Ardens knock off 4A teams in Moose Jaw
The Swift Current Comp. Senior Ardens basketball team won three of four games to place fifth at the 16-team Moose Jaw Invitational over the weekend.
“It was a great tournament that gave us the opportunity to see some teams we don’t normally play. There were 15 4A team in attendance so it gave us a chance to see where we stand against teams in our classification,” said Ardens’ head coach Andrew Herrick.
The Ardens opened the tournament with a 49-40 win over Meath Park. The Ardens only scored four points in the second quarter and the game was tied 19-19 at halftime. Grade 10 guard Jade Addai led the Ardens with 16 points in the win. “It was one of those games where the ball just wouldn’t go into the hoop for us in the first half. In the second half we found enough consistency on the offensive end to get the win,” said Herrick.
The Ardens ran into undefeated Moose Jaw AE Peacock in the quarter-finals and were eliminated from medal contention in a 82-41 loss after Peacock outscored them 40-19 in the second quarter. Peacock went on to win the tournament in dominating fashion. Grade 12’s ShaeLynn Bolton and Cheyenne Kendall each scored 14 points in the loss.
“We knew going into the Peacock game that we were going to have to be at our best to compete with them. In the first quarter the girls stepped up to the challenge and we were only down by five at the end of the quarter. I think the lesson we learned is that in order to compete with the top teams in the province, we will need to be more consistent on the defensive end of the floor,” explained Herrick.
The Ardens rebounded with a 47-36 win over Humboldt, led by 13 points apiece from Addai and Bolton. “Coming off the Peacock game all our focus was on improving at the defensive end of the floor. I thought the girls started making better adjustments and rotations and it showed on the scoreboard holding Humboldt to just 36 points,” said Herrick.
The Ardens clinched fifth place with a 61-57 win over Regina Luther. They trailed 34-28 at halftime before limiting Luther to 23 points in the second half. Addai led the Ardens with 18 points and Kendall added 15.
“The game against Luther College was important for our end of season rankings as this will be the only time we see them this year and they are in our conference,” explained Herrick.
“The first half we lacked energy and mentally we weren’t executing on either end of the floor. In the third quarter we started getting back to our type of game running up and down the floor. We went on a 22-8 run that put us in great position to win the game in the fourth. The fourth quarter wasn’t pretty but we held on and it really showed the girls desire to grind out a big win for our team.”
The Ardens now boast an impressive 12-4 record. They will be off this weekend for exams. The Ardens will return to the court on January 31 – February 1 for a mini home tournament.