There’s always a level of excitement around a school in the province when their basketball team makes it to the Hoopla tournament.
For the students and staff at Maidstone High School, the buzz around the senior boys’ Huskies is off the charts.
Friday will mark the first time in the school’s history that they will be taking part in the provincial championships, as they will take on the Osler Valley Christian Academy in a 2A semifinal game at the University of Regina at 2:30 p.m.
“To make it there as one of the top four teams in the province is such a major accomplishment for our school and I think everyone here realizes that,” Huskies coach Ray Bodnarek said.
“We have a chartered bus going down to the tournament and it’s one of those things where if you book it, the people will come. I’m sure we are going to fill it up.”
The journey to Hoopla has been a long time coming for a core group of six Grade 12 players for the Huskies, who have been playing together since Grade 7.
“I started coaching them a few years ago and they took their lumps early on, but they never quit,” said Bodnarek, who is joined on the coaching staff by Dale Kurylyk and Brian Olson.
“This is a special group of athletes that have the drive and determination to succeed. One of the parents was telling me on the weekend that the guys said in Grade 10 that they were going to get to Hoopla one day. You can’t underestimate the power and will of people.”
As the hosts for a regional tournament last weekend, the Huskies qualified for Hoopla with a 76-63 win Saturday over the Meath Park Mustangs.
“We had a 17-point lead at one point but then we had a middle game lull that has been an issue for us at times this season,” Bodnarek said.
“After they took the lead, we started to clean things up a little bit. The guys started to gain some confidence, and the next thing you know we are starting to move ahead by a few points.”
They began the tournament with a 97-52 win over the Canora Cougars Friday evening.
The Huskies opponent at Hoopla is a familiar one, as they defeated Osler VCA at a tournament earlier this year.
“We have a bit of a target on our backs as a result of that and both teams know each other pretty well,” Bodnarek said.
“Osler beat our guys at the provincials in volleyball earlier this year and that left a bitter taste in their mouths, so they are looking for some revenge this weekend.”
The other 2A boys’ semifinal will see the last two provincial champions going head to head as the St. Brieux Crusaders will battle Saskatoon Ecole Canadienne.
The provincial final is slated to get underway at 3 p.m. Saturday at the University of Regina.
