The competition was stiff, but the Estevan Comprehensive School’s senior boys basketball team wasn’t intimidated.
ECS hosted the Saskatchewan High Schools Athletic Association’s 5A southeast division basketball tournament on March 13 and 14 and went up against Yorkton and Moose Jaw Peacock, respectively.
The Elecs finished second place in the 5A southeast division after defeating Yorkton and losing to Moose Jaw.
An increased male student population this year resulted in ECS playing in the 5A division for the first time ever. According to head coach Shane Ross, their school was barely over the 4A limit.
“The teams we were up against have way more to choose from,” he said.
On Friday, however, there was no indication that ECS wasn’t up to the challenge and defeated Yorkton 60-59.
The lack of consistent practice time since the end of the McLeod series was a slight concern, said ECS assistant coach Dustin Wilson.
“The momentum heading into this weekend wasn’t there for us,” he said. “But the guys knew they could win this.”
Despite a late barrage of 3-pointers courtesy of the Yorkton offense, the Elecs managed to put an end to the run with the help of Brett MacMurchy, who came alive in the second half and hit some big shots to deflate the momentum Yorkton had coming in the third quarter.
“This was kind of his coming out game,” Wilson said, noting foul trouble forced them to dramatically change their lineup.
“They were definitely frustrated but they wanted to win it badly,” he added.
Their second matchup on Saturday was against Moose Jaw Peacock Collegiate, who ultimately defeated ECS 80-57, but not after a close first quarter that took Moose Jaw by surprise.
“There might have been a little bit of intimidation in that second game, but I think we played a great basketball game in that first quarter,” Ross said, referring to the 22-17 first quarter score.
ECS tried to bridge the five-point deficit in the second quarter, but Peacock’s offense was too strong.
“They executed their offense perfectly and adjusted to what we were doing,” Ross said.
Matt Haux had 20 points in the loss, a point total he’s hovered at for the majority of the season. Ross said his consistency has proven invaluable during the season, alongside Mitchel Clark’s ball handling and decision making skills as a point guard.
He noted as the season wraps up, he would like to see his younger players perform to the best of their ability no matter what competition they face next week in Regina.
“It’s not about the reffing, the other players or what your teammates have done wrong, it’s about getting the job done,” Ross said. “It’s about winning those mental battles.”
