Basketball hoops
The Paul Kane Blues and St. Albert Skyhawks remain undefeated in metro Edmonton division one senior women’s basketball after recording their seventh wins of the season Monday.Scores were 62-31 for the Blues against the Spruce Grove Panthers (2-5) at Paul Kane and 91-42 for the Skyhawks against the host the O’Leary Spartans (0-7).
The Blues and Skyhawks share first place with the Jasper Place Rebels (7-0), winners of the last two division one championships.
The Blues travel to Leduc today to play the Tigers and Thursday the Skyhawks entertain the Panthers at the SkyDome. Game times are 5:30 p.m.
Monday the Blues and Skyhawks square-off at 5:30 p.m. at the SkyDome.
The Blues have won two of the last four showdowns with the Skyhawks and the only Battle of St. Albert this season was the 60-33 victory by Paul Kane in the semifinal of the 20th annual Mike Dea Classic on Dec. 1.
The Alberta Schools’ Athletic Association’s first 4A rankings of the season list the Blues at No. 2 and the Skyhawks at No. 9.
Jasper Place is No. 1 and the defending 4A champion and 2016 silver medallist has league games on tap next Wednesday against the Blues at Paul Kane and Feb. 21 against the Skyhawks at the SkyDome. Tipoff times are 6:30 p.m.
In tournament action last weekend, the Blues finished third at the St. Mary’s Saints Senior Classic in Calgary and the Skyhawks won the consolation final at the Lethbridge Collegiate Institute Green and Gold.
The Blues defeated No. 10-ranked 4A Foothills Composite of Okotoks 79-66, lost 71-53 to No. 8-ranked 4A Cardston and in the third-place game beat Holy Trinity 69-43.
Alesha Stanley, a tournament all-star, led the Blues in scoring against Holy Trinity with 23 points and Anika Steele tacked up 18. A lower body injury sidelined Grade 11 starter Ella Stanley in the last game.
The Blues were shaky shooting the ball against Cardston, the tournament winner by a score of 70-53 against St. Mary’s. Isabella Gaulden posted 12 points in the loss.
The Skyhawks lost 75-59 to No. 4-ranked 4A Magrath and posted wins of 54-50 against No. 3-ranked 4A Bishop Carroll of Calgary and 101-66 against the Medicine Hat Kwhahommies in the consolation final.
Mimi Sigue, a Grade 10 post, was a tournament all-star selection.
The No. 5-ranked 4A LCI Clippers downed Magrath 64-62 in the final.
Masters curling
St. Albert rinks skipped by Gary Greening and Neil McKay punched their tickets to the Alberta men’s masters (60-plus) championship.Greening third Dale Briske, second Rick Dallyn, lead Doug de Bruijn and alternate Grant Cook are the A qualifiers and McKay, third Don Johnson, second Richard Davis and lead Ferd Caron are the C qualifiers at the five-day Northern Alberta Curling Association playdowns hosted by the St. Albert Curling Club.
Briske is a three-time President’s Cup champion as a skip in the St. Albert men’s league playoffs and was the 2017 Edmonton and area Tournament of Champion winner with Dallyn and Cook. De Bruijn also curled on Briske’s first club championship rink.
Greening finished 4-0 in the 15-rink draw after edging Orv MacDonald of Cold Lake 6-5 in Friday’s A final.
Greening counted the winning point in the eighth and last end.
McKay slide past Dave Olsen of the Thistle 8-5 in seven ends in Sunday’s C final.
McKay stole one in three and three more in four to lead 7-2.
McKay’s 5-2 record included the 6-3 loss to Keith Morgan of the Avonair in Saturday’s B final. Morgan scored deuces in the first and fourth ends with the hammer to lead 4-1.
Al Edwards, a longtime St. Albert curler, and his rink of third Neil Flemming, second Brian Kupsch, lead John Wainwright and alternate Len Sterling finished 3-3 after Saturday's 9-0 skunking by John Cabaj as the Sherwood Park skip stole all the points in four ends.
Provincials are Feb. 21 to 25 in Stettler and nationals are April 1 to 8 in Surrey and White Rock, B.C.
