There has been no shortage of provincial appearances for the McLurg Broncs in volleyball, curling, golf, track and field, badminton and wrestling in the past. Now for the first time in McLurg High School history, they will send a basketball team to provincials.
Wilkie's Broncs won regionals on the weekend as the host team and, according to their coach Greg Mamer, they played their best game of the year when it really mattered - the regional final.
McLurg played in tournaments and league play throughout the season and before conference play began, the Broncs had won just two of the seven tournaments they played in.
Mamer said if his team plays like they did on the weekend at regionals they should have a chance to earn a medal and if they don't win, but play like they did, he will be proud of his team.
The Broncs hosted regional and conference playoffs and used the home court to their advantage. In conference playoffs, McLurg beat Rossignol 54-29 with Jessica Kauth leading the way offensively.
In the conference final, Kauth had 17 points and helped McLurg beat Lashburn, a team they went 1-1 against in two previous matchups.
Last weekend, in the regional semifinal, the Broncs fell behind Wolseley 21-16 in the first quarter. The Broncs dominated the second quarter outscoring Wolseley 14-4 and had a strong fourth quarter to seal the win. Andria Karstens led McLurg with 16 points in the game.
In the conference final, the Broncs expected to be in tough, as Asquith played extremely well Friday to beat Davidson and advance to the final. Asquith's Cassidy Oborowsky put up 35 points in the semifinal win, but the Broncs were able to contain her and the rest of her teammates winning 59-49. Krystin Schwebius led the Broncs' attack with 13 points.
Mamer was able to get his bench in the game because of strong play from his starters early on and said his bench is one of the keys to the team's success this season. The Broncs' have 14 players on the roster and have the ability to tire out their opponents said Mamer.
McLurg heads into provincials with a 22-8 record and ranked second. They will play third ranked Meath Park in the semifinal Friday in Regina. The Broncs beat Meath Park in their only matchup this season and also have Lashburn's number, the fourth ranked team at provincials. The top ranked Southey team beat McLurg in the lone meeting between the teams this season.
