The St. Paul boys and girls Saints teams hosted fourteen basketball squads at an early season tournament in St. Paul this weekend. The girls pulled off a third place win by defeating the Hanna Hawks on Saturday while the boys finished second after losing to Westwood in the A-side final.
The St. Paul boys defeated St. Jerome's 76-30 on Friday, with 24 points accounted for by point guard Jonathan Shapka and Cory Babcock responsible for 12. The Saints had similar success against Kitscoty on Saturday, winning 71-40.
The team used pressure and capitalized on a lot of turnovers to advance to the final, said head coach Tim Penner.
In the final against Fort McMurray's Westwood team, St. Paul fell behind early, with Westwood ahead at 15-6 at the end of the first quarter. In the second, the Saints reduced the deficit, but stayed behind by eight at 25-17. Westwood retained the lead until the end for the 54-41 finish.
The late start and too many giveaways hurt the Saints, said Penner. “The effort level was there, but they had too many passes into the other team's hands … Those easy points at the beginning set the game."
The team will work on executing better on offence and managing the ball, he said. The Saints squad had been playing for two weeks before the tournament and competed the previous weekend at a tournament in Lloydminster with two wins and two losses. In Lakeland League play, the Saints are one for one.
The girls team advanced to semifinals after a 53-37 win over Ashmont on Friday. The teams played a close first quarter but the Saints pulled ahead in the second.
The Saints faced a stiffer opposition against JAWS on Saturday morning, a team the Saints defeated during the week in league play. The Saints started slow and were down 24-12 in the second quarter, but dominated the rebound in the defensive zone to tie it at 25 apiece by halftime. In the third, the Saints took a modest 46-44 lead but could not hold on and lost 56-54.
While disappointed by the loss to JAWS, coach Sasha Levasseur sees it as an opportunity to focus on the mental side of the game. A lack of focus and not being “game ready" contributed to the early deficit, said Levasseur.
The Saints moved on to compete with the Hawks for third. The Saints took better control of the ball, according to coaches, and had a 37-22 lead in the third, which increased to 55-33 by the time the clock ran out for third place overall.
Coaches agreed Grade 12 player Elizabeth Grant had the best defensive game over the weekend. “Right now she is stepping up and being a leader out there," said Levasseur. In Grade 11, coaches noted a standup performance from Leigha Bishop.
“They played all heart, very unselfish game play."
Co-coach Melissa Mahe also credited Grade 10s for stepping up at the tournament.
Coaches see progress in developing offensive strategy of “motion all the time," where they have to be continually moving. “We just have to learn to play as a team. When they are cutting hard to the hoop, they're unstoppable," said Levasseur.
The Saints started in late November but have played two league games and the tournament in Lloydminster. The Saints have four Grade 12s, four Grade 11s and 12 Grade 10s.
The team plays in both the Lakeland league and the St. Paul Athletic Association (SPAA) league. While it creates scheduling challenges, it is part of the long-term development as coaches decided not to play Grade 12s in SPAA games. The decision places the team in a competitive disadvantage, but coaches say Grade 11s will have to step up. Grade 12s will get lots of game time in the more competitive Lakeland League and tournaments. A team goal this season is to make provincials.
While not a tall team, “they play with big hearts," said Levasseur.
The Ashmont Falcons girls team finished in seventh after losses to the Saints and St. Jerome's. Ashmont went on to defeat Kitscoty. The Falcons have a young team with half in Grade 10.
Coach Heather Ebbers is challenging her team to learn man-to-man play. “I think that makes for better basketball players," she said. Compared to covering zones, man-to-man involves a lot more running, which means players have to be in better shape, she said.
“We're working on getting our fitness level up and getting the girls to be able to use their peripherals and watch for everything."
After the loss to the Saints, the Ashmont Falcons boys team beat St. Jerome's to advance to the consolation round, but lost to Hanna. The Falcons have a young team with three Grade 12s, four Grade 11s and the rest in Grade 10.
Coach Tim Yakiwchuk said the team will concentrate on improving its defence.
