Harry Ainlay – The 22nd win 24 games was the best of the bunch for the St. Albert Skyhawks.
Saturday’s 63-52 conquest of the Peacock Tornadoes of Moose Jaw at the Titans Tri-Prov was also the fourth tournament triumph in five competitions for the No. 2-ranked 4A Skyhawks in high school women’s basketball.
“It’s definitely one of our strongest games,” said co-captain Brielle Wise. “We wanted to come out and work hard and prove that we’ve been getting better the whole season.”
The team’s 14-1 tournament record includes championship repeats at the 17th annual Mike Dea Classic at St. Francis Xavier High School and the 33rd annual REB Invitational at Jasper Place High School and a four-peat at the Skyhawks Invitational.
“It’s a great accomplishment to win as a team and play a really good game,” Wise said. “They all count the same and they all feel the same generally.”
The Skyhawks also placed third at the Chinook Invitational in Lethbridge.
The Tri-Prov final marked the 12th victory in a row for the 2014 4A provincial bronze medallists after losing the Chinook semifinal 66-62 to the 4A champion Raymond Comets. It was also the second loss in the same week for the Skyhawks.
“We had a couple of lulls earlier in the season but we used that as motivation and drive to become a better team,” Wise said. “We’re continuously getting better and we’re working hard to be the best and to be our best for provincial time.”
The Skyhawks broke open a tight defensive tussle by outscoring Peacock 21-10 in the second quarter to lead by 14.
Three baskets by Marinya Marcichiw in the last minute before halftime widened the gap to 30-16 at the break.
After three quarters it was 51-34 for the surging Skyhawks.
“We were very strong defensively and that led to our offensive success as well,” said Wise.
The six-foot-one Grade 12 wing tacked up seven of her team-high 15 points in the third quarter, including a three-pointer to make it 35-20.
She also averaged 16 points in three wins as the tournament MVP.
“It’s a good feeling to receive this award but I wouldn’t have got it if it wasn’t for my teammates. They set me up on offence,” said Wise, 17.
Marcichiw finished the game with 12 points after committing two fouls in the opening 6:49 minutes of the game.
Riki Steward produced nine points, Jessa Ivicak added eight and Sam Dargis, a tournament all-star, had seven as the Skyhawks celebrated their second Tri-Prov title in team history and the first since 2012.
“We all just fed off of each other. It was a really good team win for us,” Wise said.
Tournament all-star Macaela Crone led all scorers with 30 points on the strength of three threes and Libby Epoch, the recipient of the top defensive player award, drained a pair of threes and 12 points overall for Peacock.
Crone and Epoc played for their respective Saskatchewan age-group teams and have been indentified by the national team.
“We came in with a game plan of shutting down their best players and I thought we executed it really well,” said Wise, who guarded Crone at various stints in the match.
The Skyhawks defeated two metro Edmonton division one teams – 84-38 against the Ross Sheppard Thunderbirds (1-7) and 73-48 against the No. 8-ranked 4A Jasper Place Rebels (7-3) – en route to the final.
“We were a lot more intense this game. We came in with a goal and we executed it well,” said Wise, who poured in 22 points against the Thunderbirds.
Visit www.stalbertgazette.com to view the Skyhawks’ championship picture.
Peacock reached the final with victories of 90-86 against the Paul Kane Blues and 68-54 against Raymond, ranked ninth in 4A.
The Blues, ranked seventh in 4A at 16-8 overall, went on to post convincing victories of 80-49 against the host Harry Ainlay Titans and 80-56 against the Oak Park Raiders of Winnipeg in the consolation bracket.
Sydney Hurlburt dropped 25 points on the Raiders in the consolation final. Allison Hunder and Ashley Thomas chipped in with 10 apiece.
In league play the Skyhawks (8-1) and Blues (7-2) are chasing the No. 1-ranked 4A Spruce Grove Panthers (9-0) for first place.
Tuesday the Skyhawks played the Panthers (20-1 overall) in Spruce Grove in a battle of the top-two 4A teams in the province but the score was unavailable at press time.
Last season the Skyhawks finished 30-5 and three of their losses were against the Panthers, including the division one final.
At provincials the Skyhawks knocked off the Panthers 56-51 for bronze medals.
“(Saturday’s final) was a great win for us but we have to move on from it and use it as motivation and go into Tuesday’s game with lots of intensity,” Wise said.
This weekend both teams are on opposite sides of the draw at the Panthers Classic. Friday the Skyhawks are in action against the E.P. Scarlett Lancers of Calgary, a 4A honourable mention, at 1:45 p.m. Depending on the result the Skyhawks would face the Strathcona Lords or the No. 3-ranked 4A Cardston Cougars at 7:15 p.m. Friday in the consolation bracket or the 12:30 p.m. Saturday semifinal.
Saturday the consolation final is 4 p.m., the third-place game is 5:45 p.m. and the final is 7:30 p.m.
The No. 5-ranked 4A Western Canada Redhawks of Calgary, the No. 6-ranked 4A William Aberhart Orange of Calgary and the Medicine Hat Kwahommies, a 4A honourable mention, are also in the tournament.
“It will be a really good weekend for us. We just have to come into it with a whole new mindset and work hard,” Wise said.
