WHAT THE HOOPLA’S ABOUT
Crusaders win eight in a row
Don’t tell the Centennial Chargers’ coaches that runners-up aren’t supposed to be so happy.
The Holy Cross Crusaders defeated the Chargers 67-37 in the 5A high school girls Hoopla provincial basketball championship at the University of Regina on Saturday. The win was the Crusaders’ fifth in the last eight years and also their eighth straight appearance in the provincial final. It allowed them to cap off a perfect 20-0 record in regular season, city playoff and provincial play.
But the Chargers were also celebrating a dream season. They played in both the city and provincial finals, losing both to the Crusaders, but moving their program ahead by eons.
“We’re just so proud of them and so excited. It was pretty much a fairy tale season,” said Charger head coach Julene Friesen. “Everything went exactly how we needed it to, to get here. We’ve never been to the city final. We’ve never even been to Hoopla and then making it both to the city final and the provincial final was amazing to watch.”
Similar to the city final one week earlier, the Chargers stayed close in the opening quarter. They trailed by just one before a secondquarter 18-6 spurt put the Crusaders up 29-16 at the half.
“The first quarter, Centennial really played well,” said Scott Hundseth, who was coaching his final game for the senior Crusader girls’ basketball program. “We made some mistakes that we shouldn’t make, that we normally don’t make, some layups, missing some defensive assignments. But then once we got the ball rolling, they got better and better. Our defence carried us yet again, we hit some three-balls, some steals and layups.”
Katriana Philipenko led the Crusaders in scoring for the third provincial game in a row, with 21 points in the final. Kaitlin Jockims led Centennial with 12.
Hundseth will move on to other coaching duties next season. He was actually prepared to leave the senior girls basketball program two years earlier, but was convinced to stay by two of his then Grade 10 players — Philipenko and Kyla Shand. Both have starred under Hundseth for four seasons and will join the University of Saskatchewan Huskies basketball program next season.
“I’m pretty darn happy, after this result and even last year’s result, that I stayed for two more years,” said Hundseth.
The Chargers have seen two four-year players of their own make major contributions to their program: Olivia Bell and Jordon Haggerty.
“Just their skill and their knowledge and intensity has been probably one of the biggest things that’s been a contributor to our success this season,” said Friesen about the pair. “It’s been exciting to see them finally, after four years on this senior team, make it to Hoopla and get to play their hearts out.”
Friesen added her team has learned tremendously from the Crusaders and have been stretched in every game the two teams have played each other.
“They’re amazing,” said Friesen about the Crusaders. “They’re one of the best teams I think our high school cities will ever see — that team they have this year. It’s been fun playing them. They’re a fun team to match up with.”
In the 5A boys Hoopla final, the Regina Campbell Tartans, who trailed by as many as 12 points in the fourth quarter, went on a 16-3 run to close out the game and the Regina LeBoldus Golden Suns.
Campbell’s 76-71 victory at the University of Regina ended an unprecedented run of success by LeBoldus, which had won the previous four provincial titles.
We’ve never ... been to Hoopla and then making it both to the city final and the provincial final was amazing to watch.