Gators chomp on 1A boys volleyball gold
Finally, the Senator Gershaw Gators are provincial champions.
The boys volleyball team from the Bow Island school claimed gold in Bashaw Saturday night, beating St. Mary’s 2-0 (25-17, 25-19) in the Alberta 1A championship game.
Having taken home silver each of the past two years, the Gators were motivated for this one. Especially with past provincial-team player Chris Byam winding up his high school career.
“It’s a huge thing for us, especially being my last year,” Byam said after his team won the South East Zone Volleyball League crown on home court a few weeks ago. “I’ve experienced that silver medal, I have a bitter taste in my mouth so I’d like to come out with that gold medal for sure.”
Byam will move on to play at Mount Royal University in Calgary next year, but coach Andy Phillips has noted Byam wasn’t the only reason for the Gators’ run of success. From setter Brendan Smith to Blayze Uchikura and the rest of the veteran team, they’ve all put their mark on the program.
“We try to run effective practices every night, try to get as many guys as we can touching volleyballs as much as they can,” Phillips said the night of the league finals Nov. 7. “The more reps they get in practice the better they get individually.”
Nobody took a set off Gershaw, not in the South Zone tournament in Lethbridge last week nor the provincial playoffs this past weekend.
At Bashaw, they beat St. Thomas More 2-0 (25-18, 2515) Thursday, then Immanuel Christian (25-15, 25-21), St. Mary’s (25-21, 25-21) and Bashaw (25-17, 25-17) Friday to earn a bye to the semifinals.
It took a tough first set but Gershaw beat Lacombe-based Central Alberta Christian 2624, 25-19 to reach the final against St. Mary’s.
3A
Only two other Medicine Hat-area teams were at provincials, and both were in Beaverlodge for the 3A girls event.
Eagle Butte got to the playoff round Saturday on the strength of a 2-3 round robin record, barely good enough to survive a three-way tie for the last spot with Brooks and Cold Lake.
In the quarter-final Saturday afternoon against St. Joseph, however, they fell 2-1 (22-25, 25-19, 15-11). Cochrane beat Peace Wapiti in the final.
Also at provincials was Crescent Heights, which also went 2-3 including a three-set win over St. Joseph but wound up tied for fourth in the tough six-team pool.
The Medicine Hat Tigers can achieve a couple things tonight at Canalta Centre.
For one, they could get back to the .500 mark with a win over the Red Deer Rebels.
Beating the Central Division leaders would also give the Tabbies a stranglehold on the season series, which they already lead 2-0. The teams play three more times after tonight in the regular season.
Medicine Hat won 7-3 in Red Deer Saturday, with both Bryan Lockner and Tyler Preziuso scoring twice. The team’s injury report now has defenceman Joel Craven listed as returned which would be an additional boost to a team that’s 11-12-1-2, eight points back of the 16-7-1-0 Rebels who lost 4-3 at home to Prince Albert Tuesday.
Red Deer’s Brandon Hagel leads his team with 15 goals and 25 assists in 23 games, including four game-winners. Also look out for defenceman Alexander Alexeyev who’s got 28 points so far.
Captain James Hamblin has 10 goals and 18 assists for Medicine Hat, though Preziuso now has the team lead with 11 goals and is second in points with 22.
Medicine Hat next enters a busy stretch, hosting Lethbridge Saturday night, then on a three-game trip east with games in Regina Sunday, Brandon Tuesday and Moose Jaw next Wednesday.