Two unique matchups took place in St. Paul on Jan. 7 when the Regional High School welcomed Ashmont to town for a basketball doubleheader. Due to the schools’ close proximity, the teams are familiar with one another, but this would be the first time the two teams matchup since Ashmont’s move from SPAA into the Lakeland Basketball League.
According to Norma Large, coach of the Ashmont girls’ basketball team, the decision was made in the hopes of creating a more challenging regular season for the Ashmont teams.
“I felt like Ashmont was getting to the Provincials, but every time we got there, we were really far outside our depth,” she said. “I realized that we had the potential to get better. We always had really strong players, but we didn’t play enough tough teams – the smaller schools typically have a smaller pool of talent to pick from.”
This prompted her to approach the appropriate authorities in the hopes of moving Ashmont into the LBL.
“I pushed and pushed. I said we should try it. What’s the worst they could do? Say no?” she said.
The team got its wish, which ultimately led to the two-game showdown in St. Paul on Wednesday night.
The girls were first on the docket, and a close first half ensured that the visiting team faced a narrow one-point deficit heading into halftime. The scoreboard read 24-23 for St. Paul when the horn blew to mark the break in action.
“It was a slow start. We seem to have a tendency to start slow, so that’s something we have to try and fix,” said Saints coach Trent Rowley in an interview after the game. “Then you see us come out at the start of the second half, and we’re all over them.”
Sure enough, true to their form, St Paul commanded the play in the third quarter, allowing their opponents a modest four points in the frame.
The Saints continued their strong play into the fourth, and by the end of the contest had earned themselves a 51-36 victory. Still, Regional’s coach noticed some areas where the team needs to improve.
“We missed almost 30 layups tonight. That’s a lot of points,” Rowley said. “I told the girls not to get discouraged, because we’re getting those shots. That means we’re doing something right. Now it’s just the concentration of making those shots.”
For Ashmont’s part, coach Large felt that Wednesday’s game was another step in the right direction.
“For me, (joining the LBL) was less about building up our wins and losses – I never look at it that way. I think it’s to learn, to get better, and then beyond that, to win,” she said. “It means a lot to these girls in terms of achieving success – using this as a stepping-stone. If they see success here, maybe they’ll see it in math. That, to me, is what we’re doing here. It’s a great opportunity to get better.”
Ashmont’s Courtney Quinney led all scorers with 20 points on the night, while her teammate Jackson Heaven added 11. Tanisha Gardiner was the Saints’ leading scorer with 14, and Madisyn Watt added 10.
The boys were next to take the court, with a game that strangely mirrored the girls’ through the first half of play. The Saints again got off to a slow start, trailing by a score of 14-6 after the first quarter of play. The halftime score was also similar, with the Saints holding a narrow 25-23 lead.
“We came out really flat, but we picked it up in the second quarter for sure,” Saints’ player Nick Lupul said after the game.
The similarities ended with the start of the third quarter, as the visiting Ashmont Falcons logged a strong second half, due in part to the solid post play of Joseph Pascal.
“It was very intense,” Pascal said of the closely contested basketball game.
Things came right down to the wire, with the visiting team from Ashmont ultimately pulling off the win, outscoring the Saints 52-51.
“It was a fun game to play in because it was close,” Ashmont coach Lyndon Suntjens said after the game. “Everybody played hard.”
It was the first league win for the Ashmont boys since joining the LBL.
“We had a little bit of size on them, other than the one big guy, and we tried to take advantage of it,” Suntjens said. “(The win) tells us that we can compete, and it also showed us some of our weaknesses. We need to work harder on defence.”
“It was a great game,” added Saints coach Jorge Silva. “We started slow, and I’ve got to give our kids credit, they fought back. We missed a couple of shots underneath, and a couple foul shots. You add those up and we’re right in there.”
According to Pascal, who ended the game with 22 points, the win was just another step towards achieving the ultimate goal.
“We’re looking to become a family, so if someone falls down, there’s always someone there to pick them up,” he said.
Kona Jackson added 16 points for the Falcons, while the Saints were led in scoring by Bradley Dubrule with 20 points, and Romeo Cardines with 10.
