guys that have been around the program for a while, so we’ve introduced quite a few new guys this year. We’ve got a lot of young guys and they’re picking things up faster than I anticipated, which is great. I have a lot of faith in them so I think down the stretch things will really come together in terms of how they’ve adapted SACHS basketball and how we all play together and I’m looking forward to that.”
Last week, the Skyhawks tipped off their pool B league schedule with a 76-49 win against the Memorial Marauders (0-2) in Stony Plain but lost 67-64 to the Lillian Osborne Legends (1-2) at the SkyDome.
“We did a lot more things well in our first game than in this game,” Salcedo said of the loss to the Legends. “Our focus on defence was a lot more present in the first game than it was in this game. We’ve got to work on consistency.”
In the home opener, the Skyhawks led 17-14 after the first quarter but trailed 33-32 at halftime.
Salcedo drained 18 (eight field goals and two free throws) of his game-high 28 points during a frustrating first half of inconsistent play by the Skyhawks that left head coach Evan Holstein shaking his head in disbelief.
The Skyhawks regrouped in the third quarter to lead 49-46 on the strength of three-pointers by Carter McCorriston, his second of the game, Joe Marsiglio and Leningrad Poserio, whose three made it 49-42 late in the period.
In the last quarter, the Legends deposited the tying and go-ahead baskets off turnovers in a 22-second span to regain the lead at 60-58 with 5:22 remaining.
It was 62-60 with under a minute to go when the Skyhawks were unable to score the tying basket and then committed a foul with 31 seconds to play and the Legends canned one of the two attempts.
After a Skyhawks’ timeout Salcedo executed a power move while double teamed in the paint to cut the lead to one.
The Skyhawks then fouled a player and the Legends went 1-for-2 at the line with 25 seconds left.
The Skyhawks would go on to miss another game-tying shot following a timeout and with 15.4 ticks on the clock the Legends nailed two free throws to lead by four.
Keilan Dobish popped in the Skyhawks’ last basket and with three seconds left the Legends closed out the scoring with a free throw.
“It was kind of a rollercoaster. We didn’t know how to link our possessions well today,” Salcedo said. “We have good runs and we had lulls so we’re still working on getting consistent stops but once we learn how to link possessions we’ll be better off in the final result.”
Emmanuel Muthemi of the Legends poured in 15 of his 27 points in the second half.
McCorriston finished with nine points and Bryan Breda added seven for the Skyhawks.
Salcedo never subbed off once in the loss while equalling his point total of 28 against Memorial. The six-foot-two forward thrives on the heavy workload.
“That’s the role I’ve adopted and I like filling it. I also like filling the leader’s role too,” Salcedo said. “I play what my team needs me to play and if that’s the role I’ve got to play then I will.”
The third-year Skyhawk is tough to stop when he sets up shop in the low post.
“I do a lot of work inside but I’m adaptable.”
Salcedo, 17, is determined to carry the Skyhawks on his shoulders to a provincial berth after the team lost the A and B finals in the 3A Edmonton zone elimination tournament in consecutive seasons.
“That’s definitely something that still haunts me when I close my eyes,” he said. “I want to break that wall that’s in front of us.”
FREE THROWS: The next league game is Jan. 6 against the host Archbishop MacDonald Marauders at 6:30 p.m.
The Skyhawks are one of five 3A honourable mentions in the first Alberta Schools’ Athletic Association rankings of the season. The 3A Edmonton zone teams in the top 10 include the No. 1 Leduc Tigers (division one), No. 4 Strathcona Christian Academy Eagles (division two pool A), No. 5 Edmonton Christian Lions (division one), No. 6 Sturgeon Spirits (pool B) and No. 8 St. Joseph Saints (pool B).
