Team from tiny school defies odds for first Hoopla since ’86

The Gladmar Regional School Fighting Falcons are already Hoopla’s Cinderella story.

The Fighting Falcons qualified for the Saskatchewan High Schools Athletic Association basketball championships for the first time since 1986.

The 11th-ranked Fighting Falcons are the lowest-seeded team in the tournament, which runs through Saturday in Prince Albert. They open play on Friday against the second-seeded Middle Lake Avengers in the 1A girls classification.

“It will be a tall order for the girls to win gold,” said Gladmar principal Chris Abtosway. “Still, the girls are definitely hitting their stride at the right time. They might have an upset, create their own March Madness and cap their Cinderella season.”

There is a connection between the 1986 bronze medal-winning team and the current Fighting Falcons. Carrie Hlavka, a member of that team, is the mother of Jolynn Hlavka, a Grade 11 player with today’s Falcons.

Last weekend, Gladmar earned a trip to Hoopla after a 1A regional girls qualifier in Birch Hills. The Fighting Falcons beat the sixthseeded Lake Lenore Lancers 6844, then clinched a Hoopla berth with a 59-54 win over the thirdseeded Birch Hills Marauders.

“We always seemed to struggle,” said Fighting Falcons head coach Kim Culbert. “Then last year was the first time in 20 years that we beat Fillmore, our rival in districts. This year, everything finally fell into place for the girls. To be ranked 11th going in … I think we shocked most of the teams when we got there.”

The school in Gladmar, a tiny village located 160 kilometres south of Regina, has a population of 100 students from kindergarten to Grade 12. The girls’ basketball team has 11 players.

“I imagine they will be excited and that’s why we went (Thursday),” Culbert said. “We wanted to see everything that they needed to see so they settle down and they are ready to play on Friday.”