This year’s edition of the Junior High SPAA Finals featured a rumble in the jungle, as the intensity ratcheted up between the two girls’ teams and the game came down to the dying seconds of the fourth quarter.
“It was so crazy – I’ve never been in an environment like that before,” said Mallaig girls coach Kayla Fluker of the frenzied, energetic basketball game that would see the Stingers take on the FG Miller Crusaders in the Crusaders’ territory, in a gym that was filled to near capacity by both teams’ supporters.
FG Miller would take the lead in the game, and would lengthen it to 12 points just after the third quarter. But Fluker said her girls dug in deep not to lose ground.
“It was just like this wave of ‘We want this so bad.’ The girls came back, and they were on fire,” she said, adding the team put into play everything they had learned to close the gap and tie the game.
The two teams were trading baskets and coming into the final two seconds of the game, they were tied at 43-43. With the prospect of overtime looming, the Crusaders’ Sydney Letwin sunk a basket to give the Crusaders the 45-43 win and the glory of the junior high banner.
The crowd surged to their feet and FGM principal Colin Bjorkman shouted, “It doesn’t get better than that!”
Crusader coach Reanne Harasiuk was bursting with excitement at the end of the game, and expressed her pride in her girls. “They not only won the banner, but played all their league games undefeated.”
Fluker also expressed her pride in her team. “Honestly, I felt that we won last night. My girls worked so hard and they came together as a team.”
The Stinger boys also made it to the finals, where they came up against Racette’s team in the Raiders’ home court. Racette took the lead early and held on to a 68-46 finish.
“I think we knew all along how good we are,” said Racette co-coach Stephanie Tremblay. “Finally, this game, everything came together.”
Tremblay co-coached alongside her mom, Joy, and both felt the team as a whole was strong, after a season of working offence and defence systems with the help and guidance of experienced college coaches.
“We peaked at the right time,” said Joy Tremblay.
While it was bittersweet to say goodbye to the senior parting players, she noted that if the team sticks together, along with players from Glen Avon, they would be an “unstoppable” force by Grade 12.
Justin Pasitney was one of those graduating Grade 9s, and was happy with the way the season ended.
“Everyone went out – they gave a perfect effort,” he said. “It’s a pretty great feeling to know your last game was successful.”
And while the male Stingers missed out on the banner, the team’s coach Claude Seguin noted the team had a successful year, winning three out of four tournaments, and getting second in the fourth tournament.
“I was so proud of the boys this year,” he said, adding that despite being from a smaller school, the boys fought hard in tournaments and found the way to their second SPAA final in two years.
He said the hope was that the school would continue to develop its program and be known as a school that’s good at basketball.
“We’ve got a strong basketball future.”
