Ardens come up one win short of Hoopla
The Swift Current Comp. Senior Ardens basketball team had their season ended by a familiar opponent when they lost in the 4A Girls Regional final to Lumsden on Saturday. The Ardens finished just one win short of a trip to Hoopla this weekend in Regina where the top four teams will battle it out for the provincial championship.
The Ardens, ranked fifth in the province, opened the weekend with a 65-56 win over 12th ranked Estevan in the Regional semi-final.
Injured grade 12 Shae- Lynn Bolton returned the line-up and got the Ardens off to a rocking start with some outstanding threepoint shooting to get the Ardens out to an early lead.
“Although our fast break game wasn’t working for most of the game, our shots were falling and our defense worked hard to keep Estevan’s offense to a minimum. In the fourth quarter we started to coast a bit which led to a few quick baskets for Estevan and the lead began to dwindle. Estevan started to play more physical, aggressive defense which threw our girls off a bit,” explained assistant coach Megan Jack- son. A desperate Estevan team began throwing up three-pointers from anywhere and everywhere and got back into the game to make it too close for comfort but the Ardens held on for the nine-point win to advance to the Regional final.
The Ardens rematched with host Lumsden Angels Saturday, a young, athletic team that had knocked them out of the Conference tournament one week earlier in Swift Current and was ranked fourth heading into Regionals. The game began as a grind-it-out battle with only a couple of baskets scored in the first half of the first quarter. “It was a defensive battle - it reminded me a lot of the Arden’s 37-33 win against Weyburn at Hoopla six years ago,” said Jackson.
Lumsden made a run at the end of the quarter and the Ardens couldn’t buy a basket. “The girls fought extremely hard, playing tough, physical defense but couldn’t keep Lumsden off the offensive boards. Second and third shots by Lumsden made a big difference in the score as we continued to struggle to put the ball in the hoop,” explained Jackson. The Ardens season eventually came to an end in a 69-31 loss.
“The final score didn’t show how hard the girls fought against more than a few setbacks, racking up fouls, having girls fouled out, and the seal on the basket that we couldn’t seem to break. It was frustrating and heartbreaking to watch the girls struggle and struggle and just not be able to catch back up.”
The Ardens finished the season with 20 wins and eight losses with two tournament titles and three secondplace finishes in nine tournament appearances.
“Andrew [Herrick], Duane [Regier] and I were disappointed with the way the season ended, but we couldn’t be more proud of the overall season the Ardens had this year. We were a 20-win basketball team — with only three graduating players. That speaks volumes for the skill, athleticism, and coachability of the younger players on our team this year. We had a team full of girls who worked on their game not only during this current season, but last spring during our club season, over the summer, and in the preseason as well. That dedication and those hours showed on the court this year. Our girls worked hard and learned to work together which has been the key to our success this year. And because I know Andrew would never say so, the passion and dedication of our head coach played a huge role in the individual and team development we saw over the course of the season.”
The Ardens will graduate three players with Bolton, Shania Jensen, and Cheyenne Kendall all moving on. Bolton was the Ardens’ top three-point threat and was also a versatile defender from her guard spot. “Of course we will miss having Shae rain 3’s in the face of the opposition, but we will also miss her mental toughness, aggression, and grit on next year’s Ardens squad.”
Kendall, a 5’10’’ post, was one of the team’s go-to options inside. “We will also miss Cheyenne’s toughness, her physical play under the basket on both offense and defense, and I’m happy to be able to say her ability to use the backboard to finish a shot down low,” said Jackson.
Jensen was the team’s only fourth-year player. “Shania will be a big loss to our team’s leadership. She is a workhorse who always has the team’s best interests at heart. As our only four-year Arden graduating this year, Shania takes with her a deep understanding of what Ardens basketball is, and the work ethic and dedication it takes to be a successful team. That loss will be deeply felt by our younger players next year.
“We will miss our graduating players next year. They provided a great deal of leadership for our younger players, and exemplified the work ethic that characterizes Ardens basketball,” said Jackson.
The Ardens were a relatively young team that can return nine players next season, including plenty of scoring from guards Jade Addai and Katie Darlington-Kuebler.
“I think we’re already excited for next season. Although we’re losing some key players, the girls that will stay with us are ready to step into those shoes. We have a team who has tasted success and we’re confident that desire will build in them over the next few months - that it will drive them to work hard so they are prepared to grab their win in Regionals next year,” said Jackson.