BANFF – The underdog Canmore Wolverines finally bought into the system when it mattered most, while the young gun Banff Bears’ stock continued to rise as a top threat in the fast-approaching zones.
Following two days of hoops (Feb. 10-11) at Banff Community High School, the Canmore Wolverines senior girls basketball team claimed victory at the annual tourney, surprising even themselves in the process.
“This is our first tournament where we’ve ever won one game, in general, so the fact that we won it all just feels so nice to be able to be like, 'wow, we played so well today,’” said Wolverines forward Zoe Whitehead.
Whitehead scored a team-high 12 points, Isla Begley added eight and the Wolverines won 49-39 in the gold medal game against the Rosemary Rockets on Saturday evening.
Gold for the #Canmore Wolverines senior girls basketball team at the Banff tourney. Wolverine Zoe Whitehead scored a team-high 12 points in the 49-39 win over the Rosemary Rockets. pic.twitter.com/SFAsx4GT99
— Jordan Small (@jordiesmall) February 12, 2023
Winning three games to reach gold, including against the Bears – a team Canmore hasn’t beaten all season – Wolverines’ coach Pat McKenna said his underdogs had finally bought into his system of playing team ball.
A sentiment that team captain Indigo Hill echoed.
“I think we worked really well as a team,” she said. “There was a lot of communication on the floor and we were calling all our plays. I think we just kept the energy up and we were really working as a team.”
The Wolverines led buzzer-to-buzzer in the gold medal game, keeping the Rockets grounded with stiff defence and timely buckets.
As play got chippy at times, Wolverines’ Clea Chevance, rocking a colourful hairdo that would make former Chicago Bulls star Dennis Rodman proud, helped keep up the intensity for Canmore until the finish line.
“I play fair, but I want to go and I want to compete,” said Chevance, who scored five points.
The Wolverines will ride their momentum into the next few weekends, including at a home tournament Feb. 24-25.
BEARS TAKE OUT QUEENS
The Banff Bears came out firing in the second half and overwhelmed the St. Augustine Queens of Ponoka in the bronze medal game.
Banff forward Maya Daniel scored 11 points and three triples in the Bears’ 48-32 victory.
The #Banff Bears take bronze at its girls basketball home tourney. Led by guard Taylor DesRosiers’ game-high 19 points, the Bears defeated St.Augustine Queens 48-32. pic.twitter.com/VbwBGGpz3z
— Jordan Small (@jordiesmall) February 12, 2023
The Bears find themselves in a unique situation this season, mainly because they’re a JV (Grade 10-11) due to the school not having a senior girls basketball team.
However, the feisty bunch are better than good against senior competition and confidence is brimming for JV zones in March.
“We’re trying to go for a banner at zones,” said head coach Marc Geestman. “If you look around the gym, there’s never been a banner for girls basketball [in Banff], so we’re going to try to go for one. This is the year we probably have a really good chance at winning it in JV.”
Banff’s up-and-coming group, which has come up the ranks together for the past several years, came into the senior home tourney as the favourite. In the opening game, the Bears made quick work of Canmore’s Our Lady of the Snows Avalanche, winning 53-28, to advance to the semifinals against another Bow Valley rival.
However, after owning the Wolverines all season in exhibition games, the JV girls met a different giant in the semifinals. Surprising even themselves, the Wolverines took out the Bears 48-33 after the speedy, smaller team couldn’t match size and second-chance scoring opportunities against Canmore Collegiate.
The loss sent the Bears to the bronze medal game where Banff guard Taylor Desrosiers hammered St. Augustine with five three-pointers. In the second half, the Queens defenders made a critical mistake by not double-teaming the outside threat when Desrosiers caught fire and dropped 16 points of her game-high 19.
Desrosiers scored two more points than the entire Queens roster in the final 20 minutes.
“I’m really in my head sometimes and I just have to let [my shot] go,” said Desrosiers. “[It felt good] to hear the support from the crowd and my teammates, and just drop threes and a couple baskets and lay-ups.”
Although gold wasn’t in the cards in the home senior tourney this year, the young team is making head waves in the JV category, and, for next year as seniors.
“I think [bronze is] a really big achievement, and, obviously, this is going to be the exact same team next year … we’re going to be really strong,” said Desrosiers.
The OLS Avalanche finished eighth in the tournament.
High school zones for basketball begins in March.
