Notre Dame out to end drought
When Bishop O’byrne and Notre Dame battle each other in boys basketball, it’s been clearly clean-cut lately — the Bobcats have won eight straight in the last three years.
However, the Pride had won nine in a row in the three seasons prior.
Tonight, the streak is on the line with a city championship berth on the line.
“We haven’t beaten Bishop O’byrne, so its kind of a grudge match for us,” said Grade 12 Pride forward Coel Bazinet, who is part of a group that has never beaten the Bobcats.
“It would be a big deal for us dating back to Grade 10,” said all star forward Emmanuel Joshua. “We just have to work hard and if we play our game, we could do it.
“Ninth time is a charm,” he added with a laugh.
The Bobcats have been the top team in Calgary for the majority of the season, with a perfect 10-0 regular season before dismantling Western Canada 96-55 in the quarterfinal Tuesday night.
The Pride have been just a step behind this season, going 9-1 in the regular season for a tie of the first place in the North Division. They knocked out St. Mary’s 82-64 on Tuesday to earn a spot in the semifinal matchup.
The Pride and Bobcats have met just once this season; at the Notre Dame Invitational in February, Bishop O’byrne beat the hosts 89-72 in the bronze medal game. However, the Pride was without their starting guard Branton Mcfarland, who was nursing a sprained ankle.
“Last time we played them, they outworked us in the first half,” said Joshua, who is mulling basketball offers from U.S. universities. “We tied them in the second half and if we worked that hard the whole game, it would have been different.
“We can obviously play with them, it’s just our mental lapses and we have to believe the whole way through.”
Pride head coach Mike Mcfarland believes his team matches up the best in Calgary against the Bobcats’ size, so he’s excited for a close game between the two rivals.
“We’ve had some really good games, so it’s time to turn the corners with these guys,” he said. “They are very good, but we’ve been kinda under the radar all year, which is neat.”
Gametimeis7p.m.atbishop O’byrne High School.
In the other semifinal on the senior boys side, it’s Bishop Grandin hosting Henry Wise Wood (7 p.m.).
On the women’s side, the top four teams all advanced through the quarter-finals; Western Canada will take on Bishop Grandin while Centennial will battle Sir Winston Churchill. Both games start at 5:30 p.m.