High school basketball provincials start tonight
The top 4A boys and girls basketball talent descends upon southern Alberta as the Alberta Schools Athletic Association 4A Basketball Provincial Championships hits the hardwood starting today and running until Saturday.
A total of 16 boys and 16 girls teams will go for gold, including four local teams in each division
On the boys side, the Magrath Zeniths look to keep up the pace following their South Zone win over the Raymond Comets Saturday night at the 1st Choice Savings Centre.
In addition to the Zeniths and Comets, the Cardston Cougars and Medicine Hat Mowhaws will represent the South Zone.
On the girls side, the secondranked provincially and South Zone champions LCI Clippers will look to add another gold medal in as many weekends.
They will be joined by the South Zone silver medallists Raymond Comets, the bronze medal-winning Medicine Hat Kwahommies and the Cardston Cougars.
The local boys action begins at 7 tonight as the Zeniths — ranked fifth in the province — take on the Calgary Foothills Composite Falcons at Magrath High School and the sixthranked Comets host the Calgary Sir Winston Churchill Bulldogs.
The eighth-ranked Mohawks are at LCI to take on the Edmonton Jasper Place Rebels, and the Cardston Cougars (10th) host the Calgary Bishop O’Byrne Bobcats in Cardston.
The local girls action begins at 5 p.m. today as the Clippers host the Grande Prairie Charles Spencer High Mavericks and the sixthranked Comets entertain Spruce Grove Composite in Raymond.
The Kwahommies — ranked 10th — plays St. Albert Catholic High at the Catholic Central East campus and 13seeded Cardston hosts the Calgary Centennial High School Coyotes in Cardston.
The games continue Friday starting at 9 a.m. with the semifinals slated for 3 p.m., 5 p.m. (girls), 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. (boys) at the 1st Choice Savings Centre.
Play continues Saturday at 10 a.m. with the bronze medal games at 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. — girls and boys respectively — and the gold medal games to follow at 6 p.m. (girls) and 8 p.m. (boys).
McCoy High School in Medicine Hat hosts 3A championships, with local teams Taber W.R. Myers and Magrath in the girls event, and W.R. Myers in the boys.
In 2A, the girls tourney is in Three Hills, with Immanuel Christian and Coaldale Kate Andrews both qualified. Claresholm Willow Creek competes for the 2A boys title in Edson.
Stirling and Milk River Erle Rivers will compete in the 1A girls tournament in Bawlf, while Lundbreck Livingstone and Bow Island Senator Gershaw go after the 1A boys title in Calgary.