Both Hat High teams win openers at Lethbridge
It seems Hat High’s basketball teams are peaking at the right time. They’ll need to be at their best for what’s next.
Both the Kwahommies and Mohawks won their openinground matchups at provincials Thursday in Lethbridge, with the girls storming to a 74-55 win over St. Albert and the boys keeping ahead of Jasper Place en route to a 8175 decision.
“It was a big win for sure,” said Kwahommies’ Makayla Schultz, who had 12 points and eight rebounds. “Everyone did their part. We started pretty slow, but we never gave up and pulled away.”
After both sides finished third in their zone, ensuring a lower seed for this weekend, they certainly haven’t lacked in confidence. The girls got the added boost of top-scoring centre Jordyn Kearley surprisingly returning from an ankle injury to score 13 points and grab 10 rebounds. Rhiannon Ware’s 24 points, eight boards and five steals led the charge as a big second quarter put the momentum in their corner to stay.
“We just kept taking it to them,” said Ware. “Everyone’s having fun as a team, and we’re playing unreal.”
Next up is top-seeded LCI, which destroyed No. 16 Charles Spencer High 83-32. The game will be at Chinook — thankfully not LCI if you’re a Medicine Hat fan — and the winner goes to play a 4A semifinal at the University of Lethbridge later in the day.
“I’m expecting a good game,” said Schultz. “They’ve got some big girls out there that we need to take care of. If we shut them down it’ll be easier on us.”
As for the boys, Kahden Wright and Anfernee Houmphanh each had 18 points as Jasper Place focused on top scorer Matt Manas, holding him to seven. But that made room for other Mohawks, who led for most of the night.
“We played defence and rebounded and stayed disciplined the whole time,” said Grade 12 forward Bak Nyang, who had 14 points. “It was a nailbiter.” Eticha Waktola had 18 for Jasper Place. Like the Kwahommies, the Mohawks’ quarter-final opponent is the No. 1 seed. Edmonton’s St. Francis Xavier also beat a Charles Spencer team, this one a 97-46 final, to advance.
The winner goes to an afternoon semifinal, also at the U of L. Nyang said a boisterous fan base made the trip down Highway 3, so he’s looking forward to the same sort of support Friday.
“We just feed off of them, they give us energy,” said Nyang.
3A
Back in Medicine Hat, the tournament host McCoy Colts girls got to see their second-round opponent in action thanks to a bye. Strathmore beat Strathcona Christian 72-56 at the Family Leisure Centre. Strathmore and McCoy play in a 12 p.m. quarter-final at FLC today, with the winner playing in the same gym in an 8 p.m. semifinal.
Other girls winners were Bowness, Magrath and Beaumont, advancing to play WR Myers, Edmonton Christian and Wetaskiwin respectively.
On the boys side, McCoy was upset by Morinville while Myers beat St. Albert, Blessed Oscar Romero beat Holy Rosary and St. Joseph out of Grande Prairie beat Wetaskiwin. Quarter-final matchups are Brooks against Morinville, Camrose against WR Myers, George McDougall against Blessed Oscar Romero and St. Peter the Apostle against St. Joseph. All of the boys games are at Crescent Heights, which will also host the girls’ medal games Saturday.