Chasing a championship
NNEC takes on top seed as provincials open today
They get the #1 seed right out of the gate.
When the girls varsity basketball team at NNEC hosts the provincial championships starting Thursday, the eighth-seeded Gryphons will take on the Horton High School Griffins, the top seed in the tournament and a squad that NNEC took to overtime in an early-season game last fall.
“We’ve played the top four teams – we didn’t beat any of them but we’ve played them decently,” head coach Andy MacKay said, adding that drawing Horton isn’t necessarily a bad matchup for his troops because much like the Gryphons, Horton does have as much size as the other teams seeded in the top four.
“They’re similar in stature as we are. They’re a very good, hardworking team but they’re not going to cause us matchup problems in terms of size.”
Game time is 2 p.m. at the NNEC gymnasium.
“I’m so excited that we’re getting to host, especially since it’s my last year,” said Lucia MacKay, one of three Grade 12s on the NNEC roster (the others are Courtney Smith and Abbie Delaney).
“I think if we play well and all try our hardest, that we could do it.”
MacKay, who will play basketball at St. Francis Xavier University next fall, said the Gryphons will need to match Horton’s quickness and protect the basketball.
“They press, they deny the wings, they’re fast and feisty and they get a lot of points off transition and turnovers,” she said.
“So, if we can keep that to a minimum that will especially help.”
Smith, who like MacKay was a Canada Games athlete in 2017 (softball), is used to playing in big games. “No matter what the outcome, it’ll be a good game to watch,” she said of their matchup against Horton.
“For this level of basketball, it’s a high-pressure game (but) I try to stay calm and not focus on the pressure.”
Helping to keep the younger players calm is also part of the job description for Smith, MacKay and Delaney, all co-captains.
“We just need to reassure them, and not to be nervous.”
Other teams competing in the tournament (listed in order of seedings) are Citadel, Dartmouth, C.P. Allen, Dr. J.H. Gillis, Memorial and Halifax West.
NNEC Gryphons roster
#5: Raegan MacDonald (Grade 10 guard)
#6 Jade Butler (Grade 10 guard) #7 Abbie Delaney (Grade 12 guard)
#8 Isabella MacKay (Grade 9 guard)
# 9 Jaden MacEachern (Grade 10 forward)
#10 Madelyn MacMillan (Grade 10 forward)
#11 Lucia MacKay (Grade 12 guard)
#13 Courtney Smith (Grade 12 forward)
#22 Kassi Brightman (Grade 10 forward)