The Canora Cougars senior girls basketball team members wrapped up a near-perfect season by earning silver medals in HOOPLA 2A provincials in Saskatoon on March 22 and 23.
The Cougars went the entire season with only two losses; the first to Wynyard in the conference final several weeks ago, and the second to Regina Harvest City in the final game at HOOPLA, said Curtis Baillie, coach.
The semifinal game had Canora matched up against Wynyard, providing the Cougars with an opportunity to avenge the earlier loss.
“Wynyard had won the last four provincial titles and were looking to make it five in a row, and six of the last seven,” said Baillie. “We worked extremely hard in the practices leading up to HOOPLA to game plan for Wynyard. They are a fast paced team, who press and can shoot the outside three-pointer very well. We knew that we would have to be able to break their press, and play tight defense on their shooters. The upside for us was our height and our ability to work the ball inside to score points from under the hoop.”
Unfortunately, the game didn’t start well for the Cougars, and Wynyard scored the first nine points.
“I called a time out and tried to settle the girls down,” recalled Baillie. “I knew they were ready for the occasion, but the excitement and nerves were getting in the way. It didn’t take long until the girls made their first basket and the crowd went wild.
“We had so many fans in the stands watching the game and cheering us on, including parents, relatives, past players from CCS, former students, former staff members, the Norquay senior boys team (also competing at HOOPLA) and their families and even a few other teams we faced throughout the year that didn’t qualify for Hoopla, but made the journey to watch and cheer. As soon as the girls got to hear that crowd it was like they found another gear. We went on a 20 to 0 run to make the score 20 to 9 in our favour.”
The Cougars held the lead for most of the remainder of the first half, but in the second half Wynyard gradually closed the gap.
“With 14 seconds left in the 3rd quarter Wynyard hit a big three-pointer to close the score to within four,” said Baillie. “We inbounded the ball and Felicity Mydonick raced it up the court and sank a buzzer beating three-pointer to end the third quarter. We then went on to pull away from the Bears in the fourth quarter to win by 17; 60 to 43.”
With the victory, the Cougars moved on to the final game against Regina Harvest City. The two teams entered the game with identical records of 26 wins and one loss, making it a true “battle of the titans.”
Baillie said the Regina team were a very talented group.
“We started the final game very slow. A lot of emotions were running through our players’ heads before the game. For three of the girls, its hard not to think about this being their last game of their careers, and for the entire team, its hard not to think about this being the biggest game they have ever played in and on the biggest stage,” said Baillie.
The Cougars team members found themselves in another quick hole, facing a deficit of 26 to 9 at one point.
“Regina Harvest City pressed us using a method we had not seen all year, and it took us until late in the second quarter to finally break it a few times,” recalled Baillie. “At one point I called time out and all I said to the girls was, “you’re a team that does not quit, don’t roll over now, let’s fight our way back into this game,” and just like, that they did. By half time it was a 10-point game.”
Throughout the second half the score remained quite close, with the Cougars cutting the deficit to as little as five points. In the end, the Regina squad won by 64 to 56 and claimed the gold medal, with the silver going to the Cougars.
Baillie said he was proud of his team.
“Making the provincial final in basketball is a huge accomplishment. You start the year with 35 to 40 teams all trying to earn four spots in HOOPLA. It is not an easy feat, considering other sports such as volleyball advance 10 teams.
“In the programs handed out at HOOPLA, they had all the past winners and runners up dating back as far as 1941. This was the first time Canora has advanced a team to the final since 1963 according the SHSAA records. It is an unbelievable accomplishment to end a 56-year drought of reaching the finals and these girls should be very proud of themselves,” Baillie stated.
He said the success experience by the Cougars has been largely due to a hard working and determined group of players.
“They are driven to succeed and they push themselves to be the best they can possibly be, both in the classroom and on the basketball court. Their leadership, and teamwork is second to none,” Baillie said.
He commended all the parents and fans for their long-time support of the team, and wished the best of luck to graduating seniors Jill Gulka, Felicity Mydonick and Mackenzie Gulka, recognizing all the time and effort the three team captains had put into the CCS basketball program over the years.
