The Estevan Comprehensive School Elecs junior girls basketball team kicked off their season with a back-and-forth 36-31 silver medal game loss to the Radville Rebels at the Elecs Invitational Basketball Tournament at the school on Saturday.
“We could have done better,” said Elecs point guard Ruth Pecson. “We just needed a lot more teamwork and I felt that if we just had more control of the ball, if we slowed down the play a little bit, we would have won that game.”
“And focus,” added fellow point guard Jean Rose Be, “because we were kind of tense a bit.”
The Elecs jumped out to an early lead just 25 seconds into the game on a basket from in-close by Janae Stewart. The Rebels' Julia Verhelst, who was a force for the team all game, replied with two points from the paint. The Elecs and Rebels traded scores throughout the rest of the quarter with Estevan's Rose Be and Cazlynn Barnstable picking up field goals for the home side and Radville's Shelby Scott controlling the offence for the visitors with a basket from in-close, a single from the foul line and a long three with seconds remaining in the quarter.
After picking up an offensive rebound, the Elecs' Bailee Mickel deposited two to even the score at eight shortly into the second quarter. Mackenzie Park then put Estevan up by two with a jump shot from the top of the key. Ashley Wilson, Stewart and Rose Be, with four, added to the Elecs point total before the quarter was over, while Sadie Anwender was the only Rebel able to find the net.
The Elecs seemed in control heading into the third quarter holding an 18-10 lead and they quickly added to it with Alaura Florizone draining a basket from near the baseline. Barnstable then made the score 22-10 before Verhelst and Anwender replied with buckets of their own. Wilson and Paige Buhler scored Estevan's remaining four points in the quarter with Scott adding four of her own for Radville bringing the score to 26-18 for Estevan after three.
The Rebels' Verhelst and Scott took over the game in the fourth quarter drilling four quick baskets to tie the game at 26. After Radville's Sara Fradette hit two before adding one from the foul line, Scott hit another shot to give them a 31-26 lead. Buhler hit one from the line and Rose Be added a long two to bring the score close at 31-29 with two minutes to go, but a single from Scott coupled with two layups by Sera Labbie and Verhelst gave the Rebels the silver. Pecson added the Elecs' final two points on a long basket with 55 seconds remaining.
“We 'laxed on our defense, especially on (Verhelst),” said Elecs head coach Kevin Kobitz. We “let her have too many open looks and we had a chance there in the late fourth quarter. (I) told the girls to pressure the ball and get a couple steals. We missed a couple of easy baskets near the end and Radville got hot near the end.”
Radville coach Bev Koszman said the girls were a little tired heading into the game considering it was their third of the day, but she told the kids during halftime to think positive, will their shots into the net and good things would happen. She said the girls were determined to come out with the win and once they started sinking a few baskets late in the third quarter the offence came alive.
The Rebels made it to the silver medal game with a 36-24 win over the Weyburn Junior High Cobras and 37-22 loss to the St. Mike's Tigers earlier in the day, while the Elecs earned the berth with a tournament opening 32-25 loss to St. Mike's and 21-12 defeat of Weyburn. The Tigers won the gold medal with a 38-22 win over the Cobras to go undefeated in the tournament.
“We've been growing this team,” said Tigers coach Claire Fingler, noting the club boasts a number of strong Grade 9 shooters and rebounders. “This is probably a group at their peak right now.”
Kobitz said the Elecs' Invitational Basketball Tournament brings together four teams that are seeing their first game action of the year after only a week and a half of practice, so it was a good way for each club to get a look at their competition this year. He said the three games they played on Saturday are their set point and the goal now is to build on what they did right and work on what went wrong as the season starts up.
“It's the start of the season and we still have lots of time for improvement,” added Pecson. “Hopefully (we'll) learn to improve our skills as a whole team and, of course, as individuals and hopefully win districts.”
