It was two basketball tournaments for the price of one in Bashaw and one club came up with a medal.
The Rebels junior varsity boys lost its opening game before taking victory in the next three to walk away with the silver medal in the five-team round robin event.
The loss, 56-51, to Leduc’s Christ the King was close most of the game, though the Rebels just weren’t able to close the gap enough. It was a completely different story for the boys as the defeated Holy Trinity from Drayton Valley 61-32, as the club dominated from start to finish.
On Saturday, the Rebels picked up from where they left off and took care of Coronation 53-30 as the hosts pressed their way to a big lead in the first quarter that held up the rest of the way. Their last game against a very familiar Forestburg club was run-and-gun offence all night with the Rebels managing a 78-61 win.
For coach Rosanna Resler, this short tournament was an opportunity for the team to continue to grow.
“The boys have come together well and the more they play the more they learn,” she said.
“We haven’t had a lot of chances to practice, so finally getting to play is an opportunity for them to really gel together.”
With three Grade 11 players, joined by five each from Grade 9 and 10, it’s been difficult since the senior boys squad plays a different system and that’s made some adjustments more difficult.
“I’ve found that man-to-man defence works better for us, as some of the players don’t totally understand some of the other defences. So, when one assignment is missed, it doesn’t work well. That said, the players listen well and there is a great dynamic on this team.”
Rebels rising
The weekend also saw the Rebels senior girls host a three team tournament on Feb. 2, with the squad battling a pair of opponents along with a flu bug.
Despite that, the girls played hard in both games — losing 73-37 to David Thompson (near Condor) and 61-19 to Hanna.
Head coach Amanda Swedberg noted the season has been interesting so far, as the team turned over a number of players this season while adding some that haven’t been exposed to much basketball before.
“We lost several experienced players and have picked up a number of new girls. It’s great to have a full bench and it helps to have a few experienced girls to help with the ones that aren’t used to the game, let alone playing at this level,” she said of the Rebels roster of 16 this season, compared to less than 10 in previous years.
“The day was hard since we had many battling the flu. But, the girls work well together and really do rely on each other out there.’
She added this season is definitely a good start on building for the future and she believes the forecast for next season is looking good.
jordie.dwyer@ponokanews.com
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