Peacock’s Maelde named to high school all-star team Toilers standout to play in Basketball Sask All-Star Senior Classic
Anyone who saw Anna Maelde take the court with the Peacock Toilers girls basketball team this past season saw just how much skill she brought to the floor. With a deft shooting touch and a game that makes full use of her 5-foot-11 frame, her ability to direct traffic and simple team presence helped make the Toilers all but impossible to beat in the local league and a serious threat anywhere they played.
So when the Basketball Saskatchewan All-Star Senior Classic rosters were recently announced, it was no surprise to see the Toilers senior in the line-up. Maelde was one of 10 players named to the 4A/5A girls South team, putting her among the ranks of some of the top players in the province.
“It’s definitely a nice surprise to see that I was nominated and then chosen, and it feels special that I’m a member of Team South,” Maelde said. “It’s a very talented group of players so I’m just very surprised and I feel honoured.” Teams from throughout the province nominate players for the teams, after which Basketball Sask whittles down to the final selections.
“It means a lot to know they saw the dedication I had to the team, I try hard every practice and try and encourage everyone to improve,” Maelde said.
While the high school basketball season ended prematurely due to the teacher’s union job action, the 2020 Classic is being pushed back to a later date due to the
COVID-19 crisis. It was was originally scheduled to be played on Mar. 28 at Luther Collegiate in Regina. “I’m sad we couldn’t play it, but Basketball Sask has been saying they’ll just keep postponing, so I hope once the restrictions for COVID are lifted we might play it in the summer,” Maelde said. “Hopefully!”
Outside of basketball, Maelde, like students across the province, has been self-isolating as much as possible at home since classes were cancelled throughout Saskatchewan two weeks ago due to the outbreak.
With no timeline for schools to re-open as the virus continues to spread, it’s a matter of simply hunkering down and waiting it out like everyone else.
“I’ve been staying at home every day, [but we have started online courses, so that helps being kept more busy,]” Maelde said.
As for the far future, Maelde hasn’t made any plans to play basketball in college or university just yet.
“A few colleges have reached out to me about basketball, but I haven’t made any final decisions,” she said.
The Senior All-Star Classic brings together the top players in the 1A, 2A, and 3A divisions as well as the 4A/5A teams, creating a four-game extravaganza designed to showcase players from throughout the province. Last year, Peacock’s Piper Ingalls suited up for the girls team while Central’s Kyle Boughen and Riley Seaborn took the court on the boys’ side.