Bashaw School’s junior girls and boys basketball teams closed out the season winning game at their home tournament.
Held Feb. 23 and 24, the fun event was intended to give both teams some court time and to showcase their skills against other teams.
For the girls, coach Logan Wray was pleased with the 2-1 record.
“We opened with a tough fought loss to Donalda but followed it up with wins over Round Hill and Big Valley,” said Wray.
“It was an exciting way to wrap up our season with a home tournament, the gym was packed and the community really came out to support.”
For his team the biggest challenge is something Wray feels was also the team’s biggest opportunity.
“Our junior girls program grew substantially and brought in a lot of new athletes,” said Wray, adding that they had really come together as a team.
“Having large (team) numbers increases the coaching challenge, however, it looks to pay dividends in the years to come,” he explained.
He feels the team’s perseverance during the season paid off in the long haul after close games against opponents.
“This is what made us proudest to coach this team and is a quality that is quite unique and admirable of each of these young ladies,” he said.
Boys win
The junior boys won all of their games during the tourney.
Boys coach Al Middleton said the weekend was meant to be a fun wrap-up tournament to close the season. He was proud of the team’s performance.
Along with catching rebounds on both sides of the court, the Rebels also had a strong team improvement in their passing game.
“Throughout the year that was one of our issues,” explained Middleton.
“Making sure of the solid passes and making sure that you’re not passing it to the other team.”
That’s the hope for any coach, said Middleton, to see an improvement from the start of the season to the end of it. Middleton says he loses four players next season.
“I had 14 on the team this year. I still have a lot of guys that will stick around next year for me and hopefully those four guys will move up and help the senior team,” explained Middleton.
For him the goal is to give all the players as much court time as possible to get them the needed skills for the high school basketball levels.
